[vox-tech] Printer Recommendation?

[Shwaine]

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004, Rick Moen wrote:
> Personally, I think inkjet printers generally are a rip-off for daily
> use, and therefore unacceptable for that role.  People tend to justify
> them on grounds that (1) the price of admission is low, and (2) they
> might occasionally want to do colour printing.  Thereafter, they get
> eaten alive by the cost of ink cartridges.  This is true even if you try
> to stick to black and white.
>
> If I had an occasional need for colour printing -- I happen not to --  I
> certainly _would_ buy one, but then not use it for general printing.
> For that, I'd also acquire some workhorse printer using toner-based
> printing (laser or LED-based).  If pinched for funds, I'd get one used.
>

As one who has fallen for the inkjet lure, I'd have to say I wish I'd gone 
for an entry level laser printer for my B&W printing. I do have occasion 
for color printing, so I'd probably still keep the inkjet around, but the 
B&W quality has really degraded recently. At the time of purchase, I had a 
roommate with a laser printer, which is why I went for inkjet to support 
color printing. One particular problem I notice is "feathering" around the 
edges that I think might be due to cat hair in the mechanism or a bad ink 
cartridge (more noticeable since the latest black ink catridge was put 
in). The real drawback is the time it takes to print even simple black and 
white documents though. Great for small jobs or a few pictures. Not so 
great for drafts of papers. I was able to grab a meal waiting for it to 
print a draft of my quals paper last year.