Simplest and most reliable printer for an iMac?

In article ,
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote:


Also, I would consider a wireless network printer that allows her to put
it anywhere, and allows the friends/family to hook to it without effort
when they come over.

One advantage my Wireless HP printer/scanner has apart from the absence
of cables is that I can print directly from my iPhone. Very handy.

David

In article ,
erilar wrote:

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

In article ,
nospam wrote:

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:
You're just going to have to accept the fact that
various Epson printers have, can, and do clog up with _normal use_.
Otherwise, you're only going to make yourself look rather silly.

And you never used anything but Epson ink? Cheap ink will clog even
the best printer.

With the epson I gave away due to continuous clogging it was using the
original cartridges supplied with the printer.

David

In article ,
nospam wrote:

just because it happened to you doesn't mean it happens to everyone. if
so many people really did have clog problems, epson printers would not
sell very well, yet they do.

The only time I had a bad clog problem with my Epson was the one time I
bought non-Epson ink.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist


http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

I'm quite sure it will outlast your cheap-o Epson. ; )

Let me know when it passes 11 years.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist


http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo

In article ,
erilar wrote:

just because it happened to you doesn't mean it happens to everyone. if
so many people really did have clog problems, epson printers would not
sell very well, yet they do.

The only time I had a bad clog problem with my Epson was the one time I
bought non-Epson ink.

*some* non-epson ink can clog, not all. there are a number of specialty
inks that work very well, but they're not dirt cheap, which is usually
why people buy off brand ink. also, recent printers have smaller
nozzles which means crappy ink is more likely to clog.

In article , David
wrote:

they don't clog in normal use

True, while they are in use - but leave them sitting for a week and you
have to clean the heads.

did you turn the printer off after using it, or was it on the entire
week? when off, the heads park on a waste pad, effectively sealing
them. if you left it on, then you probably will get a clog.

Jolly Roger wrote:

In article ,
(Jamie Kahn Genet) 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.

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'm still very happy with Epson. I remember the Stylus Color 740 fondly
- it was the first printer I bought to work with my brand new CRT iMac
back in 1999.

Any reason you aren't still using it today?

Gave it to my grandparents about five years ago, they used it for a
couple, then it stopped working. Maybe it could have been fixed, but I
was looking for an excuse to convert my grandparents to a laser printer
to save money. They hardly ever needed to print in colour, and the 740
wasted a lot of expensive ink with it not having seperate colour ink
carts. That's one reason I replaced it with the R210 which does. Of
course I also use a laser for B&W print jobs. The OP really would be mad
IMO to not get a laser for B&W.

Nowadays I use an Epson R210 for colour prints

How old is it?

About five years. But I've come across enough Epson inkjets since to
think them pretty reliable. I've not such a good opinion of HP (lots of
paper jams IME, with them bending the paper at a sharp angle due to
input and output trays being on the same side), and especially Lexmark
injets which are utter crap - avoid, avoid, avoid Lexmark.

I'm heard many good things about Cannon inkjets, but have little
personal experience.

But getting back to the Epson Stylus 740 - I was a bit sad when it broke
down. It was one hell of a workhorse! So reliable I could hardly believe
it. I wish I could say the same for the rest of my hardware.

Anyone here had one last longer than I did (nine years)?

Regards,
Jamie Kahn Genet
--
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

In article ,
erilar wrote:

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

I'm quite sure it will outlast your cheap-o Epson. ; )

Let me know when it passes 11 years.

I'll try to remember to do that.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
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JR

In article ,
David wrote:

In article ,
nospam wrote:

In article , David
wrote:

Any of the HP or Canons in basic form should do the trick - certainly
avoid Epson (even though they do print nicely) as she will be forever
cleaning heads.

they don't clog in normal use

True, while they are in use - but leave them sitting for a week and you
have to clean the heads. I have only ever bought one Epson, and it
drove me mad as I only printed once a week or so. But every time I
wanted to print had to go through the whole cleaning the heads routine.
And that was after I had had it in for service as at that time I didn't
relaise it was an inherent fault

I put up with for a month then gave it away - couldn't in all decency
sell it to some poor bugger.

But it did print beautifully when it worked

That's about the same experience I had with mine. I've had similar
experiences with Lexmark printers, too.

--
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

In article ,
nospam wrote:

In article ,
Jolly Roger wrote:

I never said anything close to "it happens to everyone". It was *you*
who said Epson printers never clog in normal use. That's simply not the
case.

it is the case.

It is definitely not the case in my real-world experience. It's as if
you think it's physically impossible for Epson printers to clog under
normal use. The truth is it happens.

They sell well because they are cheap. Quality has little to do with it.

quality has everything to do with it. epson printers produce
outstanding photo quality and are typically the preferred printer for
photographers. their pigment inks last much longer than dye based inks.

Other printers are also preferred by photographers. And the same things
can be said for them. Epson isn't the be-all and end-all photo printer
on the planet.

Of course both your and my statements are subjective and meaningless
without real-life data.

there's plenty of real life data. go attend a photo trade show and see
which printers are being used. talk to people who actually use the
printers daily, not soccer moms who prints a letter once a month,
forgets to turn off the printer and wonders why it's clogged.

You just can't stop harping on the clog problem. Fine - I'll come out
and say it: A printer that dries up if you don't pint to it once a week
is a CRAPPY PRINTER.

you are going to have to accept the fact that your experience is not
universal, and that a *lot* of people have don't have any problems with
epson printers.

Tell you what: I'll agree that a lot of people may not have problems
with Epson inkjet printers if you agree that a lot of people *do* have
problems with Epson inkjet printers. Otherwise, we can just agree to
disagree. : )

some might have problems, but where we disagree is the cause.

Whatever. I know for a fact that I used my Epson properly, with Epson
brand inks, and Epson brand paper. Within the first year, it was already
exhibiting banding due to clogs. The printer was a piece of **** to me.

I'm sure you would love to believe that my Epson clogged up permanently
because I used it incorrectly. Saying it over and over isn't going to
magically change reality, though.

--
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