You can get the HP LaserJet 1022 for $99.99 from Office Depot if you act fast. The 1022 normally goes for $199.99, but there is a $100 rebate on HP printers over that amount. If you miss out on the rebate, you can still get $30 off from Office Depot by using the coupon code 52530833, which is good until 4/24. There would no shipping on this printer because they offer free shipping for orders over $50.

The LaserJet 1022 is HP’s entry level monochrome laser printer, so it is not packed with a whole lot of features. It is basically what reviewers would call a “no-frills” machine. But this is expected since it is one of the cheaper models available and basically one of the only sub-$300 models available from HP. The LaserJet 1022 is a pretty fast machine and according to the specifications, you can get your first page out in 8 seconds thanks to HP’s Instant Technology. The pages per minute speed is listed at 19, which isn’t all that different from more expensive HP models. For instance, the HP LaserJet 1320 is rated at 22ppm and lists at $399.99. The LaserJet 1022’s 250-sheet tray is pretty standard and it prints at up to 1200 x 1200 resolution, the same as the LaserJet 1320.

The downside to this machine is that it is not really meant for more than one user. It has limited memory and can only handle 8,000 pages per month, which sounds like a lot but in reality is on the lower end of the scale for laser printers. Others in this price range can handle anywhere from 10,000-20,000 pages per month and more expensive machines can handle a monthly volume of 200,000 pages. The monthly volume number isn’t meant to be that important, since you would have to print around 250 pages per day every day for a month to reach 8,000. It is just meant to give people an idea of what kind of user the printer is geared towards.

So, if you are a fan of HP and can get one of these deals from Office Depot, then the LaserJet 1022 would be a good deal for you. If you miss out on the deal or just don’t like HP machines for whatever reason, then you might want to look into something like the Brother HL-5140, a $200 machine that offers better features in pretty much every area.

If you have recently purchased a new HP inkjet or laser printer to replace an older model, you can recycle that older model and receive some cash back from HP. On HP inkjet printers purchased from July 1, 2005 - March 31, 2006, you can get up to $75 back if you recycle. If you purchased an HP laser printer since January 1, 2006, you can recycle it for up to $400.

Of course, most of the machines that are eligible for this program aren’t going to get you that much, but on average you will get about $40 for your inkjet and $125 for your laser. The list of laser printers is a little bit smaller and features some rather expensive machines - for instance they list the Color LaserJet 3800, a machine that currently retails for about $800. There’s probably not a whole lot of people who just have one of those lying around collecting dust. But, this is an opportunity to get rid of that Deskjet you got for free, while helping your wallet and your conscious.

Although the offer is only good on purchases up until March 31st, it is retroactive, so as long as you have the receipt and proof of purchase for a printer purchased in those time frames, you have until April 30th, 2006 to send everything in.

Here is the list of inkjet printers that they accept, along with the information about the program.

Here are the laser printers accepted. (Update - this offer has ended)

If you printer isn’t on the list, you can always check out HP’s regular trade-in program, which also accepts competitor’s products. If you have an old broken machine, you will likely only get a token amount ($2 for example), but they will cover the cost of shipping it to them. Otherwise, if your machine has no aftermarket value according to HP, they will offer you an amount it will cost you to recycle it (about $6 on average). No thanks. We are not implying that you should throw your printer in the trash if that is the case, but there are easy, free ways to recycle.

By the end of 2006, the overall revenue from printer supplies is expected to top $100 billion, according to Lyra Research. In 2005 “digital imaging supplies”, which includes ink, toner and paper, amounted to $96 billion in revenue. Like a lot of other articles lately, this one from Forbes points out the following:

But printer makers…which charge premium prices for their brand name ink and toner cartridges, could lose out on revenue as other companies provide supplies cheaper.

They also point out that:

In the past, consumers have been somewhat reluctant to buy third-party ink because of quality concerns. But that perception is changing.

They attribute it to the fact that places like Staples have been selling remanufactured cartridges, so people are more willing to give them a shot. That is probably partly true, but their reluctance has probably also disappeared since the quality of remanufactured and compatible inkjet cartridges has improved considerably since they first came on the market.

Now, the other side of the story and the requisite quote from one of the OEM manufacturers. This time it’s HP:

“It is up to customers to decide which solution is best for them,” says Tuan Tran, vice president of marketing, HP Imaging and Printing Supplies. “There will always be some segment of the population that is willing to accept trade-offs in quality and reliability to save a little money.”

Not exactly going to win too many hearts with that approach.

Printer Supply Revenue To Top $100B [Forbes]

You can get the Officejet 4215 for only $80 after discount and a rebate from Amazon. It is on sale for $99.99 (down from $123.99) plus Amazon has a $20 instant rebate on select HP printers. Enter the code SAVEHPPRNTER at checkout to receive the discount.

