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As a small-business owner, I print, scan and copy a fair number of documents. And I really regret choosing an inkjet-powered all-in-one, because ink is crazy-expensive (And cartridges seem to last, like, five minutes).
At the time, however, I couldn’t find a suitable laser-based equivalent that wasn’t at least twice the price. Too bad I didn’t hold out, because this: While supplies last, Adorama has the Canon ImageClass MF8280CW color all-in-one wireless laser printer for $179 shipped. Best price elsewhere: around $208.
As you can tell from the photo, this is no stripped-down, ultra-compact printer for the home. It’s a machine for the home office, if not the small or even medium office. Among the key features: a 50-sheet auto document feeder (ADF) and 150-sheet paper tray (Actually, the latter is a bit on the small side for an office that does a lot of printing).
Speaking of printing, the MF8280CW relies on a color laser engine that can produce 14 pages per minute. It can scan documents directly to — or print directly from — a USB flash drive, and it supports two invaluable wireless printing options: AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. You can also print wirelessly from your PCs, natch, and the unit offers USB and Ethernet connectivity as well.
The printer scored a solid 4-star rating from some 260-plus Amazon customers. CNET hasn’t reviewed it, but over at PC Mag (where the wrong model is pictured, just FYI) it got dinged for its smallish paper capacity and lack of a duplexing option. (Fair, but does anyone really do double-sided printing?) Keep in mind, too, that it debuted with a $449 MSRP.
OK, now for the big question: toner. The MF8280CW comes with four starter cartridges (#nerdrage), and you can expect to pay just $50 for a set of four remanufactured cartridges — at least based on a couple listings I found on Ebay (like this one). That’s not bad at all.
So, if you dislike inkjets like I dislike inkjets, but need color printing, copying and whatnot, this is a great deal on a wireless-savvy multifunction.
Bonus deal: It’s Tablet Tuesday! Could there possibly be a better tablet deal than Amazon’s $50 Fire? There could, especially if you want a more traditional Android experience — and an even lower price. For a limited time, and while supplies last, GameStop (GameStop? Oookay) has the Asus Memo Pad HD 7 in light blue for $39.97, plus sales tax and $3.50 for shipping. Specs include Android 4.4, a 1,280 x 800-pixel display (higher than Amazon’s Fire), 16GB of expandable onboard storage (double the Fire’s) and built-in GPS (which the Fire lacks).
