need all-in-one printer NOW!

so last night my 5.5year old Epson CX4800 finally gave up. I need a new one, and I need it ASAP. I'm a uni student and have assignments to print for next week.

the store I can buy from at this point (due to time constants)
www.staples.ca
Memory Express Halloween Sale (Oct 29th - Nov 4th)
NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection.
Costco.ca: Offering thousands of items you won?t find in your local Costco.

so anything you suggest I'm sure I can find.

requirements:
1. cheap to operate (if there is decent generic cartridges available that's ok)
2. look in the 100$ or less but can push budget up to 200$ if there is a really good reasone two.
3. the scanning software MUST be able to make multipage PDF's, NO EXCEPTION.


I'm a student so I really want for this thing to be as cheap as possible to run. I have considered B/W laser but I can I buy generic toner or is the manufacturer prices half decent? I'm really don't want to spend a lot of money on this if I don't have to. Oh, and I don't need color printing.

brands I know have the required scanning software is:
Epson
and a friend of mine is convinced his brother can as well.

out of curiosity has anyone owned a Kodak? the ink is decently priced (10$ for a official Black). how is the scanning software.

thought the day I'll post what I'm currently looking at.

Thanks!

 

my brother in law bought the "Epson Stylus SX515W High-Speed All-in-One Printer with Individual Inks and Wi-Fi" for around £65 and it works great , not certain if it can create pdf`s though.

 

Kodak makes some decent printers. That said, I have no idea about the scanning software specifically.

HOWEVER I do use a program called PDFSAM which lets you merge multiple PDF files, split them into pages, do pretty much whatever you need to do. I use it all the time to combine various scanned receipts into one document for my consulting.

But I would really recommend a laser. Toner may be more expensive at one time, but your per-page costs are half or less than that of an inkjet. The main issue is that they don't print pictures as nicely, but since that's not what you need I would definitely recommend one. As for brands, I have been really happy with our two Samsung laser printers (one B&W, the other color), haven't seen anything about their all-in-ones though: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX23453(ME).aspx

 

wow great, I'm going to have to look into pdfsam.

I'm considering laser but the issue is that I can get really cheap ink on ebay...

currently I'm eyeing a 80$ Brother all-in-one... not sure it's any good.

Edit. lost connect didn't get time to finish post...

the current 'winner' in my eyes is this:
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=69,260,337,3188&webid=892180&affixedcode=WW

it's cheap and I can get cheap ink on ebay. but yah, still not really sure.

I'm also considering the samsung... just not crazy about the 80$ toner's or weather or not I can build multipage documents with it.

 

If you're a student don't consider a laser printer unless you intend it to be used by your entire dorm. It just wouldn't be economically feasible unless you print hundreds of pages.

On the other hand, a good all-in-one ink jet can be had from just about any of the top manufactures: Canon, HP, Brother, Lexmark etc.; and ink is within a few cents of each other--although a slightly cheaper ink may be offset by the convenience/features of another.

Also keep in mind that using the prescribed manufactures paper/ink also has a noticeable (albeit slight) effect on print quality. Only you can determine which is more important to you.

I personally prefer the convenience of a wireless. Even so, these printers sell in the sub $100 category.

I bought this one in January on sale for just under $70!

Lexmark Impact S305 Wireless All in One Printer Copier Scanner by Office Depot

 

how is the scanning software? I actually use the scanner more than the printer... but the printing portion of my CX4800 is now dead... so yah...

any one have any opinions on the Brother MFC-J415W?

my printer will be used as a desktop printer, so if it comes with wireless it's not a selling feature.

Thanks for all the input!!!

 

I have an Epson Workforce 600 and it is ridiculously expensive to feed, and it is hungry, uses ink fast.
I'm a grad student and print off lots of Powerpoints and .pdfs from my professors, and comparing my costs to my friends who have HPs, I'm spending much more on ink. So if cost is a concern, I would avoid them. Also, you cant refill their cartridges because they have chips inside them. HPs don't have a chip.
On the other hand the print quality is outstanding and the unit itself is of a great build quality.

Nvm, just noticed you bought a Brother. Hopefully this helps anyone else looking at printers...

 

Thanks, PS you can buy a chip re-setter for 2 or 3 $ on ebay. along with tones of knockoff cartridges (I don't know how good they are).

so far it's working quite well.

 

Really? I bought my wireless color laser printer for $85, with half full toner cartridges, and to fully replace all the toner cartridges is about $100 or so.

The nicest things about laser are that you never have to clean the print heads, it doesn't dry up, and your cost per page printed is much lower than with inkjets. Yes, it costs a lot more to replace the toner than to replace an ink cartridge, but a toner cartridge set prints a lot more pages.

For example, at these prices: Brother MFC-5460CN Ink Cartridges

For just B&W, it's $20 for 500 pages. $0.04 per page.

For just the black toner here: Amazon.com: Samsung Black Toner 1.5K Yield for CLP-315, CLP-315W, CLX-3175FN (CLT-K409S): Electronics: Reviews, Prices & more

It's almost twice as expensive at $37 for the cartridge. But it will print 1500 pages. So the ink costs per page are only $0.025. Almost half that of the inkjet. Add to that no wasted ink for cleaning cycles and such, and a laser printer is a much more economical way to print black and white.

The only real reason to recommend an inkjet is for color printing, as images are much better on inkjets than they are on lasers, even color lasers. Or if you just cannot afford more cash up front to save money overall in the long run.

Glad to hear it Whatever works for you is the best choice.

 

The high end Lexmarks (Pro901, Pro905) now have $5 Black 105-XL cartridges that are rated for 500 pages, but the printers themselves are rather more expensive ($175-$200).

 

If prices get that low, then yes, an inkjet starts making more sense. I still like my lasers speed