trying here for color printer
 

Had this in the Tool & Product forum, no responses although lots of reads.

Seeking recommendations to replace my 8 year old Canon Pixma 882. Printer heads are beyond repair, and repair costs more than buying new is what Office Depot told me. Of course I had just installed 3 new color cartridges, thinking that was the problem. I need something that is easy to feed cardstock and envelopes of varying sizes--so L feed is best. And space is limited, as are funds.

TIA.

Not sure if it will help, but here’s a recent printer thread:
best printer - Splitcoaststampers

Some of the least expensive printers on the market may print decently but are huge ink hogs, as you are probably aware, so aren’t as budget friendly as it seems at first.

I like my little HP 3-in-One from WalMart. Paper feeds in back. Nice color. Didn't cost much & Ink refills from Amazon are cheap enough.

I would suggest switching to a color laser printer. I think the toner lasts longer and it doesn’t dry up like inkjets. Inkjets have always been troublesome for me.

I’d never heard of inks drying up in an ink jet printer - not that I doubt yours did. What brand? My ancient Canon and before that HP were/have been fine. And do lasers tend to have a larger footprint and are heavier, or am I behind the times? (My husband has a b&w laser that’s quite a few years old.)

I’ll also be in the market for a new color printer that accepts cardstock, and assumed I’d get another Canon Pixma, both because of reviews and excellent CS. But I’ll put laser on the list now.

It’s been years since I’ve had an inkjet; I can’t remember the brands. If I needed anything color, I would go to Kinkos. The prices on laser jets have are very reasonable now so I bought a color laser jet for home. One caution, is check on the cost of replacement toner cartridges. Sometimes the cost of the toner is greater than buying a new printer.

This is common for many products. The product itself isn't what drives profitability but the accessories needed to make the hardware useful. So, ink and paper for printers, tape for label makers, refills for tape runbers, etc.

[QUOTE=bjeans;21818800]I’d never heard of inks drying up in an ink jet printer - not that I doubt yours did. What brand? My ancient Canon and before that HP were/have been fine. And do lasers tend to have a larger footprint and are heavier, or am I behind the times? (My husband has a b&w laser that’s quite a few years old.)

I live in a dry climate and my craft room gets very hot in the summer. I have an HP inkjet up there for occasional color printing, but my ink cartridges have a habit of drying out on me before I've used them very much. I've only had HP printers, which is why I did not reply to the OP, but I'm thinking seriously about a color laser hoping the dry toner will solve the problem. Did see some cheap (and small!) ones at one of the office stores, but also noticed that the toner was very expensive. Now I'll get to research page counts, what kind of paper it will accept, etc.

thanks for suggestions and feedback. going to do some additional research and comparisons.

I have used the HP Officejet 4635 and the color is great. I also use the instant ink and can print 300 b & w or colored pages for$ 10.62 a month. Can also go cheaper with 100 pgs for $3.99. Before you run out they send you a new cartridge either b & w or colored. Have used this service for over a year and love it. Good luck. I too will be looking for a new printer as mine is 5 years old and have printed thousands of pages. Good luck with your search.

I love my Cannon MX922. I geet generic ink from AMazon and never have had a problem.

I actually have 2 printers--one dedicated to photo printing (Canon TR8520) and my all-other-prints (HP color laserjet Pro MFP M281fdw). I have always stuck with HP for printers and been very happy. My computer desk accommodates the photo printer on a shelf under the laptop tray. The HP laserjet sits on the top right hand side of the desk. The HP is a workhorse for printing anything I want (cardstock, vellum, large quantities of reports/presentations). For specialty papers, it is best to set the printer properties for the specific type of paper being use. The initial sticker shock of the price of the toner cartridges is made up by how many pages are printed from the set of cartridges. I get at least 5,000 sheets from each set of cartridges. Since it is a laserjet, there is no (liquid) ink to dry up. Just prints, and prints, and prints. The investment is well worth the price.

Color Printer
 

I am a hobbiest card maker and the most important things to me are vivid color and a printer than can manage card stock without getting stuck or jamming. I have found that HP Inkjets have worked well for me in both categories over the years. I currently have an HP Envy 5660 4-in-1 unit (print, scan, copy, photo) because once in awhile I need the scanning and copying option and I find those options handy to have. I usually will print on 67 lb. card stock, but I have successfully used 110 lb. card stock with no jamming. I have looked at color laser printers and have been tempted, but just never took the leap.

I have a Canon PIXMA TS9020, which has a lot of great features for crafting. And my husband loves it because he can print on CDs.