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Another printer recommendation, please
#20111 01/15/12 04:22 PM
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I've finally had it with having to maintain a Leopard partition for the sole purpose of running my Lexmark Z515 printer...no Snow Leopard drivers ever released, and now discontinued, and I'm ready for a new printer.

My needs are reeeally minimal... I go months without even using the printer other than to run a test page to keep the ink flowing, and I doubt that I print as many as 150 pages/year.

Bearing in mind that I don't mind spending some extra bucks for quality and a good (ink) cost/page ratio, can anybody recommend both an appropriate printer and a good source? (It's not even mandatory that it print color.)

Note that Staples is the only store around that sells such stuff, so I guess it'll have to be an on-line source.

Thanks.


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In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20113 01/15/12 10:47 PM
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My last three printers have come from Staples. Their prices are competitive and they have a good selection on their web site. I generally order from the web site with delivery to the store to save shipping and handling charges.

Other than a laser, I have not seen a b/w printer in years. Canon and Brother seem to do a good job of keeping current drivers for Macs and to me that is a big thing. Epson and HP are pretty proprietary about their drivers and HP has not been good about updating Mac drivers for older printers. With Epson, if you don't like their drivers you can always use Gutenprint.


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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20114 01/15/12 11:56 PM
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I've had a Canon Pixma IP500 since Oct 2005 and it has not given me a bit of trouble. I refill the cartridges. Both of my daughters bought Canon printers based on my experience (one about two years ago and the other about three) and both have been happy.

Staples....I've bought plenty of stuff from Staples (although not my printer) and have never had any issues whether in-store or on-line. The couple of times I wanted to return a purchase, it was not a problem.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20120 01/16/12 03:03 PM
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I bought a Brother b/w laser (2040, I think) from Staples a few years ago for around $100 and have had no trouble with it. finally replaced the original cartridge last year. great quality, hooked up to my Airport Express so it's networked.


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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20130 01/17/12 08:19 AM
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Staples also has a policy of "110% price guarantee". It pays to find the cheapest price you can on any item, then ask them to match it (less 10%).

My own experience (as I think I recounted elsewhere) involved the USRobotics modem which Staples was selling at ca $86. Online I found it for $49. They accepted that and I got it for 10% less than that (which means they sold it to me for ca 50% of their asking price).

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20143 01/18/12 04:15 PM
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it's rare to find a place that matches online (non local) prices. is that normal staples policy?


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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
Virtual1 #20145 01/18/12 04:58 PM
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In Canada it seems to be the normal policy. Of course, it could have been a fluke in the store I patronized and only because the salesperson might not have been au courant on the store's policy.
That said, I've found that most stores, not wanting to lose business, will match any printed advertisement, local or otherwise.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
Virtual1 #20146 01/18/12 05:22 PM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
it's rare to find a place that matches online (non local) prices.

In December I was looking for a bluetooth earpiece that one of my daughters wanted from Santa and I took an on-line printout into a Future Shop store (large national electronics retailer in Canada) and they matched the price.

It may have had to do with the fact that the other retailer was Canadian and also has mortar and brick operations, so the comparison was almost apples-to-apples. I say "almost" because the other retailer was only offering the better price on-line.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #20149 01/18/12 06:41 PM
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Future Shop owns Best Buy in Canada.
Their price-matching policy is 10% of the difference, unlike Staples, which is 10% of the price.
That's how I saved 20 cents on the Apple Battery Charger which I bought at Best Buy (against Apple Store's online price).

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20154 01/19/12 03:45 AM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
Future Shop owns Best Buy in Canada.
Their price-matching policy is 10% of the difference, unlike Staples, which is 10% of the price.

I'm nor sure if you mean the policy is Best Buy or Future Shop or both. In any case I guess they have some flexibility...or were not having a great month......as the matched price was about 8 bucks lower, not 10% of the difference.

Last edited by ryck; 01/19/12 03:46 AM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #20218 01/22/12 10:05 AM
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Indeed, you must have gotten a bonus and/or a clerk who wasn't paying attention. smirk

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #20219 01/22/12 10:08 AM
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Responding to the most recent post.

First, thanks to everybody for the heads-up on Staples; I've been put off by their prices on less expensive stuff and never imagined that they'd offer good printer values, but it looks like they indeed do. (In-store, though, 80-85% of their displayed merchandise is HP, so you've got to go on-line to do any real shopping.)

