A Labor of Love

My wife and I share a home office, and recently, the All-in-One Kodak printer we purchased last year has started acting up.

Its wifi connection to our router is temperamental; and coupled with the fact that we replace its expensive ink cartridges at an alarming rate, we are looking for a new printer.

However, I have a few criteria that this new printer needs to address:

1. As I prefer editing on paper, I need the printer to be cost effective. Since ink cartridges are a necessary evil, like gasoline, I’d like the new printer to print at a cost of three or four cents per page.
2. I hope to have a rough draft of my novel completed sometime next year, so I’m anticipating that I will print approximately 320 pages per draft. I need a printer designed to handle lots of paper. Our current printer can only hold 25 pages at a time, so I always need to reload the paper tray before the print can continue.

Additionally, my wife has other criteria of her own:

1. She needs the printer to also function as a reliable scanner and fax machine. (Late night runs to Kinko’s are no longer a viable option for us!)
2. Aesthetics are important, so the printer should look at home on a bookshelf among our other possessions. (We would like to stash our printer and router and wiring out of view.)
3. Space is also a concern to us. We’d ideally like the new printer to fit in a space measuring 17″ x 13″ x 19″. (This rules out most laser printers for us.)
4. Price. We want to stay under $500 for the actual printer. And the ink cartridges should be reasonably priced, too, since they will be a regular expense. I don’t know how many of you have been bamboozled into buying a “cheapo” printer, like us, only to find out that its ink cartridges were ridiculously overpriced… [Shaking my fist at the sky]

After doing a little bit of research online, I have found a printer that meets all of our needs and more–the Brother Business Smart Series Inkjet All-in-One MFC-J4610DW. Note to Brother: How about simplifying your product names?

As writers, properly investing in a good printer can increase our productivity and lessen stress and frustration. (Oh, first world problems!)

What do you consider when buying a new printer? Have you found the right one for your home office needs? Please send me a comment below.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, write and print your heart out!

Photo credit: Thomas R. Stegelmann / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA