A few months ago Peter and I decided we really needed a new printer. Although the $30 one that we were using worked, It didn't work well and the ink cost was insane for the amount of printing it did. So as we were shopping Peter really gravitated toward a black and white laser printer because of the high output, but I just couldn't face not having a color printer for all of my homemaking needs. Color laser printers were just too expensive and although the ink would last a long time, it would be a serious investment each time. Inkjets are pretty cheap but you don't get much bang for your buck with the ink. We seemed to be at a crossroads as we went from store to store trying to find the right fit for us.
Then we just happened to be at Costco, probably buying diapers, and as we browsed the printers I noticed this one that had a sign claiming to be cheaper than a laser printer per page. We talked with the salesman for quite a while about this claim. He even showed us the ink cartridge refills on which the package estimates how many pages you can print per cartridge. Sure enough it was very comparable with laser jet quantities. It was something like 1500 pages for the color cartridges and 2500 for the black and white! Much different than other ink jets quantities.
This printer is an Officejet which is a step up from the regular inkjets, but Peter was skeptical since it was only $139.00. Somehow we decided this printer was going to be our best compromise since we just couldn't afford Color and Laser in the same sentence.
When we brought it home and put it together, I did notice the quality was surprisingly good for the price we paid. Since the printer came with ink I decided not to hold back with the print jobs at all, but didn't expect much from the lower level ink that they usually come with at first. Seriously I printed like crazy, no holding back for the last 4 months and this thing just kept going! I don't know how many reams of paper we went through because the kids go through so much paper too for their own use, but between myself and them it was at least 10. I am careful to print on the economy setting a lot, I have always done that, but still printed and copied like crazy. I finally had to buy some color ink for this thing after all this time just yesterday, but the black is still going strong.
The color cartridges cost a total of about $60(about 1500 pages, perhaps more on economy printing), but that is still a lot less than laser cartridges. You can get 2 black cartridges for about the same price (5000 pages!) The printer itself has really impressed me for the price. Way better quality than I expected for $139. It has only jammed maybe 3 or 4 times with what seemed like a thousand print jobs. Anyway, we have been very happy with our decision to get this printer so if you are looking to get something good, try one of the printers in this line. If it requires HP Officejet 88XL ink, that is the way to go. I love to share a good find so I hope this is useful for someone out there.
P.S. This one is also wireless so we hooked it up to our internet router and can print from anywhere in the house!
3 awesome comments:
This was very helpful for me! I haven't had a printer for a year! I don't do very much printing though, but still, I will take a look at this one when I go printer shopping.
ohhh sounds like a good printer! Mine uses up soooo much ink sooo fast it's insane! Too bad we just bought ours last year or else we'd be getting this one! Looks like we'll have to deal until ours breaks or something.
Like the new blog look. Thanks for sharing the good find. You guys look like you really enjoy your family and extended families. That's what it's all about right?! Congrats to Peter, well both of you for getting through that long process and accomplishment of the license. And great wedding pics. I love your photos!
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