How many pages of black text would you get on average out of your MP500, currawong? How much do ink cartridges cost?

The main reason I'm looking at laser is that I'm sick of being extorted for black ink that dries up if I don't use it for a few months....

I use a Canon MP800 and have no complaints. Although I'm considering buying a $2 CR-R pen and print the odd 2 page document at work. Photo's are cheaper to outsource IMO.

Beware, I once read an article on print cartridges and it mentioned that some companies [HP was mentioned] have or do design the cartridges to count usage cycles [Don't ask me for specifics] which means they control how long it lasts. I believe there was/is a flimsy reason for it. Big Brother telling you when to buy more consumables. [Vague recollection]

Yeah, some cartridges have a microcontroller in them to keep track of the level - the real reason is to make it stop working when the ink runs out so that you can't buy it in bulk and refill the cartridges.

I don't know if that 'technique' (read: extortion) is still done or not. 99% of my printing is black only anyway, so a laser is probably more viable.

Yep its still done. You can turn off it telling your computer about ink levels via the "disable bi-directional communication" setting, but you can't always turn off the "diable printing if ink below 1%" setting in the actual printer, if it is there.

Manufacturer ink has similar results to 3rd party ink (admittedly the best 3rd party available) initally, but over time (say 10 years) the manufacturer ink holds its colour way better than the cheapo ink. This is true for most printer manufacturer ink (e.g. epson, hp, canon, lexmark).

I have heard tell that for quite some years EPSON has been the printer to get if you have a mac. However, I have not used an epson printer with a mac since 1997 so times may have a-changêd.

Forget about HP F380 a.k.a the replacement for HP's low end All-in-One (the PSCs). My old PSC 1210 prints better and faster than this piece of disappointment.

My printer philosophy:

If it has the word "EPSON" on the front, odds are it will work with a Mac and come bundled with the neccesary maintenance software (you will not need a seperate driver.. most of the time).

Get this, I rang HP to see if my PSC 2710 could be fixed, as I am pretty sure it could be fixed by replacing the carriage for the cartridges. They would not fix it, but offered to trade it in on a refurbished 2710 for only $350, or upgrade to a c6180 for $469.

I can get a c6180 from officeworks for 399, and then use the $100 cashback to get the thing for $299 all up, so I said no thanks.

I think I will get the canon MP600R. The cheapest I can find is $375 out at Sunnybank, (I CAN get it slightly cheaper online, but then there is postage). And then canon are offering $50 cashback.

I have come to the same conclusion on faxing as you, richbowen. I can just use the built in fax facility in tiger. Fortunately, this G5 imac has a modem built in, although the aesthetics of hooking up a phone line to my otherwise single corded imac is a bit poor. I guess for the rare fax it would be OK though.

You could always look at the Brother MCF-420CN.
It features fax capabilities, and has an ethernet connection.
From memory they were on special at Big W for around the $160 mark when I purchased mine 4 months ago.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Brother_MFC_...-31139140.html

The current issue of Australian Macworld has a review of 5 multifunction printers in it (4 in a comparison review, 1 elsewhere)

The 4 in comparison are: Epson RX590, Canon MP960, HP C7180 & Brother MFC-665CW
The separate one is the Lexmark X9350

The upshot of the comparison is that the price difference might be enough to make a decision for you... however they liked the connectivity, quality and speed of the HP. If quality is your key, then they liked the Epson. If you need fax and can't afford the Epson then the brother is worth a look.

They seemed to like the Lexmark, especially the fact of its wireless connectivity, but found scanning over a network difficult to achieve.

It's all in the Feb issue... considering you might be looking at spending several hundred bucks, you might want to pick it up!

Oh, dear, but I have already bought the MP600R.

it seems pretty good, very fast (6x4 high quality photo in less than 40 secs). only negative so far is that the heads were pretty dirty out of the box and had to be deep cleaned to get it working, plus some subsequent cleaning. I really like the niceties like cd printing, auto duplex etc. Duplex printing slows down the printing process a lot though.

Strangely enough, one of my work colleagues, unbeknownst to me, also bought an MP600 on the same day.

After my HP experience, I am very hesitant to buy another, no matter how positive a review.

Office Works is advertising HP C7180 for $549 ($50 off, take off $100 cashback) = $449
MFC 640CW for $199 ($150 off)

I just noticed that the HP C7180 is now in runout and selling for $279 incl delivery...

Sounds good, but how does it compare to other brands like the Canon MX700?

Anyone want to share their experiences a year on from the original post?

g.