[droned]

Hello,
I have a G4 Powerbook that I would like to get a printer for. Can someone suggest the best one for me? Basically, all I will be doing is printing simple documents. Color is nice, but quite secondary to what I will be using it for.

Thanks,
Robert

[rambo47]

I've always had good luck with Epson printers. They supposedly use more ink than other printers but the quallity is high and they've always been plug-and-play with Mac OS X. I use mine with an AirPort Extreme Base Station and have it plugged into the AEBS USB port so all the Macs in the house print wirelessly to my printer. I'm using a Stylus COLOR 880. My next printer will probably be another Epson, perhaps one of the 6-color ones for even better photo printing.

[DrDre]

I can recommend an Epson C80/C82. It's quite fast (~20 pages/min) of text and also does color fairly well. It also uses Epson's Durabrite inks so they don't fade much...unlike my HP color injet. You can pin up pictures on your desk and they won't fade a few months down the road like a lot of other printer's pictures will.

I have mine connected to a Powermac G4 which is running a software Airport base station, so my wife and I can print from anywhere in the house from our powerbooks.

[nate_02]

I just replaced my epson with an HP Photosmart 7150 (only$99) and I am happy with it so far. My epson was beyond repair although they are good printers also.

I know the 7150 is no longer being made but there are comparable ones for a good price.

[TribeLeader]

My wife and I are buying PBs soon and will need a new printer (our "old" one is new, but Windows (parallel) only, HP business nkjet 2230). We're planning on getting the HP DeskJet 5150 Inkjet Printer ($99) when we purchase the PBs, mainly because it comes with a $50 mail-in rebate (when you buy with a Mac).

[tooki]

Moving to Peripherals, where this belongs...


That said, DON'T GET AN EPSON!! The heads clog easily (particularly if the printer isn't used often). Epson ink is also very expensive, and their printers are not as fast as the competition's (Epson's highest-quality mode is so slow as to be effectively unusable).

HP's ink is very expensive, but each cartridge has a new print head, so you get fresh, unclogged heads every so often.

Canon right now is the leader, without a doubt. Not only are they the fastest (Canon's draft mode looks the same as Epson's normal mode -- Epson's draft mode is essentially useless, it's of such low quality), but they have the cheapest ink, excellent print quality, and the print heads are replaceable, so if they do clog, it doesn't mean the printer is doomed (and unlike HP, you're not paying for new print heads all the time).

Also, Canon's OS X drivers are, at the moment, the best ones. Epson's drivers are annoyingly complicated if you want to do borderless printing, and HP's don't play nice with Printer Sharing if you put the machine to sleep.

I have a Canon i850 and absolutely love it. It's been replaced by the i560 and i860, either of which will, I think, fit your needs nicely.

tooki

[bergy]

I own both Epson and Canon printers. The Canon is far superior. Better user interface, quiet, smooth, and looks cool!
Love my i850 Canon.

[dgbatchelor]

I agree with bergy... I have both Epson and Canon printers. IMHO, Canon's printers are superior.

[CaseCom]

Good basic printer? Canon i560

Willing to pay a little extra for a portable one? Canon i70

[Corinthian]

Go for Canon. Just as Tooki said, Canon printers are just too great when it comes to printing borderless...they can work for whatever size you want...

and Canon printers are too easy to work with, never get the problem of jamming, and never need to worry about low printing quality...

more importantly, they are cost-effective...

my personal experience: using a BJC-8200 (an already out-of-date model) for 3 years, but after my Power Mac being replaced by a PowerBook, it is still there and works great...no other printers I have ever owned (Epson 9-pin and Stylus II) gave me experiences better than this one.