the one new one that does what i want and might be obtainable cheap enough seems to be a canon model, the pixma mx922...currently honing in on this....

but, ugh. it comes with half-filled ink tanks and takes five cartridges.

i'm not sure if you've heard about this, but they're actually putting *chips* on the cartridges, now, that shut down after a set amount of prints. that means you don't buy the cartridges until they run out, you buy 300 or 400 prints. that's criminal, really. and they've put 128-bit encryption on them. why do we have regulations, when companies can get away with such blatant robbery?

the canons are the only low price option. the thing is they get you in the end with the ink.

i'm not going to buy a new printer every time i need ink. i'd rather get something a little older.

some of the higher end brothers seem to do it, but the price of course falls over time. i'm hoping i hear something back from one of them.

if it had anything to do with ensuring print quality, they wouldn't use 128-bit encryption. it's beyond overkill by any excuse.

that encryption is there to disable perfectly good cartridges.

this is why i've been printing at the library for the last ten years...

i didn't even think to wonder if they print cds. seems obvious that they don't. but their mandate as a public service can be surprising at times. i should look into it, i may be pleasantly surprised...