Need new ink-efficient printer.

Hi guys,

This is not a cop-out to me doing my own research but I am just wondering what your thoughts might be. My Epson Photo 825 recently died on me.

I am aware of all of the problems Epsons have with clogged heads. I know HP builds their heads into the cartridges (which is nice) but I just cannot justify going with HP when their ink costs $40-60 to replace the cartridges. I am planning on doing a lot of printing...

I am starting a business where I will be printing quite a few full color pages (brochures, CD labels, etc), probably 15-20 full-color, full-page prints a week. This is why I am leaning toward Epson or maybe Canon.

In the past I have bought all my ink from printpal.com. It is generic ink but I have never had a single problem with it and it's very inexpensive for Epson and Canon ink. There is very little savings with HP ink.

I have never used a canon but have heard a lot about the pixma printers. I don't know anything about their ink usage though.

I would be interested in a printer that has individual inks for each color (CMY and Black) but some of the HPs have 6 cartridges... that’s overkill, it seems, to have to keep all of those stocked on your shelf. 3 individual color cartridges would not be bad because I will be printing a lot and may use one color more often than another, in which case it would be more cost-effective (I think) to replace just that one single color instead of the entire cartridge... but then again, a single individual color cartridge usually costs close to the price of a multi-color cartridge.

Here are my requirements:
Possible Printer/Scanner all-in-one.
DPI - 5700x720 My previous printer had this, I don't think I need anything more than that.
Size, speed, noise levels are not as important as price.
Under $100. I know this is low... can I get what I am looking for, for this price? I would be willing to buy refurbished from Epson or even new on ebay.

My biggest concern is the ink-usage. Everything I have read has led me to believe that Epson uses ink more sparingly than HP. Is this true? Because I will be printing so much with it I would rather a printer that has very inexpensive cartridges than an inexpensive printer.

Thank you for any ideas you can give.

Greetings Digoy...

Epson isnt considerd an efficient brand for ink usage nor is their prices that great. furthermore, their base models like the R200 is complete junk. i really dislike epson budget printers.

Canon on the other hand is great. efficient ink usage and low cost ink. Look for the pixma ip5000, by far the best bang for the buck in your range. it is incredibly fast, and the smallest dot size available in inkjets. you can buy new from amazon for $140 so im sure you can find it somewhere close to a hundred. it also has far better cd printing functions, and the american models can print on cd's by unlocking the printer.

btw, the ip5200 is the newer model, yet it uses chipped carts, so no using cheap replacements. the ip5000 uses widely common carts.

A place you can browse for some ideas
LINK

What I would reccommend, if you aren't already doing so, is getting a LASERjet printer instead of a INKjet printer. LaserJet is faster and uses less ink, but are more expensive and take up more room. Whereas Inkjet printers as slower than laserjets but cheaper and smaller. Just a general idea to get you started :) If you like you can check out newegg.com which is my favorite place to shop, check out some printers and try their search option when you click on printers, will definatly help you