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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 8:55pm | IP Logged
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I have disliked my HP Photosmart C6280 All-in-One since day One  .
I need a flat top copier and a basic printer. Any recommendations?
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Kathryn
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Not much help, Angie, as I was JUST thinking about this the other day and wishing I had a separate copier from my computer printer!
I'm on my 2nd all-in-one....I'll be watching with interest.
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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guitarnan
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We have an Epson WorkForce 600 - it is a couple of years old. It's an all-in-one ink jet printer, scanner, copier, fax. It works like a champ! We love it.
I know this isn't the solution you're looking for, but I do a lot of printing for co-op and such, and we've been so happy...if your original plans don't work out, this might be an answer.
PS - Check Freecycle for printers and copiers...you'd be amazed at what people will give away...
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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JodieLyn
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no clue on copiers but I wanted to mention how thrilled I am with my black/white laser printer.. going to black and white (over 95% of what I want to print works with this) made getting the laser printer possible.. and it's very nice and I think ends up being cheaper on the printing costs than ink jet.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 9:58pm | IP Logged
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LOL. We DO live parallel lives. We started looking for a flat top copier/printer this weekend. I'll be watching this thread for suggestions and will update if we find anything...
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Feb 16 2011 at 6:52pm | IP Logged
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Anyone else? I need to make a decision this weekend...
This This all-in-one from Epson is rated high at Amazon...pricey?
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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wifemommy
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We have an HP 5610 it is copier, scanner, fax,printer that can run independent of the computer. It is a flat tp with a document feed Honestly I thought dh was nuts when he pushed for it but I love it when I need it  Also what I really like is you can use the ink til it runs out you start getting warnings way early but we just ran out last week warnings started around Christmas. A lot of printers will quit working when you hit the warning stage...lots of wasted ink  We have had our printer for 3 or 4 years. -Annie
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Mackfam
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I'm likely a couple of months behind you, Angie. I've just started looking. To further narrow my search, I need a printer that works well with a mac. All of the printers that have made it to my final line-up are compatible.
I do some photo printing, but most of the printing I do is document printing - both color and b/w. I want speed, crispness and good quality of doc printing (not laser quality, but some all-in-one's claim near laser qual. on their b/w setting), and auto doc feed.
I found a few helpful reviews here at maclife. These are reviews with an eye toward mac users (because not all printers work well with a mac, though conversely all printers work with a PC), but the bulk of the content has nothing to do with mac/PC so I linked it because I thought it was helpful in isolating where certain printers really excelled (especially since I have identified that doc printing is where I would like my future printer to excel). Almost all printers are wireless now (another requirement of mine), so that isn't something I have to look too closely for. I prefer something with individual color ink cartridges so you replace only what is needed.
I'll let you know where I am so far. Maybe there's a printer here you haven't looked at yet.
** Canon PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer - this is maclife's top pick. I like it, but in reading the reviews it seems to focus on photo printing....and that's not my priority. The reviews also mention it is slow in printing docs. ugh. NOT what I'm looking for, but the printer is still in the running. I do like that the ink cartridges are separate so you can replace only the color needed.
** Epson Artisan 835 Color Inkjet All-In-One - Better price, but still seems to cater its quality and gusto to photo printing. I'm probably eliminating this one.
** HP OfficeJet Pro - I suppose I will begrudgingly admit that I am looking at an HP. In general, I'm not a fan of HP after having 2 (both of which came free with laptops that were purchased...so we used them). To be fair, they've both worked for a reasonable time, but I find the feed tray clunky, the printing quality not that great, and the speed awful. Both of my feed and receive trays have broken after a period of use on these machines. Still...I cannot deny that they do offer mac compatibility. So, this machine is only on my list because I'm acknowledging compatibility and I'm trying to be open to all the machines that fit my requirements. So far though, I'm not impressed enough with this machine's offerings to be convinced that it will be any better than previous HP's in the areas I haven't cared for.
** Epson WorkForce 840 Color Ink Jet Wireless All-in-One with Fax - this is the printer you linked above, Angie. This is the one I'm leaning toward right now because it seems to meet my requirements. Because it is meant for a small home office, the emphasis in this printer's quality seems to be on doc printing which is exactly what I'm looking for. Pricey - yes! And that's def a drawback.
Still thinking on all of this, but thought I'd throw up my research so far. I'm curious to see where you land on this Janette and Angie!!!! I'm especially hoping you'll offer a review of whichever printer you end up with.
I'll come back and update when I make a decision and offer a review of whichever printer we choose.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Mackfam
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Positive review of the HP Officejet Pro here.