Second, I've now taken a quick look at the laser printers in my price range, and they all come up short in one respect or another. (By way of example, Roger's 2040 has been discontinued and replaced by the 2240, which has a nasty reputation for running its fan full-blast for 10-15 minutes after printing just one copy.)

So I guess it's onward to inkjet printers.

More (maybe much) later.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20222 01/22/12 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
Indeed, you must have gotten a bonus and/or a clerk who wasn't paying attention. smirk

Actually, I got what I was supposed to get. I've since checked on their policy and the 10% of difference that you refer to is in addition to price matching. That is, they will match the price and go a bit further by also giving 10% of what the price difference was.

If you got the same deal, your 20 cents might have been in addition to a two dollar reduction to match prices.

At any rate, it is interesting (per Virtual1's query) that the bricks & mortar store matched an on-line price.

Last edited by ryck; 01/22/12 12:42 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #20226 01/22/12 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: ryck
Originally Posted By: grelber
Indeed, you must have gotten a bonus and/or a clerk who wasn't paying attention. smirk

Actually, I got what I was supposed to get. I've since checked on their policy and the 10% of difference that you refer to is in addition to price matching. That is, they will match the price and go a bit further by also giving 10% of what the price difference was.
If you got the same deal, your 20 cents might have been in addition to a two dollar reduction to match prices.


Yes, that's exactly what I meant: Price matching less 10% of the difference.
Staples matches price less 10% of the whole (ultimate selling) price:
If an item to be matched costs $100 at Staples and elsewhere costs $80, Staples will match the $80 and tack on an additional discount of !0% (on $80 = $8). Thus the price becomes $72.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20227 01/22/12 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
Originally Posted By: ryck
Originally Posted By: grelber
Indeed, you must have gotten a bonus and/or a clerk who wasn't paying attention. smirk

Actually, I got what I was supposed to get. I've since checked on their policy and the 10% of difference that you refer to is in addition to price matching. That is, they will match the price and go a bit further by also giving 10% of what the price difference was.
If you got the same deal, your 20 cents might have been in addition to a two dollar reduction to match prices.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant: Price matching less 10% of the difference.
Staples matches price less 10% of the whole (ultimate selling) price:
If an item to be matched costs $100 at Staples and elsewhere costs $80, Staples will match the $80 and tack on an additional discount of !0% (on $80 = $8). Thus the price becomes $72.

You've contradicted you self... (1) "Price matching less 10% of the difference" does NOT equal (2) "Staples matches price less 10% of the whole (ultimate selling) price."

Applying rule (1) to your example would result in a final price of $78.

Edit: Or did I respond incorrectly to an unclear post?

Staples Price Match Guarantee
How does Staples' price–match guarantee work?

If you find a lower price on a new identical item, just show us the lower price when you buy the item at Staples and we will match the price, or within 14 days of your Staples purchase and we will give you the difference (see full policy below for details).

Which competitors will Staples price match?

Staples retail stores will price match prices at brick-n-mortar retail stores and at Staples.com.

Staples.com will price match prices at select competitors' websites and Staples' retail stores. These select competitors are: Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Office Depot, Office Max, Quill, Medical Arts Press, Reliable, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, WB Mason, and Xerox. Items must be sold and shipped by one of these competitors.

Last edited by artie505; 01/22/12 05:49 PM. Reason: Edit: & Add quote/link

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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20229 01/22/12 06:28 PM
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You responded incorrectly, though I'm not sure I'd call the post unclear; depends on how acute one's memory is, I suppose. The two statements you find contradictory refer to two different merchant policies, as grelber reported earlier:

Originally Posted By: grelber
Their price-matching policy is 10% of the difference, unlike Staples, which is 10% of the price.



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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20231 01/22/12 08:58 PM
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And further...

Originally Posted By: Policies | Staples® Canada
Price Match

WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD!
If you find a lower advertised price on an in-stock new identical item from an Authorized Canadian dealer, now or within 14 days of your purchase, just show us the price and we will match it!


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20235 01/23/12 01:20 AM
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I was talking about the two different selling policies — that of Staples and that of Best Buy & Future Shop.

For the record, irrespective of what published policies can be found online or elsewhere, in the final analysis it's what I have/had to pull out of my wallet to pay for the item.

