Stuff

[Deadmanwalking]

Right lads,

Problem number 1:
Am off to uni in a few weeks and unfortunately i have to leave my current scanner and printer at home. (They are networked via mine to the laptops etc etc etc).

So i need a printer. Ideally an all-in-one jobbo. Printer/Scanner/Copier/fax etc

Fax is far from essential mind. Obviously me budget isn't too high (Read: nothing) but saying that i would like some decent stuff. Cost of ink is also an issue for obvious reasons.

Canon? HP? Epson? Anything?

Ok second problem.

Same as above, but this time it's my monitor. Now i don't have to leave it, but it is an iiyama Vision Master 1451 and as such is one big mofo.

I have a huge room here with more deskspace then floor space, at uni. I won't. Now i would LOVE a tft flat panel thingy. (By the way please don't call it "a panel" as that just confuses and ultimately pisses me off )

Now i don't think i will be able to come even close to affroding a nice one. As i do LOVE my big Iiyama one thingy i have currently. I do play a few games, and i will be working really hard at this for all 4 years. (HAHAH yeah fucking right) So once again quality.

Any productive help greatly recieved.

PS. I do know i need low response time for the monitor and contrast ratios etc. I know what i am looking for, but also don't. If that makes sense.

 

[Embattle]

Personally from cost of ink view I would stay away from HP as generally they only use a two cartridge system, thus running out of one colour in the tri colour cartridge means replacing the whole cartridge whereas the newer Epson and Canon printers use separate ink tanks for each colour. Canon and Epson are very close in terms of image quality, however it generally seems that the actual Canon printer is more expensive while Epsons are cheaper but they also seem to be rather ugly.

I quite like the Iiyama 483 range of 19" TFTs, they do tend to be around the £250 mark so I guess it really depends how much you want to spend which will at the very least decide the size.

 

[Lazarus]

Dead man.

Got an Epson 740 Stylus and a Umax Scanner lying about.

If you werent fussed about "brand new"

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Oh laz you sexy beast.

What is the model on the Umax? Is it flat bed?

You see the reason i said all-in-one is a photocopier one would save me a bloody bomb on paying for photocopying at Uni.

If you could PM me what you would be wanting for the printer and/or scanner and i will definately look into that as an option.

Horizontal space is a serious concern mind.

Thanks!

Edit: Having looked up the 740, i HAVE one of those!! But it scared me and ate ink like a trooper. So it's been mothballed. Ta for the offer on the printer, but the reason it was replaced was because it was costing too much in ink. And it's a fat bastard. That with a scanner alongside would cain my poor desk

 

[wyrd_fish]

what cource are you doing, and where?

i printed 2 things this year just gone

a poster (worth 25% of that module, took 10mins, got 70% for it... go me)
and a write up for a programing project (all of 30 pages)

i borrowed a somoe elses both times

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Not just course stuff. As i will be honest i'm not expecting to be doing much work.

The printer i have here i rarely use. But when i do it is used intensely for quite an extended period of time. On what i can't really specify, it just seems to get a hammering when i do use it.

And the scanner i do have here is used alot, most of the time for random shit, but sometimes for vaguely productive uses. (I have a HUGE photo libary for instance, stuff i do not want to lose ever)

And the monitor well, i would like to be able to fit more then 1 glass on the desk with my computer

And i am doing Business Studies converting Business and LAW (LLB) in the second year. (In theory)

 

[Jonty]

Hi Deadmanwalking

I currently using the Epson RX420 all-in-one printer and I've found it absolutely great for my needs.

It features a photo printing (the results are amazing), scanning (integrated flatbed scanner), photocopying (scan and then print without a PC), and digital camera photo printing without a PC (it has a built-in memory card reader, it prints out a set of thumbnails, you mark with a pen which you'd like, quickly scan the thumbnails and it'll select and print the desired shots). The pack also comes with some 6x4"/15x10cm photo paper, four ink cartridges (it takes black and three colour cartridges) and all the software you'll ever likely need.

