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Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?



 
 
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  #21  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:47 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Howard Brazee
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Posts: 8
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

I thought most all computers work simply and automatically. But my
mother's in her 80s and has had several computers (with several
versions of Windows), and most every time I visit her, I have to get
it working again for her.

It's not the OS, it's not the printer, and she objects vigorously to
any implication that it's her.

My printer predates my Mac by a decade. My wife's is pretty new. I
can use them both with no problem from my Mac.

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison
  #22  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:48 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Jolly Roger[_3_]
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Posts: 70
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

In article ,
(John Brock) wrote:

My siblings and I bought our 80-some year old mother a new iMac
for Christmas, and her Epson Stylus Color 740 -- unsupported by
Snow Leopard -- is now junk. So we'd like to hear recommendations
for a new printer.

We're not interested in speed or ultra-high quality photos or
multi-function; we're looking for robustness and simplicity above
all. We'd like our mother to be able to change the ink cartridges
by herself! Beyond that, we're looking for a major brand with good
OS X support, and not overly expensive (especially the ink). Under
$200 certainly, and under $100 would be nice. Given these criteria,
what would be the best choice?


I've tried all the cheap makes, including HP, Epson, Lexmark, and they
have all clogged up or died within a couple years. My Canon, on the
other hand, is still printing just as good as the first day I purchased
it back in 2005! It's just wonderful. Canon PIXMA Pro i9900 has
outlasted every single other inkjet I have ever used!:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/c35uqf

If I were in the market for a new photo printer today, I would
definitely get one of the current Canon PIXMA Pro models:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/nj5s6

In my book, Canon is highly recommended.

Note: I use *only* new Canon brand ink cartridges with my printer - and
no after-market refills. While I could try using off-brand or refill
cartridges, I'm simply not willing to change damaging the printer when
it has treated me so much better than any other!


I'll add that Canon's Mac software drivers work well and are updated
regularly, in my experience.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR
  #23  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:48 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Howard Brazee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:23:11 GMT, David
wrote:

Re cost of ink - generally the cheaper printers tend to be harder on ink
than the more expensive units, but that is not such a problem unless you
(or her) are going to do a lot of printing.



Not printing enough can dry out cartridges and be expensive as well.


--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison
  #24  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:51 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Jolly Roger[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 70
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
Howard Brazee wrote:

On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:23:11 GMT, David
wrote:

Re cost of ink - generally the cheaper printers tend to be harder on ink
than the more expensive units, but that is not such a problem unless you
(or her) are going to do a lot of printing.


Not printing enough can dry out cartridges and be expensive as well.


On cheaper, lower-quality printers, definitely.

I sometimes don't print anything for a couple months on my Canon PIXMA
printer, and it prints just as well today as the day I bought it back in
2005.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR
  #25  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:52 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Howard Brazee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:30:02 -0500, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
wrote:

Brother. Hands down.



A decade or two ago I went to a user group, and someone demonstrated
his Brother printer. As he carried the big thing in, he said it was
heavy, to which two different wags in the audience gave the obvious
reply.

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison
  #26  
Old January 2nd 10, 05:52 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
Jolly Roger[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 70
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
Howard Brazee wrote:

I thought most all computers work simply and automatically. But my
mother's in her 80s and has had several computers (with several
versions of Windows), and most every time I visit her, I have to get
it working again for her.

It's not the OS, it's not the printer, and she objects vigorously to
any implication that it's her.


I have to question your assertion that it's not Windows. : )

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR
  #28  
Old January 2nd 10, 06:28 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
erilar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
"Jonathan L. Parker" wrote:

John Brock wrote:
My siblings and I bought our 80-some year old mother a new iMac
for Christmas, and her Epson Stylus Color 740 -- unsupported by
Snow Leopard -- is now junk. So we'd like to hear recommendations
for a new printer.


Are you sure about that non-support? I'm still using 10.4.11 so I can't
speak directly with regard to Snow Leopard, but I can tell you that
Gutenprint *does* have a driver for this printer, and my version
includes it. Unless Mom lives a long way off and all of you have
already gone home after the holidays, you might want to take a crack at
setting it up for her. If nothing else, it could serve as a backup
option in case the new printer you'll *still* probably end up buying for
her ever goes on the fritz.


I don't know what Gutenprint is, but I do know Epson didn't update the
drivers for that printer when they updated everything else. My scanner
was just as old and didn't even have a USB connection, so it had to stay
connected to the old computer anyway. The G4 can read ANYthing 8-) My
lovely new laptop only has USB and Firewire ports.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist


http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo
  #29  
Old January 2nd 10, 06:34 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
erilar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
J.J. O'Shea wrote:

If you _must_ go with a stand-alone inkjet, check out Epson or Canon. Stay
far away from HP, and further away from Lexmark. If you can live with a MFD,
add Brother to Epson and Canon.


My Epson Artisan 710 even gives me good color images on ordinary paper,
is easy to load, and the cartridges that came with it, though low now,
have done a LOT of printing, including quite a few for my foto album,
since I got it. It came with an extra black ink. It's also a scanner,
but it's not REQUIRED that you scan things if you don't want to 8-) I'm
certainly not going to try to fax anything, since it's not connected to
a phone 8-) For foto printing, you can stick a memory card into it
directly. It does other stuff, too. AND it's under $200, even if over
$100.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist


http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo
  #30  
Old January 2nd 10, 06:36 PM posted to comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc
J.J. O'Shea
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18
Default Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

On Sat, 2 Jan 2010 11:47:49 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article ):

In article ,
Lloyd Parsons wrote:

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

In article ,
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote:

In article ,
(John Brock) wrote:

We're not interested in speed or ultra-high quality photos or
multi-function; we're looking for robustness and simplicity above
all. We'd like our mother to be able to change the ink cartridges
by herself! Beyond that, we're looking for a major brand with good
OS X support, and not overly expensive (especially the ink). Under
$200 certainly, and under $100 would be nice. Given these criteria,
what would be the best choice?

Brother. Hands down.

You've got to be kidding me. Their software flat-out sucks!


You must be kidding me! Their software is just fine, including the
little toolbar thingie.

But then, who uses the software that comes with the scanner much anyway?
I sure don't and many I talk to don't.

Give me a solid driver (check), a simple interface for quick scans
(check), and work with my very good Apple software (check)


Not the Bother software I've had to troubleshoot for a family member
(for a Brother MFC-4420C).



I have a MFC-440cn, and the software is as the previous poster stated: a
driver for the printer section and a driver for the scanner section, both of
which worked over the network, and both of which worked without a fuss. The
printer driver did everything I wanted to and did it quickly and without
getting in my way. The scanner driver works with, among others, Image
Capture, Graphic Converter, Photoshop, and Acrobat Pro. I can also scan
directly from either System Preferences/Print & Fax or from the printer
application.

There's also the Brother Control Center software, which _is_ crap, but as I
don't even have it installed anymore is not a problem.

--
email to oshea dot j dot j at gmail dot com.

 




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