We have an inkjet multi-function printer, that we figure is nearly 5 years old. Its an HP, and although their quality has declined recently, we have been happy with it. Its been limping along on its last legs for a couple years now, and yesterday it ran out of ink.
We also have a Samsung laser printer that I use in my home office. We paid $90 for it, and it pounded out pages for nearly a year before it ran out of toner.
The combined cost to replace the toner, and the black and color ink tanks in our two printers was going to be $169. So instead, we bought a new printer.
The new one cost us $199, and its amazing. Its a laser multi-function center, and although we didn’t spring for the color version, it does practically everything else. It prints double-sided, it scans and faxes over-the-network, so it doesn’t even have to be attached to a computer to be useful. Its a full-page flatbed copier, and it even has an auto-feeder for scanning or copying multiple pages.
Toner replacements are about $80, and it has a toner-save feature, so we expect to get nearly a year out of this cartridge before we have to replace it.
Some of the functions we won’t use very often (fax) but working from home, it sure is nice to have them available.
But the best part is, because its network attached, it doesn’t have to be anywhere near my desk — or our bedroom. Nicole can print out her Google Maps and coupon findings without having to hover around behind me while I’m coding. And I can scan my expense report receipts without running to the bedroom and risking waking the kids during nap time. I couldn’t be more delighted.
Incidentally, its a Samsung. This is our 7th major Samsung purchase (our TV, washer, dryer, fridge, etc… have all been Samsung) and we’ve been very impressed with the quality, feature set and price of each device.
