On 8/18/2012 3:39 PM, J.G. wrote:

I never again wish to go through the expensive ink-refill sheer hell of
the typical HP inkjet ... so the 'only' color printer for me is one which
I can easily and inexpensively refill, at home, from non-OEM sources.

It's not hell at all. If it's not too new, you can buy third-party
cartridges fairly cheaply. I.e. right now (because of a 20% off sale), I
can buy HP97 color cartridges for my Officejet for $8 each at Monoprice.com.

The key is to choose an inkjet carefully. First, avoid at all costs any
inkjet printer where you the print head and the ink cartridge are not
one unit. It seems counter-intuitive, but the biggest problem with ink
jet printers is when the print head goes bad. For all the HP bashing,
the one big advantage of HP ink jet printers is that you get a new (or
at least tested) print head with each ink cartridge.

1. Stay away from newer ink jet printers that make it very difficult to
use after-market or refilled cartridges.

2. Avoid ink jet printers where the print head is separate from the ink
cartridge.

3. Set up the printers in your house so that the default printer is the
monochrome laser.

4. Try to explain to your family that they should only select the color
printer for things that absolutely need to be printed in color.

5. Show your family how to send photos to Walgreen's, CVS, or Costco for
printing.