The Officejet 4215 is in the older style of all-in-one machines in that it has an upright, sheet-fed design, as opposed to the flatbed design that is common in newer machines. That is not to say that this machine is outdated, it is just meant more for standard business use, such as faxing and copying, and not for photo printing or scanning of photos. Because of the type of feeder that it has, the Officejet 4125 is not meant for scanning much besides documents and it will probably be inconvenient trying to use different types of photo papers. Here is a picture so you can see what we mean:

The advertised speed for this machine is 17ppm black and 12ppm color, but you will likely get about half of that. The scanning resolution is 600 x 1200. One good thing about this machine being a little older is that it uses an HP C6656A black ink cartridge, which is superior to the cartridges found in the newest HP machines. The 56 has more ink than the newest HP black cartridges, and because it is so common you can find it anywhere, and you have plenty of alternatives as far as refilling the cartridge or purchasing a remanufactured one.

The bottom line is that this is a very good machine for someone just interesting in faxing and copying (with the occasional scan) and who doesn’t need anything too fancy.

The $20 discount from Amazon is good until 5/1.

Here is yet another article on the inkjet refilling stations going into Walgreens and other stores. This story is interesting because they interview a couple of regular folk who save money by refilling, and because it hits on the fact that people are finally sick of the cost of printers and ink getting so out of whack.

“People were frustrated with the fact that you could spend as much on a set of ink cartridges that you could on a new printer,” said Tiffani Bruce, a spokeswoman for Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. “Solutions currently on the market were either messy or difficult to find, or not good quality.”

They also have a quote from Elisabeth Wightman, a research analyst with Lyra Research:

“You can buy an inkjet printer now for $50, and when it comes time to replace the ink, those cartridges cost more than the printer in some cases,” she said.

That’s what we’ve been saying….

Of course there is the usual quote from the printer manufacturers, with Tim Fitzpatrick of Lexmark making another appearance. He points out that if you buy a new cartridge from Lexmark you are getting a new print head, which is important (true) and that you are getting ink developed for your printer (also true). Of course, if you buy a remanufactured cartridge (from Pacific Ink obviously) you get a cartridge that has a new print head on it, so you don’t have to worry.

Anyways, back to the story. Mr. Fitzpatrick is correct in bringing up the issue of different inks for different printers, something these refilling stations cannot offer. People need to be aware that “universal” inks likely are not going to deliver the same results as the ink that originally came in the cartridge. You can’t really bring in your HP color cartridge, get it refilled with the same color ink they use for Canon cartridges and expect the same results. If you aren’t a serious printer or you are just getting black cartridges refilled, you probably won’t notice any difference.

Retailers make mark refilling ink cartridges [Palm Beach Post]

Canon announced the release of the ImageCLASS MF8180c, a multifunction color laser printer. It replaces/updates the MF8170C, which has all the same features but is rated at 16 pages per minute while the MF8180c is rated at 20ppm (both generous estimates of course). The MF8180c prints 4ppm in color, faxes, and scans up to 1200 x 2400dpi, which is pretty good when compared with their competition. Other HP and Epson models similar to the MF8180c only scan up to 600 x 600.

This machine will be priced at $799.99, which makes it a good deal. There are not a whole lot of color laser multifunction machines on the market, but most that are conveniently have the exact same price. The three with the same price are the Epson AcuLaser CX11NF, HP LaserJet 2820 and the Brother MFC-9420CN. The Epson is slightly faster, but will cost you more to operate. Plus Epson really isn’t known for their laser printers. The LaserJet 2820 is similar to the MF8180c, but both the scanning and the print resolution are lower. The Brother MFC-9420CN could provide some competition, as it features the same resolution as Canon for scanning and printing, and prints up to 31ppm. Alas, as is the case with some Brother machines, the ink for it is difficult to find. At this point, you cannot even buy it directly from Brother’s website. So basically, what good is having a machine that’s slightly better if you can’t even find ink for it?

Based on the other machines on the market, you could argue that the MF8180c will be the top choice when it becomes available. It has a competitive price and good features and should be relatively easy and inexpensive to operate. We must emphasize “relatively” because when you are dealing with a color laser printer, there is no such thing as inexpensive. A new set of toner cartridges for this machine would run you about $440 if you bought them at the store. We just mean relatively inexpensive versus the other color laser printers on the market.

New Color imageCLASS MF8180c Color Desktop Laser Multifunction [Press Release]

Here is a review on the Epson Stylus Photo R340, an updated version of the R320, which came out at the end of 2004. The R340 features a six-color ink system, the ability to print on CDs or DVDs, a 2.4″ LCD screen and the ability to print directly from your camera. This reviewer had given the R320 a look last year, and he believes that the R340 is a pretty solid upgrade, although not worth it if you currently own the R320.

I also found the overall operation of the R340 to be much more quiet in its operation. As the print head glides along, you get a feeling that this printer is a lot tighter in its operation.

So while the printing speed specifications really don’t reflect much of a speed increase, you really do get a feeling that everything is happening much more quickly.

