# Good AIO Printer at 3k-4k



## Death_Knight (Jun 18, 2011)

Hi, need to buy a AIO printer for personal home use. So, created the following guide myself so you people can help me better.

*1. What is the purpose?*
A: Mostly B/W printing, occasional color for brother's project work. Rarely photo printing.
Need to scan books/photos occasionally, personal use only.

*2. How much is it going to be used?*
A: Not much. Probably 5 to 10 pages a week. Maybe less.

*3. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?*
A: Of course.

*4. What is your MAX budget?*
A: 4k, try to be around 3.5k.

*5. What functionality you need and what you don't?*
A: Need - color printing, good scanning, support for photo paper
Don't need - fax, wireless, LCD display, memory card / pictbridge slot, print speed / start-up speed don't matter

*6. Any preference for inkjet or laser? *
A: Can't afford color laser right now.

*7. Are you going to purchase original cartridge or use refillable cartridge?*
A: Probably buy original for the period of warranty (otherwise I think it'll be void). So, need cheaper original cartridge for year 1.
Then probably go for refillable one. I want to refill personally.

*8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)*
A: 8.5

*9. Have you ever purchased/used a printer before or will this is be your first buy?*
A: First buy. Never used a printed before personally.

*10. When are you planning to buy the device?*
A: ASAP

*11. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?*
A: Kolkata. Want to buy locally.

*12. Mention any other points if deemed necessary*
A: From the discussions in this forum provided earlier shortlisted:
*HP 1050, HP 4488
Canon MP258, MP287
Epson TX121*
Though many are saying to go for epson since they can be swapped with refillable ones, a friend of mine told me that HP are refillable too. Also people saying print quality wise HP & Canon are best. So I'm in total loss. Please help.


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## mukherjee (Jun 19, 2011)

Hmmm....*only the Epson TX121 among these has individual ink cartridges* which is a definite bonus...*all the others make do with one black and another combo colour cartridge*....

Now *if u think u will be printing photos quite often...I think u shud think about the Epson*...else....the Canon MP258(or the MP 287) seems great....just compare the prices of the cartridges with that of HP....


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## tkin (Jun 19, 2011)

*Re: Hardware Price Check and Buying Advice Thread (Kolkata)*

Epson cartridge is cheap, compared to the HP ones which cost and entire body, and then some.


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## Skud (Jun 19, 2011)

Canon MP258 I am using for the past one year and I can vouch for its quality. But cartridge prices are high like HP. Epson is cheaper, I think. AFAIK, all cartridges are refillable.


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## nginx (Jun 19, 2011)

*Re: Hardware Price Check and Buying Advice Thread (Kolkata)*

I had to buy a printer too as soon as I took admission in college. Nearly every computer based lab reports have to be submitted in printed copy in our college. 

I bought a Canon MP145 at that time (3 years ago) which was available for 3.5k and has served me well but Canon cartridges are a tad expensive compared to Epson. Black & Color cartridge combo packs are around 2~2.2k for Canon. HP is more expensive as they claim to use some special formula in their inks. Epson cartridges aren't a lot cheaper per say but the fact that you can replace individual color (red/blue/green) cartridges as opposed whole single cartridges makes them cheaper overall.

Just saying all this because price of the printer itself isn't a big factor. Its the cost of the cartridges that's gonna hit you hard later. Usually companies sell printers at dirt cheap prices & then make up for it with high cartridge costs. So do some research and buy a printer with low cartridge cost, preferably a laser jet printer if possible since they are good for a massive number of prints.


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## Death_Knight (Jun 19, 2011)

Here is a comparison of the cartridge prices:
[*mukherjee* gave me the HP prices]

*HP F4488:*
818 black: 740/- (200 pages) [ebay 775/-]
818 color: 880/- (165 pages) [ebay 905/-]

*HP 1050:*
802 black: 850/- (360 pages) [ebay 935/-]
802 color: 1150/- (300 pages) [ebay 1225/-]

*Canon MP258 & MP287:*
PG 810 black: 800+ [ebay 990/-] (cannot find printing capacity)
PG 810 color: 1000+ ~1100+ [ebay 1299/-] (cannot find printing capacity)

*Epson TX121:* [ebay price starts at 376/- each]
73N black: 485/- (255 pages)
73N color: 485/- x 3 (395 pages)

Per page printing cost of Epson seems to be the lowest for black [more concerned, since it will be required most]. Moreover there are dozens of DIY refillable cartridges for Epson 73N, if I want to go refill after warranty period.

