Recommendation on a All-in-One Printer

[hdtvtechno]

Im looking at upgrading / Replacing my printer
and get an Multi-purpose Color Laser Printer with fax/ and one which has both flatbed and sheet feed scanner - and Copier
but it must be wireless enabled - wireless g or better yet wireless N
and one which has an Phyiscal Phone Handset Piece along with speaker phone
and caller ID Display
and have Photo Memory Card slot which let me stick my camera memory card and print from it.. and also have an LCD screen so i can see the pictures before i print them..

which are the best ones and where to find them - preperbly if they be not expenisve...
Boy am i asking too much here.. :

Should i go with inkjet or laser or something else ?
thanks guys

 

[charper1]

Man! What a list! IMHO these demands are WAY over the top overkill!

If it was me I would switch to an inkjet without the handset; its way too easy and cheap to add a much better phone to sit next to the printer/fax; PLUS doing so will open up a wider range of better multi-function PRINTERS.


I much prefer the Epson upper lines for print quality and cost of expendables over time, but not sure if they make one with a built-in handset/CID...


With all those requirements you would be best off going to Newegg or Shopping.com and using there power search tools or detailed drill downs.


BUT!


You can always start looking here:


http://www.buy.com/prod/brother-mfc...eless-networking-and/q/loc/101/205663720.html


http://www.buy.com/retail/product.a...63719&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15891


http://www.buy.com/search/q/cscat/2...kjet+based+multifunction+printer/showall.html


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828115145


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828113278


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828102313

 

[hdtvtechno]

I dont know.. but Inkjets dries up the ink when not used to print
i know from expericeance because i rarelly printed before and my ink dried up when i wanted to print again..

 

[charper1]

IMHO if you are not printing fast enough or in enough volume to keep inkjet print heads and / or carts from drying; then you also likely DON'T want to absolutely waste money on an all-in-one color laser of decent quality either. FWIW I print fairly regularly (but sometimes can go weeks between print jobs) both B&W, color and photo and have yet to experiencing any drying issues with the new series of Epson printer I use it was under $100 retail and it has/ does everything you listed above with the exception of the self contained handset and CID functions.

 

[8bitbytes]

At least with the Epson inkjets, I learned from the techs at Epson that if you turn off the printer immediately after using it and not leave it on all the time the heads close and the ink does not dry up for quite awhile.

I have a Photo RX500 and it has worked fine even though I only use it sporadically.

 

[TheForce]

I use a printer often and have need to two types of print jobs- Color laser for higher volume and inkjet for photo printing work.

I have the ink jet here in the office next to my work station, it is a multi function printer and I use the FAX ( connected to a Magic Jack) the scanner (11x17) and of course color printing. The photo glossy 11x17 colors portraits are just stunning! It is also connected by the ethernet to my lan. In a remote room I have a general purpose photocopier / scanner/ laserprinter. I do some glossy label printing jobs on this as it will scan and print up to 14" legal paper. It is connected to my lan via wifi wireless which is real nice. I do not use the fax feature in this printer.


I think you have to evaluate if you need a general purpose volume printer. Most people don't but if you do a good laser MFC is nice for the home and the cost is much lower than ink jet per page. But if you like to pront photo real then a good inkjet is nice. The new Brother I have refreshes the ink cartridge every so often and as I rarely make prints as compared to the laser. It seems to be ready to go all the time. For what I paid for it $159. I can't complain as it does everything I need very well. I keep 8.5 x 11 glossy paper in the upper trat and 11 x 17 glossy in the lower tray. So it is ready for nice color prints when I need it.

 

[charper1]

At least with the Epson inkjets, I learned from the techs at Epson that if you turn off the printer immediately after using it and not leave it on all the time the heads close and the ink does not dry up for quite awhile.

I have a Photo RX500 and it has worked fine even though I only use it sporadically.

Seems we have the same tastes in units; I have the RX680; got a great deal and a rebate to boot!


The OP may be interested in the CX9400 - Epson Stylus CX9400Fax, Overview - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.

 

[Pepper]

IMHO, "all in one" is equivalent to "mediocre for all tasks, good for none"

The worst of all are the HP all-in-ones with their multi-gigabytes of crapware you have to install just to get basic functionality.

Give me a good standalone printer and a good standalone scanner any day. And who still uses a facsimile machine nowadays? If they are still so far in the dark ages and can't use online services such as email, you should let them know that's the reason you don't do business with them anymore.

