Genealogy Chat

My thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply to this "non family history" request. I really appreciate it and am now about to search the web for offers. Then maybe I'll hit the shops tomorrow - can't do too much shopping! Once again, thanks a lot Cynthia x

We have the epson cx3200 combined printer/scanner like Sue. It has gone wrong once whilst under warranty and epson sent an engineer to our house to fix it. We also use cheap cartridges. Always have done.

Hello. I have an epson rx 600 and I bought it simply because the ink catridges are only ten pounds each, most printers use up the ink on the start up by virtue of the head cleaning process also there are lots of places that will refill your cartridges for a lot less than the makers inks. I hope this helps. Regards Joyce.

As an IT manager in a school, I have a very vested interest in printer running costs. We have 60 printers in total! Avoid Lexmark like the plague. The quality is appauling, they have an inherent problem with the scanner drive motor overheating and melting the casing, and they drink ink like it is going out of fashion, and the cartridges cost a fortune. Epson are OK if you use genuine ink, generic cartridges have a thicker, lower quality ink that dries up in the print head, especially if the printer is not used heavily. The best all round are HP. The cartridges are a bit dearer, but you are replacing the print head every time, which means you can afford to use lower quality generic cartridges. I would recommend buying a seperate scanner. A cheap lower quality one is fine for e-mailing, try this http://www(.)microdirect(.)co(.)uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=6601&GroupID=25 (remove the brackets around the dots). Hope this helps Peter

Cynthia I have the CX3200 which is obviously the model I think before cx3600 and can say its a good printer for what I need. Also I no longer use Epson cartridges and it works fine on the cheaper ones

As a basic printer and scanner it would seem to be OK and i have had a look on the net and you can get cheap inks for it so it could be what you are looking for. Steve.

I have a Hewlett Packard Desk Jet 840C and it has been absolutely reliable for 4 years. It doesnt use that much ink and anyway I buy compatible ink at about half the price. You also get picture quality print outs. Have a look at pc world see what they have on offer at the moment.

OK Folks: Had a look on the web and I see that Comet are doing an Epsom CX3600 for £59.99. The price is right....would this printer be OK as a basic printer/scanner? Sorry to be a pest - and I know we're all much more interested in genealogy, but I DO have to print off my finds on Ancestry et al. Thanks for all the advise already given. Cynthia

Thanks for all your help, I'll have a look on the Net and see what's going - I think I'll look at having another Epsom and at least I now know what NOT to have. Cynthia

Cant help you with what to buy but can advise what NOT to buy.... I have a hewlet packard that does the lot...scan/print/fax and Im sure it even does the bloody ironing...but it drinks ink like it's going outta fashion. The cartidges are very expensive too.(about £60) Good luck Gerri.

Get one that uses at least 4 ink tanks, Epson or Lexmark ( perhaps both) use a built in printhead so you cannot buy cheap inks. I use a Canon and the inks cost me a little over £2 for any colour. Go on the internet pick a printer you like the look of and then see how expensive the inks are from other sites on the web. Steve.

I have a new Epson and have alway had them. I brought this one though for Photos and it dose uses up ink fast. But if you are not in to pics its not so bad. They are still B***dy good and reliable and some can do far more than just print and scan.

I don't know about new ones - our Epson still soldiers on after 6 years. However we have never bought 'proper' ink for it and its always been fine with non-manufacturers ink. My thoughts are that if we were to buy a new printer I would want one which would be able to use these inks. If you look at the adverts in the back of computer magazines you'll see that by far the biggest sales of substitute inks are for Epson printers. They seem to be the biggest savings too. If you want a recommendation for a supplier I always use Choice Stationary. They give an excellent quick service and have saved me probably hundreds of pounds! Anne

My (Epsom} printer's a bit like me, old and fairly knackered, so I thought I might treat myself to a new one in the January sales. I just want a basic one, maybe with a scanner so that I can send copies of photos via email. I've heard that some use lots of ink fairly quickly and some are better value than others. I haven't got a clue! Knowing how helpful people on this site can be, can someone recommend a basic, inexpensive one that would 'fit the bill' please? Many thanks Cynthia