Picture me with my fingers in my ears.  I'm still not convinced. I suppose I'll have to take a closer look though.
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Jen Mackintosh
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lapazfarm
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I have the HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One. It has been chugging along quite satisfactorily for several years and several cross-continent moves. Never had a problem with it and I use the heck out of it. It's a sturdy machine.
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Theresa
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Maryan
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Laser girl. I have the BrotherMFC-7420 and I print and copy a TON. I got it refurbished from Staples and haven't had a problem with it. I have had it for two years.
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Maryan
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Angie Mc
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I've been meaning to update. I'm delaying our purchase. I ended up taking an HP LaserJet P1006 for black and white copying off my computer. I moved my flat-top copier to another desk and will use it for copies until it completely dies.
I miss having color copies...but not as much as I thought I would  .
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 22 2011 at 3:42pm | IP Logged
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I wanted to update with my review after I FINALLY made a decision and a purchase!
Mackfam wrote:
** Epson WorkForce 840 Color Ink Jet Wireless All-in-One with Fax - this is the printer you linked above, Angie. This is the one I'm leaning toward right now because it seems to meet my requirements. Because it is meant for a small home office, the emphasis in this printer's quality seems to be on doc printing which is exactly what I'm looking for. Pricey - yes! And that's def a drawback.
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This is the printer I ended up purchasing. After waiting, the price had come down a bit, too.
*** PROS ***
** Document printing ease. This printer is set up to function more and excel in an administrative capacity, like one would find in a small home office setting. This meets my needs very well since the majority of my printing is document printing. If you are a print a lot of photos, this printer will work, but you would probably do better with a printer which excels at that.
** Fast. It prints much faster than my old printer, and the printing mechanism itself seems smooth and fairly quiet.
** NO RUN INK!!!!! I couldn't believe. Well, I didn't believe it until I tested it myself. I poured water on a piece of paper I had recently printed (about 10 min fresh off the printer). The paper crinkled and waved as you'd expect it to do when it gets wet, but the ink DID NOT RUN or smudge at all. Once dry, all that remained was a wavy paper with ink that is as set as it was when it first came off the printer. I'm impressed!
** 2 cassettes for printing. This is a HUGE pro for me! With my old printer, I had to load paper any time I wanted to print or copy. This printer has 2 cassettes which both hold a significant amount (I think each holds 250 sheets). One is meant for specialty paper, but I use it for scratch paper printing (drafts....and I load paper that has already been printed on one side), and the other cassette holds quality paper. I like having this option and not having to load paper every time I want to print or copy.
** Intuitive menu screen. For making copies, checking ink supply, aligning ink heads, etc. I like the touch pad - it requires a good touch - doesn't respond at the slightest brush, but also doesn't require hammering either.
** Pretty good print quality. Nothing to write home about, but the quality is good. I find it a smidge less grainy than my old printer, but certainly not laser printer quality. Still....just fine for what I'm using it for.
** Individual ink cartridges for replacement. This is a big plus over my old printer, which contained one color cartridge for all three colors. The Epson allows me to replace individual colors which I MUCH prefer!
** Ease of paper jam removal. I haven't had a jam yet, but its clear from the instructions that you simply lift the entire bed of the scanner (it's on hinges so it lifts and tilts back easily) and lift the paper out. I tried it just to see the guts, and I'm thrilled that I'll be able to reach right in. No more using needle-nose pliers to grab a shredded corner of paper that is j-u-s-t peeking out.
** 2 sided printing/copying. AT.LAST!!!!!!!!!!! Bliss. That's all I can say, people. Sheer bliss! There is one drawback from my utopian vision of 2-sided copying...I can't make it print a LARGE document 2 sided from Adobe. I'm guessing because it's a really large document....?????....but I'm not sure and haven't played around with it sufficiently, nor have I called customer service yet, which, you may rest assured, I will!! BUT...it prints fine in 2 sided mode from a regular document. And the copies.....SWOON!!!
** Setup... could not have been easier. I set it up with my mac laptop, and you do have to go through the setup with every computer you want to use the printer with, but it was quite easy. No surprises. Setup does work better with a USB cable, even if you plan on printing wirelessly, so it's better if you have one around for that.
** Wireless printing. I was printing wirelessly with my old printer, but if you haven't been printing wirelessly, you are in for a treat!! No more plugging and unplugging to print...no more schlepping the laptop across the room and balancing it precariously on your head whilst you catch the jettisoning paper in your hand....nope....tell it to print from wherever you are...and enjoy the (very quiet) sound of your printer at work!
I haven't had a chance to scan yet, so can't comment on that. Copying works well, and the menu is intuitive enough for my 10 yo to walk right up to it after it was set up, load an original, and make his own copy.
