Want to buy a multifunction machine - need advice

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Howdy

We are researching what kind of multifunction machine to buy. W
currently have an Epson Sylus 820 printer which frequently need
nozzle cleanings even with the Epson ink, which is annoying so we ar
leaning away from Epson.

Do the nozzles on the Canon printers/multifunction machines ge
clogged like the Epson nozzles have known to do

I've heard that HP inks are more expensive to replace. Is this true?
Are they good machines that outweigh the ink cost

We don't print many photos, we may send out a few faxes per year, w
scan a few documents a week, and we would make a few copies a week.
The printer function will be our biggest use. Our main objective
are to get a machine that will be relatively trouble fee with
relatively low cost of printing (ink), if possible

Also, does anyone know much about wireless machines and if they ar
prone to trouble

Any suggestions
 
What are your reasons for wanting to purchase an all-in-one machine? Is it
a matter of available desktop space or are there cost concerns? Keep in
mind that multifunction printers rarely do all their functions with the same
quality and reliability as stand-alone units. You may get a machine that
has a great fax interface but is horrible at printing photos. Or, your new
machine may print fantastic photos but has an absolutely awful scanner. I
have an inkjet printer for my digital photos, a flatbed scanner for scanning
slides, books, magazines and so on (you can also use a scanner to generate
copies) and a laser printer for printing documents and spread sheets.

When your printing function on your multifunction unit goes wrong, you are
out the entire machine while it is in the shop getting fixed. This can be a
problem. You can't really go wrong with units from HP or Epson. Do not,
under any circumstances, purchase anything from Lexmark!
 
Great Advice!
What are your reasons for wanting to purchase an all-in-one machine? Is it
a matter of available desktop space or are there cost concerns? Keep in
mind that multifunction printers rarely do all their functions with the same
quality and reliability as stand-alone units. You may get a machine that
has a great fax interface but is horrible at printing photos. Or, your new
machine may print fantastic photos but has an absolutely awful scanner. I
have an inkjet printer for my digital photos, a flatbed scanner for scanning
slides, books, magazines and so on (you can also use a scanner to generate
copies) and a laser printer for printing documents and spread sheets.

When your printing function on your multifunction unit goes wrong, you are
out the entire machine while it is in the shop getting fixed. This can be a
problem. You can't really go wrong with units from HP or Epson. Do not,
under any circumstances, purchase anything from Lexmark!
Click to expand...
 
Do the nozzles on the Canon printers/multifunction machines get
clogged like the Epson nozzles have known to do?
Click to expand...
All inkjet printers do this.
www.pcmag.com and www.pcworld.com for their recent 2004 user
reliability survey reports on inkjet printer all-in-one reliability
ratings. You will see and can compare which ones are more reliable.

Keep in mind that makers can improve reliability over time, so the
latest machines can be more reliable than what you've had (just like cars).
I've heard that HP inks are more expensive to replace. Is this true?
Are they good machines that outweigh the ink cost?
Click to expand...

In general, yes.
See reliability ratings.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118514,00.asp
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118514,pg,7,00.asp
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/8/0,1311,sz=1&i=84995,00.gif

In these ratings, Percent Needing Repairs is more valuable of a rating
than reliability (what does that really mean?) or satisfaction.

For all-in-one inkjets, it's:
Brother: 15.1%
Canon : 9.2%
Dell : 2.2%
Epson : 6.4%
HP : 5.7%
Lexmark: 5.6%

Thus, avoid Brother all-in-one printers, buy Dell all-in-one printers,
and the rest are just average.

Keep in mind that only some printers (eg. Canon) have extended
warranties up to 3 years which will fully cover anything that breaks and
allow for instant exchange replacements.

Also, if not having a working unit is important, simply buy two on sale,
and keep the other spare. With MF units going for <$120 (eg. Epson
RX500 on sale - see www.fatwallet.com/forums/ _> hot deals threads; or
buy from www.epson.com -> clearance), you can easily retain the
convenience of an all-in-one device, yet rest assured a breakage won't
leave you dangling.
 
David Chien said:
In these ratings, Percent Needing Repairs is more valuable of a rating
than reliability (what does that really mean?) or satisfaction.

For all-in-one inkjets, it's:
Brother: 15.1%
Canon : 9.2%
Dell : 2.2%
Epson : 6.4%
HP : 5.7%
Lexmark: 5.6%

Thus, avoid Brother all-in-one printers, buy Dell all-in-one printers,
and the rest are just average.
Click to expand...
Those are very odd statistics considering that the Dell all-in-ones
are mostly Lexmark ones with very minor changes, I can't believe that
somehow the Dell label (or something else to do with Dell) makes them
more reliable.

I also question the "all-in-ones don't do anything as well as a
dedicated device" philosophy. Many all-in-ones actually have exactly
the same print engine and mechanism as comparable printers from the
same manufacturer.
 
Those are very odd statistics considering that the Dell all-in-ones
are mostly Lexmark ones with very minor changes, I can't believe that
somehow the Dell label (or something else to do with Dell) makes them
more reliable.
Click to expand...

It probably means people just throw them away!
 
If you read my reply to the original post you would have read that I pointed
out that some Multifunction machines do not always do EVERYTHING well. For
instance, as I mentioned in my reply, your machine may be an awesome photo
printer but has a horrible fax interface. Or it may have a great scanner,
but an awful photo printer.
 
1) The Dell's can be more reliable if the 'design' and quality control
are up to par. It can very well be made by the same company, but if the
different design and QC differ, then you can see different
reliabilities. Also, the Dells are a newer designs than the Lexmarks,
so they're a generation ahead of what Lexmark had. Still,
statistically, they're within 2-3% of everyone else, so you can't say
much about those scores either until next year's user survey. (On the
other hand, brother's are definitely statistically significant...ie. bad).

2) I have a Epson RX500 that does do a great job at photo printing from
flash cards & PC, makes great color & B&W copies, makes excellent scans
from printed material and film, and is, IMO, a great all-in-one unit.
Free'd up a lot of desk space for me, and I'm a happy user here =)

(of course, ink is always expensive for any inkjet, so that's a typical
$70 set of cartridges to replace all 6 everytime the ink runs out =(
....which is why I have a laser printer as well, and so should you at the
$99 they sell for... use the laser for regular B&W prints and so forth,
the inkjet only for color photo printing to save $$$; those that must
print lots of color, see www.inkjetmall.com for the Continuous Ink
Bottle feed system and the like; also, membership at office stores like
Office Depot where they give you 10% back on purchases, or price search
engines like www.shopper.com are highly recommended in getting the
lowest printer & ink prices online!)

So, today, I can confidently say that you can buy a MF unit that does
well on every feature it has included.
 
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