Does anybody here have any first hand experience with Epson printers? Want to make sure of its service & reliability.


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## Skud (Jun 19, 2011)

*Canon MP258*

Black - 800, color - 1000 or 1100, can't remember properly plus VAT.

I bought these in April from MD.


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## Death_Knight (Jun 19, 2011)

Skud said:


> *Canon MP258*
> 
> Black - 800, color - 1000 or 1100, can't remember properly plus VAT.
> 
> I bought these in April from MD.



Please can you mention the standard printing capacity of them?

Also are MD/Vedant the right choice to go for in regarding printer & cartridge, or some shop else?

What about *Cartridge World* or something like that I heard from my friend. It offers cartridge solution & refilling.


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## Skud (Jun 19, 2011)

My original cartridges are still only half empty (or half full, whichever way you look ), as reported by the driver. So far I have printed a dozen photos (postcard and 4x6) and probably 30-odd A4 pages. Now make your own calculations. 

No idea about cartridge world, but with quality ink, refilling should be good enough.


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## Death_Knight (Jun 19, 2011)

Skud said:


> My original cartridges are still only half empty (or half full, whichever way you look ), as reported by the driver. So far I have printed a dozen photos (postcard and 4x6) and probably 30-odd A4 pages. Now make your own calculations.



I wanted to know the standard capacity of these cartridges as stated by Canon so I can find the economy in comparing with other brands. They follow some universal standard in calculating this.



Skud said:


> No idea about cartridge world, but with quality ink, refilling should be good enough.



There lies the problem my friend. Refilling original cartridge requires some modding (pin hole making AFAIK) and expertise, so it cannot be done at home after buying quality third party ink yourself. So we need to rely on what these refill guys are supplying. My friend refills his HP cartridge for around 700~800 bucks. That too can be done around 3~4 times max 
The only other option is to go custom cartridge (only available for Epson).

And what's the deal with *resetting chips* which a lot of guys in this forum have mentioned? How is this bypassed while refilling?


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## tkin (Jun 20, 2011)

Death_Knight said:


> I wanted to know the standard capacity of these cartridges as stated by Canon so I can find the economy in comparing with other brands. They follow some universal standard in calculating this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No modding, just a syringe(which you have an unlimited supply of), my friend has been doing it for long time, very cost effective solution.

Now cartridge prices:

Epson Black: 250/-
HP Black: 500/-
Buy epson, unless you want to pay double for HP. When buying printer make sure to buy ones that support multiple cartridges for different colors(black, cyan etc), compound cartridges cost an arm ,leg and kidney and you have to buy new cartridge everytime one color runs out(black will run out fastest).


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## Death_Knight (Jun 20, 2011)

tkin said:


> No modding, just a syringe(*which you have an unlimited supply of*), my friend has been doing it for long time, very cost effective solution.


He! He! So, you know my profession.. 

Does he do this for *original* HP/Canon/Epson cartridges? What about resetting the chip (in case of HP), since I have read just manual refilling won't help in them.



tkin said:


> Now cartridge prices:
> 
> Epson Black: 250/-
> HP Black: 500/-
> Buy epson, unless you want to pay double for HP. When buying printer make sure to buy ones that support multiple cartridges for different colors(black, cyan etc), compound cartridges cost an arm ,leg and kidney and you have to buy new cartridge everytime one color runs out(black will run out fastest).



You are probably quoting the low capacity cartridges (*91N for Epson* and *802small for HP*). The price I mentioned are that of standard capacity ones.

Went to Chandni today for a few moments. The prices of *HP 1050 & Epson TX121 are around 3100+* while *HP 2050 is 3500+* [_Vedant & Technocrat_].
Prices of cartridge are as such: *Epson<HP<Canon*.
Moreover, only Epson supports individual cartridges (among the models I mentioned). So, I think every argument boils down to Epson in the end.
Going to buy tomorrow.


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## tkin (Jun 20, 2011)

Death_Knight said:


> He! He! So, you know my profession..
> 
> Does he do this for *original* HP/Canon/Epson cartridges? What about resetting the chip (in case of HP), since I have read just manual refilling won't help in them.
> 
> ...


