I’ll be looking at two low cost all-in-one printers from HP: the C4680 and the C4780. Their prices range for these two printers is $70.00 to $130.00. Since I’ve been in the market for a low cost all-in-one machine I’ll be looking at these two options. Just to be sure, all-in-one printers print, scan and fax.

C4680 can be used to print photos without using the printer, just insert a memory card and you can print nice quality photos and do some editing without the need for a computer. But one of the problems with many of these low cost printers is that it just feels cheap. Another issue is the cost of ink. I really think printer companies throw these cheap printers out there for a loss and make their money on the ink.

Something to keep in mind is to check the cost of ink for the printer you are going to buy. But don’t just check the price, also see what the output rating per cartridge is. Just because a cartridge is cheaper does not mean it is a better deal if it doesn’t have a better output rating per page.

The HP C4780 is wireless, which right out of the gate is something I’m looking for. The wifi might be one of the few pluses of this model. Again, we have an ink price issue. The ink is very expensive for this model. Also, there are few bells and whistles in this model.

My conclusion is that maybe I’ll get the C4680, but definitely not the C4780. Although the price is around $130.00, which is fairly reasonable, the high ink price and limited functions make this a non-starter. Since the C4680 is so inexpensive and the print quality is good, it might be worth buying if it lasts a year.

I recently was looking at printers and most of the cheaper ones looked really cheap. It seems the companies have given up on their quality for their low level machines. While I currently have an old Epson printer, I am looking for an all-in-one printer so I can scan and fax. So I’ve decided to dig into the HP line first.

I’m comparing models that are priced between $90 and $500. Of course the more expensive the machine, the more you are going to expect from it, but one surprising thing I found in the customer reviews, was the $90 all-in-one and the $500 model received the highest customer ratings. The models in between didn’t score much worse though.

The HP Officejet J3680 is $90 and the HP Officejet Pro 8500 is $500. The J3680 doesn’t have any bells or whistles to speak of, it just gets the job done and for $90 that’s pretty good. The only drawback is that is doesn’t not have a flatbed scanner, so you can only scan sheets of papers or photos, no books.

If you need to have a flatbed scanner the Officejet 6500 Wireless might be the model to get. The price is a reasonable $150 and it has a nice external control panel. Most people who have this all-in-one are very happy with the print quality, print speed, ease of setup and faxing. While it’s more expensive than the J3680, it seems to be built better and has much better capabilities. For my money this is the machine with the best qualities at the most reasonable price.

Besides its reasonable price, the printer uses individual ink cartridges, so as you color is used up you only have to replace it to continue printer. This is a fairly common feature, but printers that do not have it are much more expensive to use. One of the issues some users have is that you can’t print if one of the ink cartridges is out of ink. I understand the frustration with this, but I have a Canon printer that has the same issue and I don’t see it as a big deal.

The resolution of the printed photos and documents rivals those produced by professional quality equipment. Photos can be printed at an optimized 4800 dots per inch and documents at 2400 x 2400 dots per inch. The printer accepts numerous styles and brands of memory cards, it is best to consult HP to see if your exact model will work with this printer.

As with other quality printers, this one comes with a small viewing screen, but besides the viewing screen you can edit and crop the image through the screen and onboard controls without the need of a computer. This feature gives the c5180 excellent marks for versatility.

One thing you must be aware of, is this is not a professional model, so if you are giving it heavy use, it might not last as long as you like. After reading numerous reviews on this unit it is obvious that people don’t really understand what they are buying. I think people sometimes forget how little they are paying for these all in one printers.

They expect perfection and long durability from a product they paid $80 for. While sometimes they might last a few years, it’s my feeling that if you get a year of good service out of a low cost product like this you have gotten your money out of it. If you are looking for a more durable unit you really need to pay more to get the quality and service you are looking for. It is my opinion that these are disposable units. They are not made to last forever.

Most of the Wi-Fi enabled printers have the same features as your normal printer, you just don’t need to plug it in to your printer. Also, you should be able to share it with others, whether at work or at home. This type of printer is great if you work with a desk top and a laptop computer. Or if you work with your laptop in different places in your house, the printer does not need to be moved.

Probably the biggest concern most people will have is how do I get it to connect with my printer. It works like Wi-Fi computer. It’s important to check that the documentation is good and that connecting to your computer through the wireless connection is straight forward. An issue I’ve seen with a Dell printer is if you have a certain type of password protection, it might not setup using the basic CD install.

HP and Lexmark have good all in one Wi-Fi units. Other companies have nice printers that specialize in photo printing. Really, no matter what feature you want you can get it with a Wi-Fi enabled printer.

For more printer info click on all in one printer ratings.

Some of the stand out points of the PM 260 are it’s printing speed, the low cost per print, the high print quality and it’s 3.6″ large LED monitor screen.

For the printing speed you can print a 4×6 inch photo in 37 seconds that has vibrant color and sharp detail. The prints are water, smudge, fade and scratch resistant, and will last much longer than lab processed photos.

You don’t need a PC to print your photos with the PictureMate. You just plug in your camera or USB drive, or insert your memory card and you can print at home or take the printer with you.

A new PictureMate comes with photo paper and a photo cartridge, try either the matte or glossy finish paper. Glossy paper will give you brighter, sharper looking pictures. And the glossy finish makes them look more like a “real photo.”

As I’ve been reading reviews of this printer, there is not a consensus on the print quality. While most reviews say the print quality is excellent, there are a few that say the print quality isn’t so good. I just wonder if this is a case of the printer not being set up properly.

If you are looking for a good price on an Epson PictureMate Dash PM260 Compact Photo Inkjet Printer follow this link to check it out on Amazon.com.

For more printer info click on all in one printer ratings.

This printer is network ready and has 256 MB of memory and the memory can be upgraded as well as the addition of a duplexer and additional trays can really hot rod this machine. While the price for this is reasonable, the cost of toner is higher than comparable printers.

Print quality is very good, even the color rendering is of good quality–definitely within acceptable standards.

If you’re wondering which is better an inkjet or a laser printer, I would go with the laser printer, unless you are printing high quality photos, than an inkjet is the proper solution. Laser printers are more expensive and they are more durable and print text much better than an inkjet. A problem I’m having with my inexpensive Epson inkjet printer is that the head is wearing out and no matter how many times I clean the heads I can’t get it to print like it did when it was newer. This is not a problem you will have with a laser printer. Laser printers crank out lots of beautiful looking documents. And the price per copy is generally cheaper than a copier.

The Dell does have nice print and graphics quality. Text pages print at a rate of 16.5 pages per minute.

If you use a Mac you’re out of luck, this Dell printer does not have Mac drivers.

While the Dell is a machine that works well, the cost of replacement laser cartridges are higher than almost all other printers, especially the regular size. The high volume size is a bit more in line with other brands. If you are concerned about the cost of cartridges the HP Color LaserJet CP2025n has significantly cheaper consumables but is more expensive up front.

Here is an excerpt from a review on Amazon.com: “I’ve had the Dell 2130c for over 2 months now and have been very happy with the printer and print results. I ordered and installed the duplexor separately. Installation is literally a snap because it simply snaps into place. It has performed flawlessly and I haven’t had a single paper jam. I use 20 lb.”

To read the rest of the review, click this link.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced color laser printer you won’t go wrong with the Dell 2130cn Color Laser Printer - follow this link to purchase it at an excellent price on Amazon.com
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For more printer info click on all in one printer ratings.