My fiancee and I walk by homes in our neighbourhood and noticed people dropping off printers. We sometimes think about picking one up, but then we think about the costs of an ink cartridge(s). If I get a free one I still have to purchase a $40 cartridge. However, if I head to Wal-Mart, I can buy a brand new one that comes with a cartridge. What do you think? Pick up a free, old printer or buy a brand new one?
Well either way you will run out of ink eventually, I think a free printer would be better in the long run, since at some point you will end up buying another ink cartridge or having it refilled.
Is it free because they are throwing it out? If they are throwing it out, I am sure it is because there is something wrong with it already. Regardless you are going to have to buy ink if not now you will later. If you want to use the printer, it will always need ink.
I wondered why they were throwing it out, too. Any printer will run out of ink but some refills do cost a lot more than others. They do have stores now that will refill the cartridges for a lot less than buying a replacement. They don't do all the brands so it is best to call them ahead of time.
Buy a new one because you're not guaranteed that the old printer will work. I've seen ads like this on Craigslist and some of them are scams. A new printer will have everything you need to get started. You don't have to pay any extra money out of your pocket, just plug in and start printing.
I would go with a new printer - the Kodak one that doesn't require much ink. That way you will save money in the long run. Free printers are often crap, plus you have to purchase ink cartridges. Just my two cents.
I want to know more about the free printer - is this just something folks are putting out on the curb? Because if it is then it is more then likely because it's broken. It might be worth something, but honestly if it were then it would have been stored away, given away/donated, or sold on eBay. Either way a new ink cartridge is going to be required sooner or later. That said most refills are no more then 25 dollars from Kmart or Walmart. Where are you getting yours?
Why are they throwing them out? And it depends on the brand. Some ink cartridges aren't that expensive or some are more expensive. Also, why not get a refill kit? If there's nothing wrong with the printer and it already has empty cartridges still in it, then you can spend a fraction of the cost to get new ink put in.
I suggest that you just buy a new printer instead so that you'll be sure that it will work. And if you're printing a lot of stuff, you will eventually run out of ink so there's no way you'll be not buying new cartridges in the future.
You have nothing to lose and possibly a lot to gain by picking up the free one on the curb. Yes, you will need to get a cartridge but a lot of them are going quite cheaply. If it does not work...you can then invest in a new one. You can get affordable generic replacement cartridges now a days.
The answer is simply pick one up, and buy a new cartridge. Unless you are worried about the printing quality of what you get, in that case a new printer is the safe way to go. You can never be sure with the ones that are dropped off... But of course, that's just my opinion. Good luck!
When it comes to printers, I'd always go with a new one, because there's not a lot to go wrong mechanically, so if it's being thrown out, you have to wonder why. One thing I have noticed is a correllation between the price of the printer and the price of the ink. Cheap printers tend to be expensive on ink cartridges, whereas printers like Kodak - which boast the cheapest ink cartridges - seem to be expensive to buy. You need to do a lot of sums to work out the best deal for you.
I'd buy a brand new one, even if it came bundled with a desktop computer I have purchased, simply because it comes with the cartridges. As you have rightly pointed out, cartridge costs are dear, and these (unfortunately) cannot be bought secondhand. That said, I've saved by opting for refilled/re-manufactured black cartridges in place of original ones - something few people recommend, but it hasn't damaged my printer in the 10 odd years I've been doing this!
If you are handy and get lucky that there isn't anything too messed up with it then sure. If you don't know what you are doing then don't bother because it will be a waste of time and money to get parts and fix it. You can fix it for very little if you know what you are doing; but now a lot of places give free printers and I saw one at Walmart for $20 so it is easier to not deal with it and just get a new one.
As with many great things, freedom comes at a price. Sure it may be free but there's a good chance that something may be wrong with it. You can try fixing it yourself, but it's much simpler to just buy a new one.
