[Growster...]

After a couple of hours of bad language, our printer has given up the ghost! It's several years old, so probably due for the great landfill on high!

It seems that Wifi machines are the norm these days, but does anyone know a decent replacement for around £80.00? I need the scanner more than the printer, and fully expect a big gulp when the cartidges need replacing!

[Lardman]

Careful with new printers - all that glitters is not gold. What was the make/model of your old one and what do you use it for?

[mrs bouquet]

My printer won't print from my laptop.  It keeps telling me there is no internet connection  -  well where did it go.    Mrs Bouquet

[Lardman]

You see that's the problem - what's moaning the laptop or the printer? Either way neither should be wandering off down the internet and phoning home just so you can print, the fact manufacturers have made it that way doesn't sit well.

[Growster...]

Many thanks both!

I guess it'll be a cable connection (to stave off the troublesome wifi), and that's easy as they'd be close by each other!

Seems an option is with Canon or HP, so let's have a look again - I like your view, Lards, it's only for a few pics and stuff I want to keep on a PC chip to save the kids having to bin everything in a hundred years time...!

May be able to get a few quid off without all the bells and whistles too! Blimey, I only want a half-decent printer that doesn't stand up and sing 'The Star Spangled Banner' in seventeen different languages!

[Lardman]

it's only for a few pics and stuff I want to keep on a PC chip to save the kids having to bin everything in a hundred years time...!

I know it's extra space but if you're scanning stuff in why not grab a scanner and a printer rather than an all in one? I have a canoscan lide 220 for scanning/copying and an Epson stylus D88+ for colour printing, You do need a computer in the middle but they are all very old and stupid devices and they just do as they're told  which is the way I like it.

You'll probably pay extra the less features you want Mr G, remember, everything is sold as a service now and all services can be upsold.  I'm getting so cynical in my old age 

[jaydig]

I have had a Canon MG 4250 printer for some time now, and have found it to be very good. I had a problem when my old Apple Mac desktop machine finally threw in the towel, and I replaced it with an up to date version.  All of a sudden my printer wouldn't scan.  I could print from the computer, even though the method of achieving this was a bit different, but scan and print it would not do!  My son, who is computer literate came round and thought it needed a software download, but after an hour of trying various things finally found that it needed a "firmware" download, which once installed worked a treat.  None of this makes any sense to me, but just in case you have problems when swapping something over, it's not necessarily the software that is at fault.

[mrs bouquet]

Please can you tell me in simple words about "Scan".  Mine is supposed to do that, but I don't really know what it is      I could be missing something really useful and good.     Mrs B

[JayG]

The problem with all singing and dancing electronic gizmos which can communicate with each other, you, the internet, and probably the man in the moon too, is that when they decide to stop talking to each other the problem can be too complicated for mere mortals to sort out, as jaydig has suggested.

For that reason, even if I chose a Bluetooth or Wi-fi printer I'd make sure it also had a good old-fashioned USB port in the hope of retaining what's left of my sanity.

As you say Growster, ink costs are bound to be a factor (I gleefully printed several arty and colourful collages when I first got my previous printer - about 5 sheets of A4 later the ink ran dry - so did my wallet!)

[Lardman]

Please can you tell me in simple words about "Scan". 

Scanning is taking a copy of something physical - documents, photographs etc and creating a digital copy of it on the computer. Lots of people scan their old photo albums to keep a digital record or to make multiple copies. It's just like taking a photograph of something really  , it's really useful if you need it but not if you don't - if that makes sense.

For that reason, even if I chose a Bluetooth or Wi-fi printer I'd make sure it also had a good old-fashioned USB port in the hope of retaining what's left of my sanity.

Today's stuff needs to talk to the web to report your usage and order your ink regardless of how you connect to it to print, it connects to the web. IOT is here to stay and don't think about using off brand ink - Your printer will grass you up !

Replacement ink cartridges for the D88+ are less than £5 a set 

[Growster...]

Isn't it 'funny', when such basic requirements arouse so many issues, because half the time, the kit we all fork out for is presumed all-important, but in reality, is just like a spare 'relation', i.e., nice to look at, but does it actually do anything!

I have actually got a Canoscan, but it really went south after a few years, and the belt began to slip, so while whirring happily away in the corner of the room, it wasn't actually scanning anything other than the first millimetre of the page!

I actually made a photo scanner for an iPad, and have done around a thousand pics as you say, Lards, and the originals are in better storage boxes than fifty or so creaky/smelly old albums, but as I'm an inveterate collector of other stuff for digital storage, and don't have an office any more, an all-in-one machine is the way to go!

Mrs B, you can use your iPad to scan any picture and save it to look at later! A basic and free app is https://www.appinitio.com/picscanner/ Pic scanner, and is very easy to use!

[Subversive_plot]

Long-term ink cost is something to factor in when selecting a printer.

Printer companies mostly use 2 modes of income generation. One option is to sell the printer for very little (under £70), but charge a fortune for the very small ink cartridges they sell you later.  Option 2 is to sell you a printer for much more money, but equip it with ink cartridges that last you several years under normal use, and are refillable.

If you print very little, option 1 may be fine for you. I print a fair amount for work, so I went for option 2.

Look at reviews of whatever model you are considering. In the long run, it may cost you less money and frustration to pay a little more up front for a printer (or scanner) that is well rated, reliable and easy to set up and use.

Added later: You mentioned the old printer destined for the landfill, however many components of modern electronics can and should be recycled. Ask your electronics store if they take old equipment for recycling. If not, ask your local agency that handles solid waste or recycling whether they recycle electronics.

[Growster...]

Option one is preferable to me, SubP - it's the scanner bit which is most used, but printing/copying occasionally is needed as well!

As for landfill, one of the rare good things our local council do, is take away small electrical items for recycling, they've already had a small vacuum cleaner, and an electric fan, so that'll make someone happy trying to get the bits out of those particular items!

The issue of cheap up-front kit, but expensive for replacements is also covered with blood testing machines, which are free on the National Health here. They get their dosh back with the huge cost of the lancets - luckily on the NHS as well!

The same issue will apply to electric cars, where new batteries will be around a third of the cost of the car! I'll send you a link to a blog post an online friend posted this week - it's frightening!

[jezza]

Hello mines a Gewlett Packard from Tesco was quoted £49 and a free set of ink refills got to till £39 and 2 sets of free ink cartridges  paid for it a guy from the electronics department came up and said there was a further discount reduced again to£ 38.99  I asked if ther was another set of free inks     hezza