************************************************************ *******
*** CONS ***
** Footprint. Or, maybe I mean height instead of footprint. It's a little bigger footprint than my old printer, but it is MUCH higher and takes up a good bit more volume. Keep this in mind with the space you have. I keep mine in a cabinet, and it fits in the same space as my old printer, but the top doesn't have as much clearance for opening.
************************************************************ *******
Hope this review is a help for those of you considering a new printer/copier in the near future. I'm VERY pleased with my new Epson, which I've had for a couple of weeks now. I've been putting it through its paces this past week! 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Jen!
The Epson WorkForce 630 is the Deal of the Day, today, for 69.99. Any words of wisdom on how these compare? I hope to get some time later today to check it out. I do like the price .
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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AmandaV
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Jen, you mentioned it is wireless. Does it work with apple's printing options from the iPad and the iPhone? (AirPrint) This seems a useful feature for our next printer. Airprint 101 I see the Epson Workforce 845 listed. And do you think it would be that useful?
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Amanda
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Mackfam
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AmandaV wrote:
| Jen, you mentioned it is wireless. Does it work with apple's printing options from the iPad and the iPhone? (AirPrint) This seems a useful feature for our next printer. Airprint 101 I see the Epson Workforce 845 listed. And do you think it would be that useful? |
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I tried once and it didn't work on the first try, but that doesn't mean it won't work...it just means that I didn't obsess about it at the time to try to figure it out. I've seen some apps that help you print from the ipad, so these may be an option if Airprint doesn't work. Seems like I read somewhere on some mac review site that folks were displeased with Airprint in general because it would only ever recognize one printer, and most people didn't use that one printer.
And yes, if I could get it to work with Airprint, or through another print app, and print from my ipad that would be VERY useful to me. At the time I bought the Epson, I didn't have an ipad. I could see it being useful every now and then from the phone...printing a list, maybe, but I think it would be more useful printing from the ipad.
I would try it again for you just to see what happens and look at options, but my 4yo was fiddling with the ipad and disabled it trying to "crack the pass code" to get into it, so I'll have to wait a few to try this.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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AmandaV
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Mackfam wrote:
I would try it again for you just to see what happens and look at options, but my 4yo was fiddling with the ipad and disabled it trying to "crack the pass code" to get into it, so I'll have to wait a few to try this. |
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Thanks, I understand! My 3 year old knows more functions on mine than me!
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Amanda
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Pilgrim
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Just wanted to add that we also LOVE the Epson Workforce 845 we have. We had originally gotten a cheaper Epson All-in-One, and it was awful in many ways, so when it died, we thought we'd never want another Epson. After looking at reviews, though, we decided to give this on a try. It is GREAT! There are 2 features we love with this printer(the Workforce 845), among the many other great features. We like the 2 cassettes from which to print(which each will hold a full ream of paper(I think)), which means no more constant loading of paper and you can keep 2 different kinds of paper loaded if you do different kinds of paper for frequent printings. Also we love how it does double-sided printing/copying, no more trying to figure out which way to put the paper back in or having to turn over every page, it just pulls it back in, prints it, and there you have a 2 sided print job! We can set a 2 sided print job and walk away, and come back later, LOVE it!
DH found these great refillable ink cartridges for this printer model, they may be little more expensive then some we've found, but they don't have some of the same issues as some of the refillable cartridges can, particularly with Epsons. We have saved a fortune with these and the refill ink there.
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AmandaV
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We are pretty close to getting the Epson 845 today. (Epson 845 on Quill or Epson 845 on Amazon) Any thoughts on why it is less than the 840? Or why you picked the 845 Pilgrim? I'm thinking its just more available as it is newer. And it has AirPrint. I'll have to check out the ink cartridges. Super excited about having automatic 2 sided printing soon!
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Amanda
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I really can't see any difference at a glance, except the ADF (automatic document feed) feature highlighted in the product info on Amazon, but I'm pretty sure that is the same feature as the 845 we have, where you load the papers for a fax/scan/copy in the top tray above the scanner, and it automatically feeds them through. I have used this feature on ours, and I'm pretty sure that's what the 840 product info is referring to, and that it's just not listed on the 845, for some reason. So anyway, I don't have any clue why the 845 would be so much less, unless it's older. We got the 845 because we could get it locally. Places like Office Max, office Depot, and Staples had it in stock. I think we got ours at Office Max, and they would price match with an online store, so we got ours for $129 or $139. We were really happy with that! I don't think it was even in stock at the store I had printed the paper off from online, and the lady didn't even blink an eye. HTH!
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: copier & printer
