OK... i went onto PC World today thinking of buying a cheap inkjet printer. I don't need anything 'photo quality' just something cheap for printing out documents (letters, CV, etc)

So I asks the bloke about a 30 quid Lexmark inkjet printer. It'll suit your purpose he says but the ink cartridges cost more that the printer and he showed me the replacement cartridges at £35 each. If I were you he says I'd buy this Cannon bubble jet at £50. Yes it's dearer but the replacement cartridges are £5. He even wouldn't sell me a USB cable cos PC World charge £17 whereas he pointed out you could get one next door in Homebase for £3.49.

What do you folks think? Sound advice?

Very honest of the chap! USB Cables are even cheaper if you have a B&Q Warehouse ;)

Larf !

I just bought a Samsung ML-4500 from dabs at 59 quid, the toner cartridges are 35 quid. Compared to a new cartridge for our LJ6P at 50 quid.

Only snag was no USB - but we plug it onto a print server hub.

T.

I've got a Xerox, which has a separate cartridge for black, red, blue and yellow inks. Cartridges c.£6 each. The good thing about this is that if the red ink runs out, you only have to replace the red ink cartridge, not all of them.

Surprisingly honest and well-informed :) Do check out the mail order prices for ink cartridges, though - you can probably get them much cheaper from the likes of PhotoGlossy, who are based in Guernsey (so no VAT) and specialise in this kind of thing.

Do also check out the cost of 3rd party ink cartridges or refill kits. The printer manufacturers tend to subsidise the cost of the printers themselves but try to make the money back on consumables. That doesn't mean you have to play ball, though :D

A.

Hammy - sounds like we have the same printer.. bought it cheap coz Xerox are no longer going to be in the homer market anymore. I do find though that if one colour goes, they all go at the same time... unless of course you print a lot of things in one colour only :D