 

[firebirds]

You can have a look at the Brother MFC-490CW AIO Printer, acolor inkjet all-in-one comes with up to 15-sheet auto document feeder for convenient unattended fax, copy or scan. And it can use both wired and wireless network connection.

 

[charper1]

IMHO, "all in one" is equivalent to "mediocre for all tasks, good for none"

I use to agree 110% but printers have been one of the rare products to actually excel at this format. With a bit of research you can find top quality units that does all very well.

 

[hdtvtechno]

Ok fine.. i'll go with the Ink-jets

 

[gbjbany]

I have been using a hp officejet 6310xi, for about 2 years.

It's not wireless but does many of the things you wanted , not all.
It prints great quality, i just used it to print passport photo's.

I have not had to install the "junk" software just the driver, because all the functions are on the menu's, which are easy to use.

I got mine at Costco, but here's the hp link HP® Official Store — Buy an HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner, Copier (Q8061A#ABA) from HP
The wireless version is here HP® Official Store — Buy an HP Officejet J6480 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner, Copier (CB029A#ABA) from HP

 

[charper1]

Ok fine.. i'll go with the Ink-jets

HDTV: did you take a look at this link?

Epson Stylus CX9400Fax, Overview - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.



I went with what I think is the better printer/scanner because I have WinFax on my PC and it works well with this unit so no need for an embedded fax.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63069505

 

[hdtvtechno]

No wi-fi = no buy

 

[charper1]

I think buying a top rated $70 printer and adding a $70 multi-port wireless print server may yield better results, but if you just browse the other items you see these like units with wi-fi built in:

Epson Artisan 800

Epson Artisan 800, Overview - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.

* 5 in 1 with WiFi: Print / Copy / Scan / Fax / Ultra Hi-Def Photo
* Up to 38 PPM1
4x6 in 10 seconds1
* 6 Inks
* 7.8" Touch Panel, 3.5" LCD, Card Slots, CD/DVD printing, 2 Paper Trays, ADF

....more


Epson WorkForce 600

Epson WorkForce 600, Overview - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.

* 5 in 1 with WiFi: Print / Copy / Scan / Photo / Fax
* 2 TIMES FASTER than competition with laser quality1
* 4 inks
* 2.5" LCD, Card Slots, Auto Document Feeder
...more

 

[TheForce]

If they are still so far in the dark ages and can't use online services such as email, you should let them know that's the reason you don't do business with them anymore.

Partly agree. I dumped my winfax and dedicated phone line for fax over a year ago and got too many complaints from one client in particular didn't want to be bothered using e-mail for hard copy written pages. So, I had to return to FAX just for him. I installed a magic jack and connected it to the one MFC. Works great! Fax for me falls in that category of have it and not need it vs. need it and not have it. I have also been reminded of those other rare cases of needing a fax for secure CC orders and for contract signing.

I also agree that the multifunction printer system is a technology that has greatly improved over time. When I owned my HP III printer, I would get it repaired every other year. When I finally decided to go the MFC route, I bought a color photo laser that scanned and photocopy, with doc feeder, 2 trays, much higher resolution and worked off the LAN. Cost was 1/4 of what I paid for the HP III in the 80's. Then, when that MFC printer broke, I tossed it and upgraded to these Brother systems and got even better quality all the way around for even less money. Can't complain.

 

[8bitbytes]

Partly agree. I dumped my winfax and dedicated phone line for fax over a year ago and got too many complaints from one client in particular didn't want to be bothered using e-mail for hard copy written pages. So, I had to return to FAX just for him. I installed a magic jack and connected it to the one MFC. Works great! Fax for me falls in that category of have it and not need it vs. need it and not have it. I have also been reminded of those other rare cases of needing a fax for secure CC orders and for contract signing.

What about efax? No need for you to have to use a fax just to send one.

 

[charper1]

I tried that in a pinch, but I am none too pleased with the cost structure.

 

[8bitbytes]

I tried that in a pinch, but I am none too pleased with the cost structure.

Really? Here at work we have ten 800 number efax accounts with Easylink and our monthly bill runs about $140.

 

[charper1]

I guess I am either not getting it or am missing out on something the way I do it; but between email and WinFax. I send and receive unlimited for free. I do use efax free occasionally to receive to my laptop during travel, before I get to my destination; which almost always has free fax service and/or use.