Is my Brother printer dead?

Question

I have a Brother MFC-420CN All-In-One printer and it is no longer under warranty. It just recently stopped working and displayed "Unable To Print". The error code is "Machine Error 4F", which after some research turns out to be that both the purge unit and printhead are broken. Is this an expensive fix, or should I just give up on the printer and just get a brand new one? It is no longer under warranty, so maybe more problems lie down the road. Need your advice, thanks.

Answer 1

Printers are dirt cheap now, get a new one

Answer 2

Considering that you can buy a brand new printer with a one year warranty for as little as $22, I'm sure fixing it cost more than that. here are some printer deals and info:

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 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...

Answer 3

it's broke just buy a new 1 on sale

Answer 4

my dad had this problem with his car(not printing thing)it broke down so he fixed it(expensive)then a week later it broke down again.

so i suggest u buy a new 1.