Following is the exact wording/pricing (before taxes) from the Staples' receipt for the purchased modem:

USB MODEM [Staples price] 89.95
110% Price Guarantee [on] $46.99 –47.26 [= 42.96 + 4.30 (or 10%)]
Form of Proof 01-Circular/ROP
Subtotal 42.69 [53% less than Staples price]

Need more be said?!


Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20243 01/23/12 05:16 AM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
I was talking about the two different selling policies — that of Staples and that of Best Buy & Future Shop.

For the record, irrespective of what published policies can be found online or elsewhere, in the final analysis it's what I have/had to pull out of my wallet to pay for the item.

Following is the exact wording/pricing (before taxes) from the Staples' receipt for the purchased modem:

USB MODEM [Staples price] 89.95
110% Price Guarantee [on] $46.99 –47.26 [= 42.96 + 4.30 (or 10%)]
Form of Proof 01-Circular/ROP
Subtotal 42.69 [53% less than Staples price]

Need more be said?!

1. In talking about the two different selling policies you juxtaposed two out of context statements (with neither clarification nor links), and I fell victim to the apparent contradiction.

2. I wasn't questioning the great buy you got when I quoted the Staples US and CA policies, merely pointing out that that's all that I or any other consumer has to go on. (In your example, "Form of Proof 01-Circular/ROP" suggests that you may have benefitted from some sort of promotion, and if not, were you aware in advance of the refund you were going to get or surprised by it, and if the former, how were you made aware of it?)

Last edited by artie505; 01/23/12 05:21 AM. Reason: Expand 2.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #20246 01/23/12 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
2. I wasn't questioning the great buy you got when I quoted the Staples US and CA policies, merely pointing out that that's all that I or any other consumer has to go on. (In your example, "Form of Proof 01-Circular/ROP" suggests that you may have benefitted from some sort of promotion, and if not, were you aware in advance of the refund you were going to get or surprised by it, and if the former, how were you made aware of it?)

At the risk of further offending the sensibilities of the moderators with respect to the errant tangential path this thread has taken ...

Staples has numerous internal computer codes in their cash register system to account for the vagaries of their price-matching policy (since they don't keep the circulars or other materials or forward same to their accounting department — imagine the paper movement that would generate), and the store manager can override even those. Hence they punched in 01 as proof of another price they were willing to match. So that's their process.

As for the reference to Circular/ROP there:
I went to customer service (as mentioned) and asked the clerk to look online for the price match (I forget where, but it was some electronics store with Web presence). He found it and for whatever reason (he may have been too harried to consider whether it was legitimate from Staples' perspective ... who knows?) agreed with me, printed out the ad and told me to take it to the checkout. I did, they accepted it, and the rest is history (as documented in the receipt information given above).

Finally, I was surprised, because I didn't believe they'd do what they did. It may have been a comedy of errors, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

And just to bring it back to the original topic ...
Both Brother and Lexmark have new drivers available on Apple's download site. Both brands of laser printers are excellent. I chose my Lexmark E120n on the basis price (as noted earlier) and have enjoyed it for the past couple years.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20250 01/23/12 07:44 PM
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You might want to jump on Staples printer sale. There's just one more day.
[Of course, it may be only in this neck of the (Canadian) woods.]

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #20263 01/24/12 05:54 AM
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Thanks for the clarification.

So it looks like what we consumers have got to do is ignore Staples's posted policy, find whatever there is to find, and pray.

OK... Worth a shot.

> I chose my Lexmark E120n on the basis price (as noted earlier) [....]

You mentioned it in a different thread, and, as with your other post that so confused me, it would be helpful if you'd post links when they are appropriate. (Anyhow, it's been discontinued.)

Thanks for the heads-up on the sale, but it doesn't appear to be going on in my neck of the woods.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21797 05/05/12 03:51 PM
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An update as a consideration to those who replied: After doing a bunch of shopping and reading a bunch of reviews I've decided that booting into Leopard on the rare occasions that I print is preferable to the major give-aways in size and/or silence that will accompany a new printer.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21799 05/05/12 05:40 PM
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Better late than never: evaluate printers by looking at total printing costs.
Ink-onomics: Can you save money by spending more on your printer?


alternaut moderator
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
alternaut #21800 05/05/12 07:40 PM
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Thanks for the link. It confirms my gut feeling that ink cost is pretty much a meaningless factor considering the infinitesimal amount of printing I do.

Now, if I could only find a printer that only prints and isn't an edifice.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
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