[0kama]

Well, I just found out that I didn't have to pay for $300 of my $400 iPod, so that means I can finally get my own printer and not have to go to the dreaded PC to print! Any suggestions for good all-in-one printers?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

I have never heard anything good about them as the Mac software is terrible for them.

[tooki]

My suggestion is: avoid them.

Skywalker there is right on the dot about the Mac drivers for them: they suck. Badly.

Add to that that you never get the best-quality scanner or printer in an all-in-one. And that if one part breaks, you have to buy both all over again.

Do yourself a favor and buy a separate printer and scanner. (Canon does a good job on both. Epson makes fantastic scanners, but their printers are behind. HP scanners I don't recommend, in part because they won't let you download drivers from the website, you have to buy them on CD if you lose the one it shipped with!)

tooki

[G-mac]

I'm using an Epson CX5200 and love its features. I use the B&W/color copy and scan functions several times a day and they always turn out great.

The printer's a bit loud when loading paper (loud "ka-chunk"), but the print speeds are really fast compared to my old Epson 740C. So far, the printer has functioned flawlessly and the quality is just right for me at this point. I haven't printed any photos using the CX5200 yet, but have seen good output at the stores.

I had some reservations about an all-in-one at first too. If one component goes bad, the whole thing becomes a hassle. However, I haven't had any issues in the several months I've used it. My older Epson 740 had no mechanical faults in several years.

The one aspect of the Epson CX5200 (and other all-in-ones) that disappoints is the shoddy OS X support. I'm currently using GraphicConverter and Photoshop to make my scans. For some reason, the printer does not support use of the "SCAN" button on the printer, so you need to use TWAIN software to get scans into your computer. The photocopying features work flawlessly (B&W, color, 2-up, etc). For the $169 I paid earlier in 2003 for this printer, I'm very happy. However, check them out yourself - there are Samsung/Brother laser all-in-ones, the Epson CX3200/5200, HPs, Lexmarks, etc.

Good luck with your decision!

By the way, you got an iPod for $100??

[reynard]

I owned the bottom-of-the-line Lexmark all-in-one. I forget the model, I think it was something 75. I liked it. All I wanted was basic scan/copy ability. It died, btw, during a storm--the transformer shorted.

Ironically, their cheapest model had a good driver. It seems all PC functions were supported for Mac. But I think this is the exception.

Ive been bitching about a my newly purchased Samsung laser printer for its poor OSX support. Otherwise, its a great buy for $100 after rebates.
I wanted the Samsung Laser all-in-one 4016 but the driver was even worse. You could basically use it only as a printer.

So until/unless the better multi-function machines better support OSX, I would avoid them. Seems the more sophisticated the machine, the fewer functions supported for Mac.

At least, research driver support BEFORE any purchase. Best way is to find a current owner online. Even the tech. support in some companies are naive re. Mac drivers.

[kennedy]

I use the Lexmark X83... its nice having it double as a good color copier... much easier than having to get the computer involved, scan and then print. Also, takes up much less desk space.

Yes, the drivers are bit lame, but them work okay. (They were worse than lame at first... but not too bad now.)


Given the cheap price and high-quality results, the workable driver, and the ability to share it effectively to a network of Macs, I'll give it a thumbs up. But the driver would get a very low score... whoever designed it didn't bother to check with Apple on how printer drivers and printer sharing are supposed to work on Macs.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Isn't lexmark ink REALLY expensive?

[-Q-]

Here's a comparison of three of them (a Lexmark, HP and Canon) but it doesn't make any reference to the drivers. I watched the episode where they did this review and the prints from the HP and Canon were gorgeous.

But I've always had the best luck with separate components. YMMV.

[BrettOZ]

Have a HP 2210 - works under OSX.2 No dramas, have it shared on a network and a wireless iBook picks it up no problems.

Happy with the prints that are coming out of it and the memory card feature is pretty cool too.

[Davidarm]

My wife's new church has an HP D135, and the drivers installed and performed flawlessly under 10.2.6. Print and scan quality is as good as the HP 9xx series printers, which use the same drivers. She uses it every week, and has been very pleased with it.