I guess it’s just a quality thing. I’ve seen the same thing with cars. Sometimes it’s just that the newer models only look and feel better but the specifications are actually the same.

He brings up an interesting point - does this printer really have improved performance over the model it replaced, or is it just perception? New printer models are constantly being released, but are they all really better than their predecessors? Probably not. Printer technology has improved greatly over the last few years, but these days it doesn’t improve fast enough to where you are going to see major differences with every new model. There might be a new or improved feature (like the LCD in this case), but what really matters the most is print quality/speed, and that is going to change much unless you are upgrading from a printer that is a couple years old.

Here is a comparison of the two models:

You don’t have to stare at them too long to realize that the actual performance of the machine is exactly the same. Also, since they use the same ink cartridges, it is a safe bet to say that the results of each machine will be the same. Just from looking at the two machines, the R340 is an improved design and looks much better than the R320, but again, not something that would justifying replacing your old machine.

Epson’s newest printer is its best so far [Seattle Times]

Buy this printer Buy Epson Photo Stylus R340 ink cartridges

One of Dell’s color inkjet cartridges is the M4646 cartridge, which works in a couple of their printers, including the 944 and the 964. If you print a lot and are tired of buying new cartridges, here is a list of all the options you have to replace the T0601, including some alternatives:

Remanufactured M4646 - a remanufactured M4640 cartridge is one that has been refilled to capacity with ink and fitted with a new print head, which is the most important part of the cartridge. We sell these cartridges at a discount compared to Dell’s price. This is not just a refilled cartridge, as the new print head ensures it will print like a brand new cartridge.

Dell OEM M4646 - an OEM cartridge is the one that comes with your machine and the one that you would buy directly from Dell. In other words, it is the new Dell brand cartridge. This is a high yield cartridge.

Refill kits - even though some people used to have a bad idea about these, they are definitely the way to go if you want to save the most money. These kits are simple, they aren’t messy, and if you use them then each cartridge refill ends up costing you $5 or less.

Refilling service - if you aren’t into refill kits yourself, then you can have someone professionally refill your cartridge for you. We offer a service called Renew where you purchase a mailer from us for your M4646 empty cartridge, mail it off to our reycling center, and then wait about 7-10 days to receive your refilled one in the mail. This works for people who like the idea of recycling, but don’t have the time to do it themselves.

Another article about refilling stations, this time from the Chicago Tribune. They report that OfficeMax will begin advertising their refilling service today and that next week Walgreens will begin offering their service. Both of these stores are currently offering their refilling services in the Chicago area, but now it seems like they are ready to go nationwide.

The article starts off with a pretty entertaining quote:

What was once seen as a grimy task reserved for frugal technology geeks, environmentalists and hobbyists is now about to be legitimized in a huge way, as at least two big retailers roll out inkjet refilling stations at stores nationwide.

We didn’t know all our customers were geeks…..but seriously, this perception is still around and maybe something like this can change it. We know that some of our customers do use our ink cartridges for environmental reasons or our refill kits because they enjoy doing things themselves, but the majority of our customers come to us initially for one reason: the savings. As the article points out, people are tired of paying more for replacement cartridges than they did for the machine.

The printing business is booming. Thanks to the growth of digital photography, desktop publishing and affordable color printers, the digital-imaging-supplies business will top $100 billion in 2006, according to a report released Monday by Lyra Research in Newton, Mass. By comparison, the hardware market–think printers–will account for $60 billion this year, the research found.

If these numbers are truly accurate (they seem about right) then they are pretty eye-opening. This year there will be $100 billion worth of ink and paper sold. Wow. If you think about the ratio of $100 billion to $60 billion for supplies versus hardware, you might wonder why it is so off. Well, just think of things in the long term. Say you spent $120 on your printer - is it crazy to think that you would spend $200 on ink this year? It might seem a little high, but say you had to buy a black and a color ink cartridge and they were $25 each (a conservative estimate if you are buying brand name cartridges). If you replaced the cartridges four times in a year, then you will have spent $200. For a while people did not realize this, and they were just happy to get a really cheap (or even free) printer. But these days, most people are probably pretty aware of how the cost of the manufacturer’s ink can add up really quickly.

The article is worth a read. It is the most informative and in-depth one we have read about these refilling stations and the state of the printing market in general.

Refill ‘er up [Chicago Tribune]

Amazon has the PIXMA iP6600D on sale for $169.99 plus a $30 rebate. The iP6600D is a newer Canon model that has all of the standard features of their photo printers, plus for those that use them, an extra large 3.5″ LCD screen. It can print directly from memory cards or a Canon camera and it has a pretty extensive set of controls on the printer, meaning that it can be used as a good standalone machine. It prints up to 9600 x 2400 (which is pretty standard these days) and Canon claims it can print a 4 x 6 photo in 46 seconds.

Here is CNET’s review.
Here is PC Mag’s.
Here is Macworld’s.

You can find cartridges for the PIXMA iP6600D here.

This rebate is good until 3/31.