In November of 2010 I wrote up a post about how much I loved my Kodak ESP Printer/Scanner combo. Well, the time has come to replace my printer. I’ve been telling my family it’s gone “Skynet” on me. (Sorry for the Terminator reference, I’m a nerd.) I’m also hoping to take advantage of the back to school sales around town.
When I say Skynet, I mean it’s going absolutely crazy. It won’t print, it barely scans, and it won’t let me do any of the “maintenance” to try and fix it. It basically does what it wants, when it wants. Including shooting paper out at me. So I’m just done with it. I’ve had it for a couple of years, and I’m curious to try a wireless printer so I doubt I put my all into troubleshooting.
Now comes the hard part of finding a replacement. I don’t want to spend over $100 and I want to get as close to $50 as I can get. Also, while I enjoyed the cheaper ink, I think I’m more open to going with another brand. While it was cheaper then what my Mom pays for her laser printer, it does run out quicker. In fact, I blew through 20% of my new ink cartridges trying to get the printing problems fixed. So that’s another source of my frustration.
So here are the top contenders so far:
I’m not too over the moon about the Fax option since I don’t fax. However a lot of the all-in-ones out there have a fax option. The ink is definitely more expensive then my Kodak, but I would hope it at least lasts longer. The Customer Reviews on Amazon.com seem to be luke warm for this machine, so I definitely wanted to see what else was out there.
I do really like this one. It has the memory card slot which is good because that’s the only way I remember to upload photos from my camera. It doesn’t have the unnecessary (for me) fax option. The Customer Reviews are mostly good. The only drawback people seem to be finding is that if one cartridge is empty it won’t print. That is quite annoying but I think I could learn to live with that if the ink doesn’t drain fast. Checking out the ink prices didn’t give me sticker shock either.
I like that I’m familiar with this brand and style of printer. It’s less of a learning curve for me. This one is more expensive then the other ones I was looking at but I’m positive that my Walmart carries the ink for it. However, I’m a little wary about how fast the ink was running out. Also, the out of nowhere, for no reason tech issues that popped up. I’m looking for a no fuss printer/scanner. Maybe I’m asking for too much?
For some reason, this is the front runner for me. I know I have a lot of criticisms for my last Kodak printer, but I think it’s different if you know going in. Switching brands means a complete learning curve. I know the quirks, I know the advantages. It’s like slipping on my fluffy pajamas in the winter time. I like the Wi-Fi capabilities. Supposedly I can print straight from my iPhone. That could be a nice feature if I ever take a picture on there worth printing. The Customer Reviews show easy network hookups. That’s a big one for me. We have a lot of computers in the house and all of them have had to have their own printers for some reason. (Yes, I’m a nerd who can’t figure out home networks, sue me! … Actually don’t sue me.) If even just my sister would be able to print from my printer, it’d be a big headache reducer in house.
Does anyone out there in cyberspace have a printer/scanner combo that they love? What makes a deal breaker for you? I think one of my deal breakers will be if they are available for the advertised prices in my local Best Buy.
I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. Kodak’s twitter did re-tweet me after my glowing blog post about my printer in November. However, I wasn’t compensated before or after that blog. I am in no way obligated to any of these companies. Please don’t sue me, I have nothing for you to take anyway except my Ancestry.com membership and a Diet Dr. Pepper. Neither of which I’m obligated to mention.
