Printers

[LasSuziq]

I have been frustrated by printers in recent years. The construction quality and longevity have been decreasing. It is not possible to clean the heads on some, others can't handle heavy paper like cardstock 80#. Laser ink vs. injet ink is a puzzle when using Copics. Now, HP ink is going up to $100 (more than the printer) for an undisclosed quantity and can be purchased monthly, with a per page charge imposed if you use more than your allotment. Some work with windows, others with Mac. It all gets very complicated.

Has anyone found a brand and model for an all-in-one printer that works well for card making and offers affordable ink?

[stamphappy1650]

I love my Epson workforce WF-3640 but the ink is not inexpensive. I buy my ink at Sams or Costco but it's still pricey. The only inexpensive ink was for my old Kodak printer but the printer was junk.

The 3640 is a larger machine but I love that I can print watercolor paper, it has a sheet feeder for scanning, and it has a straight paper feed from the back of the printer for really heavy cardstock but I haven't needed to use it yet.

I've had the printer for about 6 months and so far no problems. I don't expect printers to last forever as it seems anymore they are only good for about 4-5 years. Not like my old HP that lasted for more than 7 years and then I passed it on to my sister who used it until they stopped making cartridges for it.

[cat_woman]

I have a Canon MP560 and it works great with cardstock. Once I ran out of the OEM ink that came with it, I switched to a CISS. With the CISS, it is very economical to print. I also have a wide format Epson Artisan 1400. I bought it 2 years ago and it just ran out of black ink last month. I don't do a whole lot of printing much with it these days, but I do already have a CISS for it as well to install right away. I really love both my printers and haven't had any issues at all with either of them. They are older models so hopefully newer models will perform as well as these did.

[BeckyG3]

Ditto stamphappy's comments on the Epson workforce printer. I've had mine about the same amount of time and I really like it. Works very well on cardstock. I would also add that even though the ink is not real inexpensive it is less costly that several of the other major brands AND it lasts a very long time.

[LasSuziq]

Many thanks for the info. I opted for the Epson Workforce WF-3640 and it prints well. I was hestiant to get another Epson as the print heads clogged within 6 mos., but I have since read that that may occur because I print with color infrequently. I am going to print a sheet more often to keep things stirred up and expect that will helpl

[Copperkids]

i usually buy canon printers. luckily no issues. my feeling is that all ink is expensive but i buy the generic refill on ebay or amazon and so far it's been fine.