Affordable to run photo printer?

Question

I have a HP photo-smart D7360 which takes HP 363 single ink cartridges. While this gives me great results, i just can't afford to spend so much on printer ink without feeling guilty (A set of ink carts cost half the price of the printer!) (Although i don't know if they can be refilled cheaply or safely)

Should i sell my current printer and if so can anyone recommend a model or brand that takes cartridges that are cheap an be readily available for a long time to come or should i try the refilling route?

(I print lots of colour text pages and some photos of varying sizes but not nearly as many as i'd like to)

Answer 1

Get a refilling kit, its easy to do and saves a fortune, if you are a big user it will be cheaper still to bulk buy the inks.

Answer 2

Deskjet printing has never been the economical option. I agree with you that new cartridges cost half the price of the printer. That was done with a reason though. Actually the printers are sold very cheap with the idea that people buy them and then spend a fortune on buying ink. That's where the printer manufacturers actually make their money.

It's unnecessary though. You an safely go the "refill" route, provided you find a reputable refiller using high quality inks.

I'm in graphic design and have been using refilled cartridges for a long time at a fraction of the cost and no noticeable quality loss.

There is no single printer which can be singled out as "cheap", unless you go to the professional market and there you will pay "professional prices" for the printer.

Seems like everybody is out to milk us poor consumers... Lol

Answer 3

First, do NOT refill cartridges. This is a very risky proposition. You save pennies and gamble dollars. If you want to save money, look for new compatible cartridges.

If you dont absolutely need photo quality, you can get a color laser printer for $80. It does a nice job on photos but not as outstanding as a real photo printer.

Lasers have sharper text and are generally faster than inkjets. While toner cartridges are more expensive than ink, they print more pages, so the cost per page is lower. But you pay more up front. Inkjets are better for photos and cheaper for low volume. Personally, I use both. I have an inkjet for photos, a color laser for high volume color jobs and a black laser for regular text. I use the black laser most often.

You can get a good color laser today for $80! Samsung CLP-300 at http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p...

I have this printer and it's really nice. Toner cartridges are more expensive then inkjet cartridges ($70 for a set of 4 at http://ccs-digital.com/ink.asp ) but they last for about 2,000 pages.It does a nice job on photos, but an inkjet is still better for this.

Inkjet: As someone who was in the computer hardware business for years (though I rarely sold printers since I couldn't compete with the crazy rebates) I have always recommended Epson. The print quality is excellent, even on plain paper. I have photos I printed on a 640 about ten years ago hanging in my office which still look good, though not as good as the ones from the CX8400 on glossy paper. The warranty is excellent. For a year, Epson will express-ship a replacement and pick up the old one. I had one customer who needed this. He called one afternoon and had the replacement two days later. Another client bought a Canon. It needed two repairs within a few months. Each time it was taken to the repair center, then picked up a few days later. This client runs a specialty printing business and this really hurt. They have since bought an Epson CX5000 and have had no down time since.

All name brand ink is expensive, but you can get cheap new replacement cartridges for Epson (not refills which I never recommend) for under $5 at http://ccs-digital.com/ink.asp   I have been using these for years.

The C120 (printer only - no scanner) is on sale at Ritz Camera free after rebate but you must also buy a digital camera. The cheapest is $15. With $7 shipping you pay $22 for printer and camera.  It uses 3 colors and 2 of the SAME black cartridge.

http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/55740...

A set of 5 cartridges are $25 at http://ccs-digital.com/ink.asp

The CX8400 scanner/copier/printer was on sale at circuitcity.com for $60 with free shipping. It uses the same 3 colors plus one black.

The NX400 which uses the same cartridges is on sale at Staples for $75.

The RX595 scanner/copier/printer also prints on DVDs. It uses 5 colors plus black and has even higher photo quality. You can get it at Ritz Camera for $45 after rebate (with digital camera) or for $80 after $55 instant rebate.

http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/54342...