I've got a HP All-In-One prnter, HP Photosmart 3210xi. Its a printer, copier, and scanner. This particular model has USB port. The next model changed the ports, but was essentially the same machine inside. I got this printer because I needed to have achival quality ink for genealogical records, and to print photos. This printer uses 6 cartridges of HP's Vivera ink, and fixed print heads. This printer has worked well for me. The inks are pricey, but the black cartidge does print a reasonable number of pages. To date, I have run 8000 sheets of paper through this machine. I was concerned about clogging of fixed print heads, but that has not occurred. However, I do follow, without fail, HP's instruction to shut the printer off and allow time for it to store the print heads, before removing power. Other HP printers had the print head on the ink catridges, thus, a clogged print head could be fixed by changing the cartridge. The fixed print head was a concern of mine since I had bad experience with a Tektronix printer with fixed heads at my work (when ink jets first became available way back in the 1980s.) Happily, I have not had a problem with my print heads and I have owned this printer for 2 years. The printer does have a habit that startles the user until he becomes familar with it. The printer has an automatic maintence program built-in to keep the heads and ink supply in shape. Periodically, the maintence program will start and may startle the user. The printer is not available for use while the maintence routine runs. There is no recourse but to wait. The maintence routine lasts from 30 sec to 1 minute. Ink cartridges are sold singlely, or in a pack of 6 cartridges with 50 sheets of 4"x6" photo paper. This photo pack, at first, appears to be a good deal until one learns that there is less ink in these cartridges than the regular ones. There is just enough ink to print the number of photo sheets in the package. I found it was economical to buy a couple of these photo packs collecting more photo paper than I would use for awhile, and then switch to buying the regular cartridges. The inks and printer does print nice photos when the special photo paper is used. One caveat: the ink is not as resistant to running if exposed to water droplets as one might hope based on advertisements. It smears even after a drying time of 1 day. But protect the ink from wetting, and the results are fine.

A couple of things to think about in buying a printer: - The printer is sold pretty much at margin; the profit is in ink (and, to a lesser extent, photo paper). If you're looking for the best pictures an ink-jet (bubble-jet) printer can make, you need to match the manufacturer's ink with their paper. You can get decent results out of a "mismatch", but the very best results come when the strengths and weaknesses of the ink are complemented by the paper. Check the cost of the "consumables". And know that some manufacturers only put "starter" cartridges in the printer box, without a full ration of ink (I know HP does this; not sure about others). - Some older or cheaper inkjets and all-in-ones use one cartridge for colors. It's cheaper in the long run to have separate cartridges for each color; it's worth spending a little more on the printer to get the ability to use separate cartridges unless you know 90% of your work will be black ink. In truth, if almost all your work will be done in black ink, a low-priced laser printer will be much cheaper to operate than an inkjet. - Keep in mind that some printed inks will last longer than others. This may not matter much if you're printing schoolwork or documents which will be kept in a folder somewhere. But if you're printing your own artwork or digital photos, you don't want colors shifting or fading after a couple of years. Look for lightfast inks or some indication of how long a print should last (and under what conditions they reached that figure). I bought my Epson Stylus Photo about four years ago primarily because I've had good experience with Epson in the past and because, at the time, their ink lasted far longer than anyone else's. HP and Canon have made huge strides since then. - If you're serious about printing your own artwork or digital pictures, strongly consider getting a "photo" printer with six or seven ink colors in it. The extra colors make the transitions between colors more realistic. "Photo" printers also tend to have longer-lasting inks. - All-in-ones are amazingly inexpensive considering all they do. But if any part of one breaks, you may lose the rest of the functionality of the unit. Scanners can be quite small and easy to use (Canon's LIDE series comes to mind); unless space really is at a premium near the computer, buying a separate printer and scanner is a better choice.

marie is right about the quantity of ink. The guy at Staples said the cartridges in those "photo packs" that have ink and paper don't have as much ink in them. I stick to what my printer recommends (HP). I tried a generic with my last printer (Epson? Lexmark?), and it was horrible. About that last statement, though...I saw on a national network in the last two weeks that the majority of credit card fraud occurs from doing business in retail stores and restaurants rather than online. *shrug* Then again, it may be like the medical studies. One week, coffee is good for you. The next week, it will kill you. The third week, you can drink it in moderation. :-)

DA, I have on many occasion had cartridges dry out. All Three Times were on HP Printers. 1. HP 2000c Professional Series, 2. HP 1100c Professional Series 3. HP 1115p Photosmart. On the Professional Series Printers the Ink Cartridges weren't cheap either! I no longer use HP Products but that goes deeper then Dried Ink Cartridges. Been using Brother Before (Had a Brother HL-1440 B&W Laser) and Since the release of Windows Vista! I use my Brother Printers on a Wireless Network. My Color Lasers aren't wireless but do have LAN Connections. I have 1 at a time wired directly to my Router (other Color Laser is a Backup). My Inkjet is Wireless and no need to be hooked up.