Best A3 printer under $250?

I'm on the hunt for an A3 printer—that’s really going to be my go-to format for most projects
Ideally, I'd love one with Wi-Fi, and if it could be an all-in-one multifunction unit, that would be great—though honestly, I could live without that extra feature if needed. One big thing, though... I need something where I can actually find affordable replacement toner easily (which pretty much rules out HP, since they make it such a headache to find alternatives). Thanks in advance!

wiredcanyon18 said:It really ought to come with compatible replacement cartridges—though I suppose we can't count HP in that category, given how they operate.

I'm curious, though—what exactly leads you to believe that HP doesn't offer any third-party toner options?

someone mentioned that to me

So, looking at the big picture here—I’m actually about to start studying architecture soon—and I’ve realized it would be pretty essential for me to pick up a large-format printer (something that can handle A3), so if anyone out there actually has a solid recommendation for one, that would be awesome

With that kind of budget, finding an A3 laser printer is going to be a massive uphill battle—honestly, probably impossible unless you're looking at used industrial gear. You might be able to squeeze out an all-in-one like this one:

As for toner costs? Yeah, I'm totally in the dark on that one.

What do you guys think about this one?

It doesn't necessarily have to be a laser printer, you know?

The guy over here says his print quality isn't exactly anything to write home about: http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/3158...kforce-wf-7515

wiredcanyon18 said:So, I'm about to start studying architecture, and I really need to pick up a larger format printer (A3) to get through my projects. If anyone actually has a solid recommendation, I'd really appreciate the help.

Honestly, color or black & white—I'm fine with either.

It really would have been great if this came in color too, wouldn't it?

wiredcanyon18 said:it would be awesome if this came in color

Going color just makes your cartridge costs jump by like 10x.

Why?

Because if you go with a 4-color setup, you're looking at maybe 5ml per tank. But here’s the kicker: when you swap out all four colors, the status readout for that very first ink tank will show it dropped by 50% already. That's just from the printer running its cleaning cycle every single time you change a cartridge.

what would you say is actually the best printer you can get at this price point

wiredcanyon18 said:what do you think is the best printer for that price range

It’s all just disposable junk. None of them are "the best" because after two years, they’ll all be paperweights.

Basically, you want the one that’s still running just as well in three years as it is today.

That would be the HP DeskJet 1220 series or something like the Canon BJC 4550 BJC 5100.

Why?

Because the print heads are built right into the cartridges. You swap the cartridge, and boom—you basically have a brand-new printer again.

Sure, some newer HP models or A3 printers have replaceable heads, but I haven't seen anyone actually get ahead by choosing those.

If you're a college student, the smart move is a Canon BJC 4450 or an HP DeskJet 12xx in black and white.
== 1000 - $400

The ink ends up costing about the same in the long run anyway. $33.

Why? Because those B&W cartridges hold about 40ml, which gets you roughly 900 pages.

Meanwhile, all these new models waste more ink on cleaning cycles than they do on actual printing.

I wonder how long it actually takes those printers to churn out an A3 sheet

wiredcanyon18 said:how long does it actually take these printers to print an A3 sheet

Honestly, no clue.

http://reviews.cnet.com/inkjet-print...7-1963719.html

It all depends on the resolution you're aiming for.

Plus, with black and white, you don't run into those slowdowns caused by narrow color nozzles—those things are usually just a quarter of the size of the B&W ones.

What do you guys think about this ? Why am I asking about this specific one? Well—mostly because I actually have it sitting right here at home—it’s an old unit I recently swapped out for a newer A4 model... so I was just wondering, is this thing actually any good?

wiredcanyon18 said:What do you think about this https://www.google.com/search?q=Canon...F4yc0wWipoHgCg? Why am I asking? Because I actually have one sitting at home. It's an old unit I swapped out for a newer A4 model, so I'm just wondering if this thing is actually any good.

It's solid, provided you swap that BCi 21 head for a BC 20 black one.

The BCi 21 head is basically ancient history. If you find one that actually works, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Honestly, by today's standards, it's just too slow.

But paired with two BC 20 heads? Now you're talking.

One cool trick for blueprints is using a single BC 20 head but swapping the black ink for something else—like blue or red. That way, you can run two passes and get those colored elements to pop on your prints.

Basically, you've got an A2 printer but you aren't really using its full potential yet.

Is the generic ink actually any good compared to the official stuff (BC-20)? I’m noticing a massive price gap here
This is the genuine one http://www.ekosarica.biz/index.php?r...roduct_id=1093 , but getting it shipped through $67 ends up being pricey, whereas the off-brand version is only about $9—actually, I even saw one slightly more expensive that claims to be a BX-20, though I'm not sure if that's truly the same thing . It would be really great if you guys could give me some advice on this