He he, yeah I know what you do... 

Anyway, yes, that's the price for the lowest models, my friend has epson aio and its really good, go ahead and buy, you'll be satisfied.

Yes, he refills them, not epson, he refills HP but a refilling store(the shop left of MD refills printer cartridges) said epson can be refilled as well.

No need to replace chip for hp, take syringe, push through spongy hole, refill and voila, the sponge is the Achilles heel of cartridges, refilled cartridges will show zero ink level in software mode(HP) but it'll work none the less.


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## Death_Knight (Jun 21, 2011)

tkin said:


> He he, yeah I know what you do...
> 
> Anyway, yes, that's the price for the lowest models, my friend has epson aio and its really good, go ahead and buy, you'll be satisfied.
> 
> ...



Good to hear.
Still I can afford to buy original black Epson cartridges, atleast for warranty period, maybe after that too since I won't need it much.

Maybe I'll get custom made refill cartridges & quality inks [see here at ebay] and do it myself.

Still I wonder if refilling was so simple what about all the hoopla about it over net (even on earlier posts in this section of TDF).


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## nginx (Jun 21, 2011)

Death_Knight said:


> He! He! So, you know my profession..
> 
> Does he do this for *original* HP/Canon/Epson cartridges? What about resetting the chip (in case of HP), since I have read just manual refilling won't help in them.
> 
> ...



I have already refilled myself once. Its easy. There are loads of guides on the internet for that. Also consult your manual to find out how much ink your cartridge can take in or you will overfill and the cartridge will spill ink randomly inside the printer.

You can't reset the chip, that's true but none of the local computer stores that offer refilling jobs can do that either. My canon printer has a method (series of button pushes in particular sequence) to reset the ink counter that seems to do the trick. Your printer might have it too but you need to search on Google for that. Manuals don't always mention this procedure since they expect you to buy original cartridges.


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## Death_Knight (Jun 21, 2011)

nginx said:


> I have already refilled myself once. Its easy. There are loads of guides on the internet for that. Also consult your manual to find out how much ink your cartridge can take in or you will overfill and the cartridge will spill ink randomly inside the printer.
> 
> You can't reset the chip, that's true but none of the local computer stores that offer refilling jobs can do that either. My canon printer has a method (series of button pushes in particular sequence) to reset the ink counter that seems to do the trick. Your printer might have it too but you need to search on Google for that. Manuals don't always mention this procedure since they expect you to buy original cartridges.



So the printer functions normally even the ink shows zero  (without resetting). That's good to hear.
I was worried reading the following posts: Here, here and here.

Still going for the Epson TX121. I don't think it would be a poor choice.


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## Skud (Jun 21, 2011)

nginx said:


> I have already refilled myself once. Its easy. There are loads of guides on the internet for that. Also consult your manual to find out how much ink your cartridge can take in or you will overfill and the cartridge will spill ink randomly inside the printer.
> 
> You can't reset the chip, that's true but none of the local computer stores that offer refilling jobs can do that either. My canon printer has a method (series of button pushes in particular sequence) to reset the ink counter that seems to do the trick. Your printer might have it too but you need to search on Google for that. Manuals don't always mention this procedure since they expect you to buy original cartridges.




Which Canon printer do you have?


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## Death_Knight (Jun 22, 2011)

Bought the printer today. Here's a pictorial review of it:

*Product: EPSON STYLUS TX121*
*Purchased from:* MD Computers, Kolkata
*Price (including 4% VAT):* Rs 2834/- 



Spoiler



*The box:*
*i.imgur.com/IwNZF.jpg

*Mfd. details:*
*i.imgur.com/9NUGm.jpg
Note the printed price!!

*The cartridge types & the warning:*
*i.imgur.com/Ka9CS.jpg

*Unpacking:*
*i.imgur.com/jAHzV.jpg
The device is fully protected with thermocol padding. The cartridges are securely taped too.

*The Contents* (sorry, had already removed the USB cable ):
*i.imgur.com/yMnyE.jpg

*Cartridges supplied (note they are standard cartridges 73N):**i.imgur.com/hnfFZ.jpg
This came as a big surprise since the introductory cartridges always happen to be the Economy ones.

*The device:*
*i.imgur.com/kJ4lC.jpg

*The flatbed scanner:*
*i.imgur.com/tNovt.jpg

*A closer look:*
*i.imgur.com/GSdCF.jpg

*The empty cartridge slot:*
*i.imgur.com/lnmxu.jpg
The slot cover gives the directions too.

*After installing:*
*i.imgur.com/zlY0j.jpg
Installation was very easy, just requires pushing the cartridges in the respective slots one by one and successively pressing the lower right button.

*The device in full swing:*
*i.imgur.com/MhOVO.jpg

*Installation:*
*i.imgur.com/TpiRt.jpg
Ignore the warning, it took just 7~8 min. And involves just a few simple clicks.

*Scan (I could not think of anything else  ):*
*i.imgur.com/Xqcbr.jpg
This is a very compressed & resized image. The original scan at 600dpi in auto mode was 3624x1728 & 7.04MB (JPEG) in size . The details were extremely fine.



*Features & Specs:* Here

*Cartridge cost:* Standard *73N*: 450/- each cartridge, Economy *91N*: 250/- each cartridge
*i.imgur.com/q7TDV.jpg

*Verdict:* This is my first printer (also my first use). So, I can't compare with others. Moreover haven't tried Photo printing yet. Just printing a couple of pictures & documents on normal paper, a few scanning & used as a copier to print the note . Still from a first-day first-time user view I could highlight some definite Pros -
** Excellent price for a AIO device.
* Looks nice & sexy with all black.
* Easy picture guides & manuals.
* Individual cartridges
* Standard cartridges were supplied, not the starter kits.
* Cartridge installation was very easy.
* One button quick software installation, no junkwares.
* The interface was easy, with modes from rookies to pros.
* Satisfied with print quality so far.
* Excellent scanning.*
I would completely recommend this to anyone looking for budget AIO device for Home use.


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## Tenida (Jun 22, 2011)

Congrats  Nice Printer


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## Mario (Jun 22, 2011)

Good Review Dude!

One tip: Don't use this for photo printing (even with the highest settings)...u would end up with a ton of ink wasted and the photo would leave you dissatisfied...but for normal form printing , scanning etc...this rocks!!

If u can, also post individual prices of all the cartridges (I mean if u r planning to buy original ones when u run out instead of refilling the ones u have now)


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## Skud (Jun 22, 2011)

@Death_Knight: congrats for your purchase. looks nice.


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## nginx (Jun 22, 2011)

Skud said:


> Which Canon printer do you have?



I have the Canon MP145.

@Death_Knight, nice printer buddy. Congrats. Looks real good. I am a big fan of Epson's 3 different color ink catridges. I can't tell you how many times I have had to replace my ink cartridges because only my blue color runs out. I would have saved a ton of money with the Epson. Now I am thinking of selling my Canon and getting an Epson 

Bad news is, just doing a little research, I found that these new Epson and HP printers have cartridges with chips which are programmed to only print a certain number of pages and will show the ink level as empty even if 25-30% ink is still remaining. Apparently you need to purchase a chip resetter to reuse it or you have to throw away the cartridge.

I got lucky as my Canon cartridges don't come with such chips and only requires me to perform the ink reset procedure on the printer.

*i.imgur.com/Xqcbr.jpg

Lol this is the first thing I printed as test after buying my printer too  It was so good, I thought about using it for real


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## Death_Knight (Jun 22, 2011)

Thanx all. I'm really loving it. 



nginx said:


> Bad news is, just doing a little research, I found that these new Epson and HP printers have cartridges with chips which are programmed to only print a certain number of pages and will show the ink level as empty even if 25-30% ink is still remaining. Apparently you need to purchase a chip resetter to reuse it or you have to throw away the cartridge.
> 
> I got lucky as my Canon cartridges don't come with such chips and only requires me to perform the ink reset procedure on the printer.



I already mentioned about the chip resetting problem & also provided the links to the discussion thread.
But where from have you got the info about showing cartridges empty with *25-30%* still remaining ? This is real shocking!! 
And what is this about *purchasing a chip resetter*? Please clarify in details, better give links to them.

I already thought of getting the DIY refillable cartridges from ebay [only available for Epson].


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