Portable A4 colour printer - suggestions (1 Viewer)

Nigel&Debbie

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Getting ready to take the plunge into full timming :)

Looking for advice on a small light A4 colour printer, as my Canon Pixma Pro 9000MkII A3 printer is a little too big to take with us.

Any advice greatfully received. Doesnt need to be battery operated - just small and light.

Thanks

Nigel
 

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I was looking at the hp officejet 100 in pc world a while ago, was very compact but expensive. Decided I couldn't justify buying it for the amount of times I would use it.
 

Gellyneck

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Given reducing price and size nowadays you might want to think about a colour laser printer? Samsung and others do some that are quite small.

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Forget the initial cost of the printer - there will only be pence in it. Running cost wise I've always found Epson ink to be cheaper and once out of warranty generic cartridges or refills will be much cheaper. Also if you don't need to scan buy the cheapest printer in the shop - the printhead will be the same whichever one you buy so no point wasting money on features you don't want.
 
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Also just seen Gellynecks post. Colour laser is good if you are printing a lot, other wise it's a luxury.
 

Gellyneck

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Also just seen Gellynecks post. Colour laser is good if you are printing a lot, other wise it's a luxury.

Also good if you're only printing intermittently - print heads don't dry out and clog!

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Styx

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I had a Canon I70 and then an IP80 (think the current models are IP90 & IP100) which I carried with my laptop when I needed to be mobile - not cheap but portable & reliable - decent little machines (y)
 
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There is a cost issue though. The last time I was trapped in an office I wasn't in charge of I had a Samsung colour laser printer which I liked but was never convinced by the running costs. The cheapest Epson throwaway + cheapest possible generic inks even if you have to replace it every 6 months will work out cheaper. As long as you don't need to print graphics at high res it will be more than adequate. If you do then you already know what you need to buy.
 

Gellyneck

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Don't think the purchase + running costs of inkjet and laser with individual toners is that much different nowadays but.....

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makems

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Given reducing price and size nowadays you might want to think about a colour laser printer? Samsung and others do some that are quite small.

Lasers use a lot more juice than ink jets. Not an issue if you always stay on sites with EHU but an important issue if you intend to spend much time on aires/wild camping.
 
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Save money and use library's printers, only pay for what you print. That's what I've done a few times.
 

Gellyneck

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Lasers use a lot more juice than ink jets. Not an issue if you always stay on sites with EHU but an important issue if you intend to spend much time on aires/wild camping.
Doesnt need to be battery operated - just small and light.

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Bertie Bassett

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This is the HP Deskjet 460 which we have had for at least 5 years. Wireless, battery if needed, never had a problem with it and fairly compact. Can't buy it new but saw a second hand one for £39 recently. The newer version is quite expensive but I will buy one when ours needs replacing.

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Abacist

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Laser every time for me.

Junked a Canon Photo quality inkjet through blocked print head through insufficient use.

Self cleaning system was no good.

Unless you use an inkjet daily don't risk it.

HP Lasers are first class and always work - black and white is usually adequate for essential needs.

Make sure you take out the laser print cartridge and give it a good shake when it says its empty as you'll probably get another few months out of doing this every now and again!

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Nigel&Debbie

Nigel&Debbie

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Thanks for all the replies - I like the thought of laser printer for reasons already given above. Can anyone recommend a small lightwieght laser style printer?
 

DBK

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You don't say why you need a colour printer. If it is for photographs then I think it needs to be an ink jet printer and ideally one designed for photographs.

If it is for work then laser has to be the way, but check the cost of the consumables - I had a colour laser and it was a couple of hundred pounds to replace all the toners. Still cheaper than inkjet per page but a lot to pay in one go. Typical colour laser prices were around 10p to 15p per page a few years ago. I doubt it has changed much.

If you just want to jazz up letters to friends then a cheap inkjet would be best.

A factor to consider is that you are going to use this in a MH so silence is probably a factor worth looking for. Lasers can also blow out warm air, it shouldn't smell but could be annoying if you are somewhere warm.

Finally, if going abroad, can you get replacement toner or ink easily. Epson cartridges you can get easily almost anywhere, replaceables for a laser probably mail order only unless you are prepared to search out a specialist supplier.

A bit of Googling should find reviews of different printers. Check the cost per page if they give it. But infrequent use will push up the costs of inkjet as it will use ink cleaning itself.

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Nigel&Debbie

Nigel&Debbie

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Thanks for all the replies.

My need is for a small mono laser. Years ago I had a small OKI a4 printer, which would be perfect - but can't find them anywhere in this day and age.

Dont want ink jet due to infrequent use etc

Will keep looking
 

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