In usage the printing has been great, with normal text appearing crisp and being produced relatively speedily (I had a Lexmark before so virually anything's an improvement at times ). Scanning I've found fine, although I haven't used it that much. Photo printing results, though, I can attest are first-rate.

In terms of price, you can buy an Epson pack of four ink cartridges with 100 sheets of 6x4"/15x10cm photo paper for around £25. I'd always by such things online as high-street stores tend to be very expensive unless they have a sale on. You can also buy non-Epson ink cartridges for around £3 each, or in packs of four for under £10. The bonus here is the cost of the printer, coming in at around £70-80 online (I think I ordered from Amazon at the time). Considering the price point this is an amazing bit of kit, at least in my eyes (it's also won a fair few awards). As ever, check the specifications and other models to make sure any purchase suits you

As for negatives, the unit is bulky because of the sheer array of features, weighing in at 43cm wide x 34.4cm deep x 17cm high. Printing a lot of photos naturally saps the ink cartridges, which being individual are smaller than other manufacturer's offerings. I've also had to clean the printer heads a few times after long periods of inactivity (easy to do via the driver software, but it does waste a bit of ink). Other than that I haven't really had any problems.

As for a monitor, a good 17" LCD should cost around £150, with a 19" variant coming in at below £250. Samsung, Sony and LG all have strong reputations, but their are many good makes out there (I have an AG Neovo monitor, which I'd never heard of, and it's a brilliant piece of kit for the money). The things to look out for are brightness and contrast (the higher the ratings the better, you can always tone down the settings) and response time (measured in milli-seconds (ms) the lower the rating the better, aim for 16ms or below is you like gaming). Resolution (1025x768 etc.) tend to be fairly similar, as do many other features as the screens themselves are usually manufactured by a handful of companies and then sold on to resellers. Note that most sites also offer dimensions, including the stand, in their specifications if size is an issue.

Always read reviews etc. before purchasing, as although many monitors can be the same specification-wise, actual usage, setting up and after-sales care can differ greatly (e.g. warranty periods etc.). Also note any dead-pixel policies, as these will deal with how any defects in the screen are treated. Sometimes a pixel can be unresponsive and thus stand out (say a tiny black dot or dots). These are annoying but sometimes considered part of the manufacturing process, hence such screens won't always be replaced. I've thankfully never had any trouble, but if it worries you some stores like Aria offer a surchage so that if your monitor is defective in this way they will replace it (I can't vouch for their service, though).

Kind Regards

Jonty

P.S. Having studied Law I can tell you that there's volumes of reading to be done A lot of it is in textbooks which may need photocopying, but increasing a lot of it is online via services such as WestLaw, LexisNexis and online journals, so printing directly becomes an issue

 

[Deadmanwalking]

I love you Jonty.

That looks just what i was after. And it's an Epson that doesn't have the aesthetics that i could have designed. It looks pretty decent.

And 3 seperate ink wells. Spot on.

Having evaluated my financial situation. (God help me), i think i am going to have to cope with keyboard on lap for the short term, as i cannot possibly afford a flat screen right now. I thought it would be possible, but then i realised i like my food and drink too much.

Ah well, printer is kinda essential mind. Thanks Jonty/Laz et al.

Edit: What the fuck are you doing up at 7:46 jonts!! Student no?

 

[SheepCow]

Personally I'd say avoid Epson because they have seperate cartridges, and they're all expensive (3 colours are way more expensive that HPs tri-colour cartridge).

Try and avoid printers that take the paper in the top as they tend to get crapped up with dust really quickly. I'm not sure if Epson still have the print heads built into the printer (they're on the cartridge in most HPs) -- that's a problem if they do get dusty and you can't clean them, with an HP when you change the cartridge you get clean print heads.

The all in ones from Epson and HP are identical (they photocopy, scan, print, do photos from a memory stick etc.) so do some maths and see what you need / can afford.

Edit: oh yes, one annoying thing with my HP is that the scanner is not TWAIN so you have to use the HP software. Not sure about the Epson ones ...

