Combined printer/scanner/fax

[dan johnston]

Hi Folks

Can anyone recommend a good quality combined printer/scanner/fax machine for around £150 and preferrably one that has replacement printer cartridges that don't break the bank

Cheers

Dan

[Sapphire-Limited]

Hello,

Our advice would be to invest more in the capital equipment cost and make substantial savings against the cost of the consumables.

In our industry we realise our profits from either the sale of the machine or the ongoing cost of consumables. If the machine is cheap then the cost of consumables are going to be expensive.

You can calculate this by dividing the cartridge yield into the actual cost.

I.E a cartridge at say £30 yielding 500 pages at 5% toned area (A4 size typewritten page) will give you a true copy cost of six pence per page.

If you invisage a usage of 1000 pages per month this will cost you £60 x 12 months = £720, therefore it is more cost effective to pay a little more for the equipment and enjoy ongoing savings against print cost.

My recommendation would be to purchase a Sharp AM-400 at £249.99 (including VAT) The running cost on which is 2.5 to 3 pence per page at 5 percent coverage as explained above.

We are a main dealer and service centre for Sharp Electronics UK, Konica Minolta UK, and Samsung UK, We also supply machinery and consumables for most other popular brands.

If you require a detailed quotation please do let me know via Private Message or E-mail.

Best Regards
Gareth
Sapphire Document Solutions

[confused]

Our advice would be to invest more in the capital equipment cost and make substantial savings against the cost of the consumables
I couldnt agree more, heres an example - Tally offer 1 year FREE black toner on some of their printers, so the consumer thinks WOW what a good do, I'll do loads of black printing.
Then the image drum needs replacing, then the OPC and roller need replacing - then you go oh **** I've just paid for a new printer almost!
Likewise with the ultra cheapo inkjets, £20 a shot bu tthe ink is £30 and compatibles arent available!
Price up the printer, and the consumables, if its a laser dont just price up toner, also look at how much you are planning to print, if you are looking at thousands a month then a dedicated printer that is up to the job might be more appropriate than an all in one. Another thing to remember is that if your scanner packs up, then you end up with an all in one (bulky) AND a seperate scanner.
HTH

Ps, Gareth whats your opinion on the Samsun CLP510, and can you locate or put me onto someone that can locate an additional paper tray.

CALV

[Sapphire-Limited]

Hi Calv,

You will be pleased to know that we are a main Dealer for Samsung and stock all items you may require for the Samsung CLP-510.

The CLP-510 is an excellent product with competitive running costs. I will investigate the costs and will contact you via private message before 3:00pm.

Or you can give us a call on 0845 838 2501

Regards
Gareth
Sapphire Document Solutions

[DuaneJackson]

We have a HP PSC 2210 "All in One"

A very good machine and I think it's now within your price range. Not had a problem with consummables. Paresh at www.whistleink.co.uk is the man for those.

[LindseyMHC]

I've got a Dell All-in-One - it's getting a bit long in the tooth now (it's 2 years old) ... are printer years like dog years, i.e. 1 dog year = 7 human years so my printer is really lots more than 2 years behind in technology stakes???

I bought 5 Dell cartridges with the machine and since then have refilled them using our local Cartridge World - I've been in so many times that I'm now on first name terms with the guys in the shop! I've not yet needed to buy any more new ones. The printer still works fine, but won't win any awards in the 'prints good photos' category - then again, this isn't why I bought the machine - I only need it for printing documents in black or colour text.

Lindsey.

[cjd]

Can you recommend a colour one that's networkable - I was looking at this one - AR-M155. Any good?

Everysite I've looked at so far has been very coy about pricing.....

[Sapphire-Limited]

Hello,

The Sharp ARM 155 is only colour scanning and mono printing

Here's a link to the full product specification:
http://www.sharpinbusiness.co.uk/product.asp?sapcode=ARM155FK

Should you require it to be networkable via RJ45 then an expansion board is required - otherwise it plugs direct via USB.

We currently do have a special pricing deal from Sharp on the ARM 155 with doc feed and fax board but I'm not sure this would be suitable for your requirements without further discussing your needs.

Please call us on 0845 838 2501 (no obligation!) and I will ask my colleague Geraint to discuss your exact requirements.

Regards
Gareth
Sapphire Document Solutions

[clairemackaness]

I have a lexmark X190 which was £35.00 in Tesco!

Ink is slightly more than average but I buy mine from UKBF members and it's a lot cheaper than the shops, especially if you buy it in bulk.

[Sapphire-Limited]

Hi!

A Lexmark is the perfect example of a high running cost machine - even with the less expensive aftermarket cartridges you will find the total cost of ownership / running costs over the life of the machine would be substantially higher than a comparable more expensive machine, such as the Samsung or Sharp.

Although these machines cost more the running costs are much, much less - making them a viable and more economical alternative for your business.

We do also sell Lexmark, HP and others plus the consumables at what seem to be fantastic prices - we can easily compete with anyone, but I would not recommend them for anyone in business.

Regards
Gareth
Sapphire Document Solutions

[confused]

If I remember rightly a few of us told poor Claire she shouldnt have got a lexmark after she had wanted a new printer for ages. I dont like them partly due to the running costs but if ink is available at a decent price and you are on a budget when it comes to buying the machine then sometimes we have to sometimes do without the "ideal". I would have liked the network model of my printer but it was well over £100 and I refuse point blank to pay over £100 for a network card.

[Sapphire-Limited]

Hi,

I have an alternative idea for you to network your machine.

You could buy a network print server.

It plugs into your network via RJ45 and also to your printer via USB or parallel.

So no need to leave a specific computer running if you wish to print from a different computer on your network.

You can also get wireless versions.

We do sell these but you can also try Ebay - search term = print server

You may find they are around £15 upwards.

Please do let me know if I can offer any help or advice on these.

Regards
Gareth
Sapphire Document Solutions

[clairemackaness]

I bought my machine for home use and it suits me fine. I rarely need to print anything for my business, just the odd invoice etc so it suits me. I have no need to fork out over £100 for a samsung etc. The cartridges I buy are Lexmark ones and come in at about £9.00 each from a UKBF Member. I have had the printer two months now and still havn't needed to change the cartridge.

It suits me fine.

[confused]

Hi,
Many thanks for taking the time to reply,
I am familiar with print servers, I have used them in the past and found them to be not 100% reliable and offer very little in the way of configuration, - not a problem in this case of course as I only have a few pc's and the printing isnt thousands of sheets a day,but in general, IMO a print server should be just that - a server, except on the very smallest of networks such as at home or in a shop, which then of course there woudlnt be an issue leaving it on!
As for wireless, I still hate it ! the only thing wireless I have is my mouse! I even plug my laptop in most of the time even though I do have a wireless router, I hate it with a vengance, especially on a small scale, and these £50 home wireless kits - AHHHHGGGG

moan over !

CALV