printer recommendations

I got my Canon Pixma for Christmas last year (I previously had the Epson wide format and I agree with what you said about it in regards to the maintenance and ink). I'm in love with my Pixma!!

I wasn't sure that I needed the multifunction, but we do use the scanner/copier quite a bit.

With the kids at home and various projects, it gets used frequently enough to not get clogged or need maintenance. And I bought this pack of ink off of Amazon and have had zero complaints so far. They print nicely and last well too. With the price of the pack, I don't mind when the kids want to do more printing or if I find something to print besides real projects (like printing props for Clara's b-day party photo booth). I get the Canon paper too which isn't a bad deal as an add-on on Amazon.

 

I have the MG5500 which seems to be a discontinued model. We got it at Office Depot around this time last year for under $100. It seems like it was significantly under $100, but I can't remember for sure.

 

We just got an HP office smart something or other, and it came with a certain amount of time on their printer ink subscription plan. I haven't tried printing photos yet, but have loved all the planner pages I've printed thus far. I haven't figured out how to print on cardstock yet, but the paper I have from Costco is actually kind of thick, so I've been waiting to print on some things till I figure it out (I know it will accept photo paper, so I'm sure there's a way, but I haven't tried photo paper yet either)

 

I also have a Canon Pixma but then an even older version: 5250. It's still working great and the ink isn't too expensive (I researched that before buying! Make sure you get one with seperate ink tanks, so you can replace each colour individually.). I wanted a combination of photoprinter, regulare printer, copier, scanner and I love that it's wireless. No complains here!

 

I have the Canon Pixma(?) MX920 that I picked up at Target for under $100. I love it. I hated buying ink all of the time, but I started using ink similar to Tracie, and it lasts so much longer (seriously). I've printed a ton of pages over the past few months and still haven't had to replace the cartridges.

 

I have a canon pixma as well and I love that thing. I have used it like crazy this year in my hybrid stuff and I feel like my ink use has been well below what I expected. I think I am on my 3rd set of inks for this year and I print like crazy. All my pictures and hybrid stuff has been printed with it. I also get my ink at Target or office store because they will price match Amazon for me. I never pay full price for it.

 

I agree with the ink similars. I buy at a Dutch online shop and the ink tanks are bigger and cheaper.
I use 1-2 sets a year but I'm not a heavy printer. The more often you print, the more the ink will last.

 

I am another happy Canon Pixma owner. I have the MG7120 I think. I got it for about $99. I use the photo printing, the scanner and the regular printing for hybrid stuff and it's the best printer I've ever owned for all around use.

 

I let mine sit for weeks sometimes and I've never had any problems with the first print after sitting.

 

I may be reading into your post, but if you have the same hp office smart printer from Costco I do, and are having a hard time getting it to pull thicker paper like cardstock into it...
I lightly sand the back end at the top where it feeds. Weird, but some papers just are too smooth for the rollers to grab. So I sand it, rough it up, wipe it off and it works.

*not all paper or cardstock has issues. Just a few, and printable iron on paper. I really love my printer.

 

I saw this and thought of you : Canon PIXMA MX922 Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax at Amazon for 64.99 today. I don't know if that's a good price, but it seemed like it.