 

[Jonty]

Hi Deadmanwalking

SheepCow makes a very good point in that what for one person is ideal isn't always great for someone else. The Epson cartridges, for example, I don't think are that bad (either the ~£25 four pack, ~£7 Epson individuals, or the ~£3 non-Epson individuals) but it's true that the black is very small compared to other black cartridges, which isn't ideal is you're printing lots of text. That said, some companies are worse than others, with it being cheaper to buy printer packages than it is the cartridges to fit them (Lexmark seem to be good at this). Always check cartridge prices before you buy, the average output/usage of each cartridge and make sure that the printer itself comes with cartridges.

Top loading paper and dust is another problem, although the Epson above features a dust guard and it does depend on where the printer is situated (mine's in a cubbyhole connected to a wireless printer server, so it gets less dust than exposed places). As for printer heads, they're on the cartridge I believe, which bumps up the cost somewhat but does mean that if something should go wrong it's a new cartridge and not a new printer you're after.

In terms of software, the Epson is TWAIN compatible (this just means that a broad array of applications can use the scanner) but the bundled CD features volumes of useless, sorry, 'bonus' software which you may wish to avoid That said, the Epson scanning driver/software is pretty good.

But anyway, don't take what I say as gospel, it's always good to look around (and HP et al make very good products (and adverts )). Also, you may want to drop by PC World and the likes and have a play with any you're considering buying, although I'd still buy online due to the discounts on offer.

As for LCDs, that's a shame but I suppose eating and such has to take priority If it's any consolation LCD prices are set to drop later this year by quite some margin.

Kind Regards

Jonty

P.S. I'm an earlybird

 

[Deadmanwalking]

I have an HP here (The one i have to leave) and it's shit.

As was the one before it and the one before that. Hence why i got the epson 740 cheap cheap.

Eats ink and takes fuck loads of ink to clean. You need to remortgage to be able to afford new ones and to be quite honest it will be a physical impossiblity.

Btw sheepcow, how much are HP paying you for this pimp

Good points though. I will go and have a play around with some of them in PC world etc to see which ones i like.

Thanks all

 

[Hawkwind]

Be careful with EPSON as they just won a court battle over other companies selling 'EPSON compatible' ink cartridges. The other makers were infringing on Seiko Patents.

Just bare that in mind if price of ink cartridges is a big deal.

Good luck

 

[xane]

My own experience is to go for Canon as they seem to have the cheapest ink, certainly much less than HP and Epson, and also avoid Lexmark as they have a version of a cheaper ink cartridge but it runs out a _lot_ quicker.

 

[.Wilier.]

My own experience is to go for Canon as they seem to have the cheapest ink, certainly much less than HP and Epson, and also avoid Lexmark as they have a version of a cheaper ink cartridge but it runs out a _lot_ quicker.

I have a Canon S330 and its a really great printer. Fast as a gazelle and great colours. I use compatable ink cartridges, which seem fine, so cant vouch for cartridge prices.

 

[Lazarus]

I have a Canon S330 and its a really great printer. Fast as a gazelle and great colours. I use compatable ink cartridges, which seem fine, so cant vouch for cartridge prices.

Which is great to know wil - as long as you know how fast a gazelle is!!

 

[Jonty]

Which is great to know wil - as long as you know how fast a gazelle is!!

Gazelles can maintain a speed of 30mph (48kph) indefinitely, with bursts of 60mph (96kph) In printing terms, that apparently equates to 14ppm mono and 10ppm colour according to Canon.

Kind Regards

 

[Lazarus]

Gazelles can maintain a speed of 30mph (48kph) indefinitely, with bursts of 60mph (96kph) In printing terms, that apparently equates to 14ppm mono and 10ppm colour according to Canon.

Kind Regards

thanks for

googling

clearing that up Jonts :touch:

 

[pcg79]

Gazelles can maintain a speed of 30mph (48kph) indefinitely, with bursts of 60mph (96kph) In printing terms, that apparently equates to 14ppm mono and 10ppm colour according to Canon.

Kind Regards

thats well fast!