Which Printer Is The Best?
by Barry Shultz
I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked
that question. I know, I know, I'm the printer guru
and I know all there is to know about printers.
Truth is I keep my ear to the ground but I don't run
out and test every new printer on the market. That's
what CNET is for.
So don't ask me to recommend your next printer. I
won't do it because if you get something you're not
happy with, I become the bad guy. I'll be happy to
steer you in the right direction but I will never
recommend any specific printer.
Most of the time the question is, "Which printer is
the easiest to refill?". I can answer that one
really fast, Canon, hands down. Any Canon. See, I
won't get specific. But the fact is, if you are
refilling and want to eliminate 90% of your
headaches, buy a Canon.
The order of complexity, from easiest to hardest,
for refilling cartridges is as follows:
Canon
Epson
Lexmark (Dell, Compaq)
Hewlett Packard
I don't recommend buying any of the others like
Xerox, Brother, Sharp or any off brand printer if
you want to save money on supplies. The people that
make the ink and the generic cartridges are ONLY
going to concentrate on very popular printers. Same
with remanufactured cartridges.
By the way, Dell printers are getting really popular
but be warned, even though they are made by Lexmark,
they will not accept a Lexmark cartridge. And I
don't know of any company that is remanufacturing
Dell cartridges. A Lexmark refill kit will work with
Dell cartridges though.
All the newer Epson cartridges need a reset tool if
you refill them. If you don't reset the chip on the
cartridge they simply will not work.
HP cartridges can be reset by selectively taping
over certain contacts on the cartridge foil strip. I
tip my hat to whoever figured that out.
Lexmark does not need a reset procedure but they are
a little fussy to refill sometimes.
Canon ink tanks contain NO technology. They are
simply a plastic shell. The hardest thing about
refilling Canon cartridges is getting a good seal
over the refill hole. If you don't get a 100%
airtight seal they will leak.
So what printer do I use? I use an Epson C60...It
was on sale! ;-)
About the Author
Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and
President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specialized
in affordable alternatives to the high cost of
printer supplies. Sign up for the Atlascopy
Newsletter and get 10% coupons every week in your
email.
http://atlascopy.com/signup_new.htm
Go to Atlascopy to save a bundle on your printer and
refilling supplies.
http://atlascopy.com
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