I am very Happy with my Epson Stylus PHOTO R320 if you are into photo printing as it is an ink hog to use for every day printing which I find myself doing quite abit of and love the features it has in doing so.

I too am thinking of a printer, scanner all in one. I have an Epson scanner hooked up to my old computer as I like the way it works on that one better than the XP computer.
I don't know why, but it opens differently on the XP and I had to install drivers to get it to work on here so I put it back to the Win98 computer.

~Urlee~

We just bought a Canon Pixma 780 and we are very happy with it. It also includes a fax and has good photo printing capabilities. Truly an all-in-one machine. I posted a similar question last month in Computer Help and this was one of the printers recommended. It was $240 on Amazon.com. Canon makes a other models that may be more suited to what you are looking for. I think there's a reference in the other thread to a site that describes the differences and gives recommendations. This was very helpful. Judging by the lack of availability of the 780 before Christmas, this is a popular printer. Steve

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.

If you plan to print your own checks make sure the printer either is supported by a supplier's magnetic ink cartridge selection, or will allow you to refill a cartridge.