A4 scanner & printer in one

[1JKz]

For those techy and not so techy, and all that's in between,

I'm after a scanner (has to be fairly decent) and printer (laser I think) and at an OKish price.

Key points;
Able to take with ease, paper; 190gsm
Scan photos and artwork, with a very decent quality end result (very sharp)
Very user friendly
Have any extra super simple snazzy bits that help with the process of scanning, uploading to a laptop and into a computer programme.


If you give any, thanks for the help!

 

[proactive]

For those techy and not so techy, and all that's in between,

I'm after a scanner (has to be fairly decent) and printer (laser I think) and at an OKish price.

Key points;
Able to take with ease, paper; 190gsm
Scan photos and artwork, with a very decent quality end result (very sharp)
Very user friendly
Have any extra super simple snazzy bits that help with the process of scanning, uploading to a laptop and into a computer programme.


If you give any, thanks for the help!

I'm sure @wmrcomputers or @bigbluewolf will have some suggestions.

 

[wmrcomputers]

@bigbluewolf might give you better advice than me. However I will offer this advice....

Very decent quality is possible even with the most basic of scanners like those combined with most all-in-one printers. However, a very in depth scan is slow and needs A LOT of computer memory. As far as I know the only difference between an expensive scanner and a cheap one is the speed at which it can operate on very high resolution scans - end result usually being the same.

You seem to be looking at photographic work, so a laser printer is possibly not what you want. Any laser printer will not print glossy photos like an inkjet can. There are laser-versions of photo papers around but they are far more expensive and still not the kind of result you may be looking for. If you'll print photo's then go for an inkjet. The main considerations then are which format (A3 or A4) - again a massive price difference, and also look into ink pricing. I personally would never touch a HP printer for photography after recent tests that I did against an Epson. I also wouldn't pay £20 a cartridge when I get really good quality compatibles for my epson at around 60p each!

Of course, if photography is your thing then you can't beat a dye sublimation printer which is basically what labs use and what I have for my photobooth business, However, at £700 upwards they are a huge investment, and you are also restricted to a couple of print sizes defined by the roll of media that is inserted.

 

[1JKz]

@bigbluewolf might give you better advice than me. However I will offer this advice....

Very decent quality is possible even with the most basic of scanners like those combined with most all-in-one printers. However, a very in depth scan is slow and needs A LOT of computer memory. As far as I know the only difference between an expensive scanner and a cheap one is the speed at which it can operate on very high resolution scans - end result usually being the same.

You seem to be looking at photographic work, so a laser printer is possibly not what you want. Any laser printer will not print glossy photos like an inkjet can. There are laser-versions of photo papers around but they are far more expensive and still not the kind of result you may be looking for. If you'll print photo's then go for an inkjet. The main considerations then are which format (A3 or A4) - again a massive price difference, and also look into ink pricing. I personally would never touch a HP printer for photography after recent tests that I did against an Epson. I also wouldn't pay £20 a cartridge when I get really good quality compatibles for my epson at around 60p each!

Of course, if photography is your thing then you can't beat a dye sublimation printer which is basically what labs use and what I have for my photobooth business, However, at £700 upwards they are a huge investment, and you are also restricted to a couple of print sizes defined by the roll of media that is inserted.

Top drawer advice mister!

On this basis I'm staying away from HP, so at least the very least it's narrowed down my search, thanks.
Luckily, I'm not the type to fall for the; this is the speediest; coolest; most liked on FB; best rated scanner/printer out there! crap.

I only need an A4 printer, so there's a little cost saved.

Also, it's more artworky scanning and printing on a variety of papers types, that it'll be used for.

 

[wmrcomputers]

In my own experience, inkjets tend to be more forgiving too of heavier weight papers than (at least the cheaper) lasers are. I loved my last laser, but it liked nothing above 170gsm

 

[1JKz]

I popped in Curry's the weekend, and after a (bamboozled) speedy look around, popped back out.

I think i'll take a pot shot at an all-in-one soon and just see how it goes, no doubt waste a few quid in the process.