Query to the group mind

[jack_ryder]

We are looking for a (needless to say cheap) printer/scanner that can print on dvds/cds and has multiple ink/laser cartridges.

It also needs to print out photos (a Pictbridge connection would be grand.)

Needs to be able to connect to both a pc and a mac (I guess with USB 2.0) but a network connection would be fantastic (but not mandatory.)

Any ideas of a good model?

Comments

[murasaki-1966.livejournal.com]

I want to qualify the "cheap part". I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount (under $1000) for said printer, but I don't want to pay large sums out for toners. I prefer a printer with separate ink tanks for each colour, as this works out cheaper in the end (and less wasteful, particularly as I am planning to use to print out cross stitch patterns). It should be reasonably easy to use, and if it doesn't jam regularly then that would be a bonus.

[iwoolf.livejournal.com]

From my research into looking for the same for my parents, it looks like the printer/scanner combinations have less features than the separate items.

My Canon IP5200 printer will print on CD/DVDs and has separate cartridges that are $25-$30 each. It also has a paper cartridge, which I recommend you get instead of relying on top sheet feeding alone. My parents got the MP450 combo, and it doesn't print to CD/DVD and it doesn't have a paper cartridge. However the scans and prints are excellent quality. They both have pictbridge and USB. I scanned a postage-stamp-sized print and enlarged it to postcard size and printed the photo on photo-paper. It looks terrific.

Beware any deals with a cashback offer - they have short deadlines. My parents' printer/scanner had a cashback that expired the day they bought it, and they weren't told. With that one qualification JB-hifi were a good place to look. Also the printers don't come with their USB cables, they're extra. Imagine the frustration of coming home and not being able to plug it in!

[jack-ryder.livejournal.com]

There's a Canon MP600 that appears to have everything we need.

It has a cash back offer (which is marked - at least on the Harris Technology page - as ending in July.)

I'll check out JB HiFi.

What type of USB cables do they use?

[iwoolf.livejournal.com]

They're just labelled "USB 2.0 printer cable", and about $8. The MP600 looks like it has everything. Welcome to the world of chipped ink cartridges, where you can't refill them or use generic because the cartridge won't send the printer and the PC the right signals. Every brand is doing it.