Posted by Fayette Nichols on 6/16/06 4:34pm
Msg #126369

Purchasing a Second Printer: Please Advise

I have a perfectly nice laserjet that prints letter-sized, legal-sized, and a variety of other sizes.

My scanner diied recently, so I need scanning capacity to be able to scan and fax, and I figure if I have to buy that I may as well buy a color copier/printer all-in-one.

I'm looking at the HP Officejet 7310 which will scan, fax, copy and print both letter and legal-sized paper. It is a color inkjet, not a laserjet, and as an added bonus, prints color photos reasonably well.

The key point here is that it will scan/fax a legal-sized document to a PDF file onto my hard drive from which I can print to my laserjet and/or email (e-fax.) It costs about $350, and I cannot really afford to ante-up and buy a color laserjet all-in-one.

So here's my question: Should I forgo the color option altogether, and buy a B&W laserjet all-in-one?

Are there signing agents out there who routinely use two laserjets? Does having two laserjets enhance your productivity or is one sufficient?

Are there "All-in-One" printers (either inkjet or laser) that anyone would like to recommend?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Regards,

Fayette

Reply by Aarono Cooper, LLC on 6/16/06 4:52pm
Msg #126371

Hi Fayette. I run 2 laserjets and an all-in-one. I could not run an efficient business using 1 all-in-one. Many of the lender doc programs require PCL6 and higher so I would recommend you do have an all-in-one, but also have a high-speed black & white laserjet. My lasers are the HP 2420 series. I did substantial research before purchasing them and have never had an ounce of problem. They print 35 pages per minute and you have the letter and legal trays for automatic paper selection. It is an investment that pays off well. Good luck

Reply by Ndwa on 6/16/06 5:18pm
Msg #126376

We are in a business that deal with only B&W documents, what's the need for color? You are making a business investment so get something that is 100% usefull for your business, otherwise you'll regret it.

Reply by Joan_OH on 6/16/06 6:26pm
Msg #126387

I have several printers, but when my 4 in one laser started to die, I replaced it with a Xerox Documate 510 Scanner, costing me $160.00. This machine scans @ 10 pages per minute @ 300 dpi. I can then print on my big laser, or fax using my maxemail. It automatically converts the document into a pdf within seconds. Nice thing about this pdf is it is a quick printing pdf, unlike some of the pdfs we get from title companies & SS's.

This machine really elimitated all but my big HP printer.

Joan-OH

Reply by Roger_OH on 6/16/06 9:56pm
Msg #126422

$200 off HP 3380 all-in-one thru Saturday at OfficeMax! n/m

Reply by Roger_OH on 6/17/06 12:06am
Msg #126443

Oops - it's at Staples. Free extended warranty too. n/m

Reply by MistarellaFL on 6/17/06 1:41pm
Msg #126538

Joan

I understand this scanner is both a flatbed and a document feeding scanner.
My queston is this: how many pages can you feed? One at a time, or more?
I am looking for a scanner I can use from my vehichle for DL copies (flatbed use) and also scan pages to be faxed or emailed at the lenders request before dropping off for courier.
I still work with a couple clients who want a few pages faxed back, and the flatbed seems like a pain in the erin (LOL) when I'm on the road.

Reply by Missy_Lulu on 6/16/06 11:54pm
Msg #126434

I run two laser printers. If one goes down for some reason on last minute docs, you want to be able to quickly choose the option to print to another printer. I agree with Ndwa, unless you have some other business venture that you can get your worth out of a color laser, that does not seem cost effective.

*So here's my question: Should I forgo the color option altogether, and buy a B&W laserjet all-in-one? *
Inkjets aren't much use for this industry. Imagine, you print docs on a laser printer, get borr to sign and somewhere along the way whether while with you or after gets back to title someone gets them wet. They are going to bleed and then someone is going to be most unhappy.
Additionally, inkjets are more expensive in the long run with ink than a laser.

I have a freebie Dell all in one that I use as a scanner. It works very well for scanning and scans to pdf as well as many other options. I went to check out a scanner that I can set up a stack instead of the flatbed to find that there are no exclusively scanners to buy that are not flatbed.

I really want that scan option for a stack of papers so if I were buying I would seriously look at an all in one mainly for that purpose but I would never rely on it as my sole printer. Keep in mind also what happens when one part of the all in one stops working and it has to go somewhere for repair?

Reply by Fayette Nichols on 6/17/06 9:26am
Msg #126503

Re: Purchasing a Second Printer: Thanks Everyone!

Thank you, everyone, for your comments. I really appreciate them all as it helped to clarify my thinking.

I do have another business interest where a color printer would be helpful. However, based on your comments, it seems wiser to purchase a B&W laser all-in-one now, and then a little farther down the line, I may invest in a color inkjet that is more suitable to that activity.

I agree that a stackable, sheetfed scanner is much more efficient, so will keep that in mind.

I searched for the $200 discount on the HP 3380 with extended warranty but couldn't find it. It would have been a sweet deal, but perhaps I'll come up with something similar.

Still searching but with better direction. . . .

Thanks again,

Fayette