[Ralpho]

So what is the best low-cost printer for the desktop iMac? Reason I ask is that I have had two HP printers that I am far less than pleased with, particularly since the driver for one of them interferes with the shutdown process.

[turtle777]

You might wanna narrow it down a bit.

Inkjet ?
Laser ? B/W or color ?
How much do you print ?
WHAT do you print mainly (text, photos, both...)

-t

[SierraDragon]

Epson for decades has usually had the least problematic drivers and color management when printing from Macs. My experience is primarily with photo-quality printing using inkjets.

On the low end (all-in-ones and the like) HP has usually provided great value for low volume biz printing if one buys discontinued models at discount outlets (e.g. I bought a discontinued HP all-in-one with decent scanner for $49 at Office Depot). HP drivers and included integral Win-oriented crapware are a PITA however. HP quality is ok for biz printing but not close to Epson or Canon for photo quality.

Canon makes nice prints equal to Epson but has similar implementation difficulties to HP.

All of them price gouge on the ink. At medium to high volume the ink cost is much more significant than the printer cost, and they all are intentionally misleading regarding ink usage. For lowest operational cost at higher volume biz printing you will have to step away from your "best low-cost printer" specification to more expensive laser printers.

Look for discontinued models to get lowest initial cost but check to make sure drivers for OS 10.7 exist. If you need true photo quality (i.e. if you intend a color-managed workflow) and still want ease-of-use get Epson, but test and color-profile paper first before using non-Epson paper for photo printing.

HTH

-Allen

[MacNNUK]

I've always used and liked Epson.

Very good for photo printing too.

Inexpensive 3rd party cartridges as well.

[Ralpho]

I noticed that Apple pushes Epson printers as add-ons to new iMacs so figured they were likely the best match. But one reviewer on Amazon said Epson printers won't do anything if any of the ink cartridges need to be replaced. Say you run out of yellow. Can't print black and white. Can't scan.

I don't print photos. Average one or two black and white pages per week. A color page maybe once a month.

My HP Deskjet 1000 driver recently prevented my iMac from shutting down. I reinstalled the driver, and everything was fine... for a week. Now it's doing the same shit again. Other problems with the printer includes computer claiming printer is offline when it's clearly on. And it often says there's no paper when there is. I'm ready to get a new printer and have had it with HP products.

[turtle777]

In that case, I'd go with a b/w laser printer rather than an inkjet.
My problems with inkjets was my infrequent use, and either excessive loss of ink due to cleaning cycles, or even complete loss due to dried up nozzles. I went b/w laser many yeasr ago and never looked back.

I like Brother laser printers, they are cheap but durable.

E.g., HL 2240D - even prints double-sided (duplex)
Amazon.com: Brother HL2240D Monochrome Printer: Electronics

For those few cases that you really need color you could go to Kinko's or something similar.

-t

[SierraDragon]

Wow, that Brother laser printer is a bargain for laser. Buy it and just use the problematic HP for color.

-Allen

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Ralpho 

I noticed that Apple pushes Epson printers as add-ons to new iMacs so figured they were likely the best match. But one reviewer on Amazon said Epson printers won't do anything if any of the ink cartridges need to be replaced. Say you run out of yellow. Can't print black and white. Can't scan..

It's true. I have an Epson and it won't let you do anything if any color is gone. It's completely idiotic and results in me falling back on my $100 Canon.

[SierraDragon]

You don't get color quality without all the colors, so those of us who color print are accustomed to keeping cartridge spares for every color. I do the same for my all-in-one HP printer.

[MacNNUK]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

My problems with inkjets was my infrequent use, and either excessive loss of ink due to cleaning cycles, or even complete loss due to dried up nozzles.

I do print out most days, on my Epson Ink-Jet.

And if I don't, I have this I designed myself..





There is a WIndows app for Epsons that allows re-setting of counters, just one colour inc black nozzle jet cleaning, etc.

Yes, an empty cartridge stopping printing is a pain, but I do have several replacements available. As no doubt others do.

[-Q-]

Originally Posted by SierraDragon 

You don't get color quality without all the colors, so those of us who color print are accustomed to keeping cartridge spares for every color. I do the same for my all-in-one HP printer.

Very true. But if I wanted to print off a copy of a black and white document, that silly limitation prevented me from doing so. Like turtle, I went with a b&w laser and it's served me well over the years. I think it's an HP LaserJet 1012 but it's long discontinued. Got an HP P1102w for the MIL and she seems very pleased with it.

[MacNNUK]

There's obviously no reason why two printers cannot be connected to the Mac.

One B&W laser, and one Colour inkjet.

I would do this, but most of my printouts have colour, being webpages or my Excel Spreadsheets.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by SierraDragon 

Wow, that Brother laser printer is a bargain for laser. Buy it and just use the problematic HP for color.

Right now, the Brother HL 2240 (w/o duplex) can be had for $49(!!!) at Staples.

It's a steal:

BROTHER HL-2240 LASER PRINTER for $49.99 at officemax - Slickdeals.net

-t