RE: Ink Jet Printer Recommendations

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> sounds good ... presumably that involves recharging cartridges ...

Nope ... Just pour more ink into the external tanks when they get low.

> 'guess the quality would be OK for text, how about pictures etc ?

Pictures (in manuals, from websites etc.) are fine ... Photos? Hmm ... Well
I wouldn't use the K550 for photos anyway as I have a separate photo
printer.

> it probably depends what counts as a lot of printing ... for
> us, and we don't do an awful lot, 'though maybe more than
> most, we found for b&w a laser won hands-down ... five years
> ago, and prices have come down a lot since then - ie: colour
> machine now for what it cost then for b&w ...

I do also have a "fully loaded" HP 5Si (jetdirect + 96Mb RAM +
Postscript
SIMM + Duplexer + recent maintainence kit) which I *WAS* using as my
workhorse printer. For anything printed "double sided" it's still
*FAR*
quicker than the K550 as that pauses at the end of each page to let it dry
when using the duplexer but other than that I'm probably going to retire
the
5Si and use the K550 as my workhorse.

You're right that the cost of lasers (both colour and monochrome) has
plummetted but the cost of the consumables is (IMO) criminal! When it's
cheaper to buy a complete new printer than it is to buy a set of toners
then
something is seriously pissed. Remember too that with laser printers its
also not just toners that are needed but there are also fusers, transfer
rollers etc.

> anyway, I'd say it's worth checking the sum !

Definitely check the running costs ...

Phil