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Best Printer for Homeschool Families

2/13/2016

15 Comments

 
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This post contains Amazon Affiliate ads, they cost you nothing but if you make a purchase, I might receive a small bonus from Amazon.  Thanks for supporting Incidentalfarmgirl!
 I have been on a search for years to find this, I can't wait to share with you the awesome little gem I came across (I am not getting paid by anyone for this post, this is just my own true desire to share what I love!)

As a homeschool family we print...A LOT!  I print weekly schedules for the kids, we make posters and graphics for learning, I print out busy bag games for my little ones.  And let's not even mention all the printing I do with recipes, chore charts, etc.  You get the picture here.  I have always been on the hunt for a printer whose ink didn't kill me in cost.  For many of our printing needs we like color, but I have been strict to limit that as, let's face it, it can be quite costly!  In the last 8 or so years I have gone through 3 printers. The first one went kaput (that is the technical term, I assure you), the second was a garage sale $10 purchase to get by, and now, I think I am in love.  

In times past my black ink would cost between $12-$25 and my color was between $15-$30 depending on sales, the printer, etc.  We were replacing black ink at least every other month and I tried to stretch the colored ink to only 4 times a year.  I finally found a solution, it was at the hands of another blogger...let me explain.

I was trying to get more organized with a "mom" binder to house daily schedules, meal plans, shopping info, etc.  I came across a website that had some of the cutest printables for doing that, but, when I realized that the printables were just download files that you print at home, I was turned off.  Let's face it, that would kill me in ink!  But wait, then I saw a little tip from another blogger at I heart planners,  in the tip she mentions a service offered by hp ink.  In the service you don't go to the store to get your ink...nope.  No more hoping that Walmart has your brand, no more trying to save money by buying re-purposed cartridges that never seem to work properly, none of that.  No more running out of ink in the middle of printing a report!!! 

It sounded too good to be true, but I was curious.  So here is how it works...newer HP printers, are eligible for this service.  The service goes like this:  You have a wireless HP printer that communicates online with HP instant ink services to monitor your ink levels.  When you are running low, they simply send you more!  I LOVE whoever thought of this!  There is a monthly plan you choose from starting at $4.99 a month for the printing of 100 pages (black or color) and going up to $9.99 a month for 300 pages a month.  That is still less than what I was spending since my black ink alone at $12 bimonthly also included a trip to the store. There is also a 3 month free trial period to see if you like the service.

 The only problem was I didn't have an HP printer because my garage sale printer was a Lexmark, but as luck would have it, my Lexmark was on its last legs and I found a killer deal on Amazon so I purchased an all-in-one copy/scan wireless printer from HP for a whopping $69- free shipping too. (it was a scratch and dent box model). So, I set up the service, agreed to the $4.99 a month fee after my 3 month free trial and I was set.  Here is where it got interesting, I started printing and about 3 weeks in I received an email from HP instant ink stating that my ink was running low...more was on the way! (there is no shipping fee involved).  The ink arrived within 2 days, my original cartridges aren't even out of ink  yet, but here are fresh ones waiting to be used at the slightest provocation of ink run-out.  I think I'm in love.

Now, for the printer itself.  Love it.  It is a scanner, printer, copier.  It prints in brilliant color (which I am no longer afraid to use because the ink just keeps showing up!)  It is all digital and very easy to use and set up, which was a huge plus for me.  I love that it isn't connected to anything but my desktop and laptop computers can both print to it, no problems.  Yup, this is hands down the best printer I have had and with the added instant ink service from HP, it is highly recommended for all you homeschool families out there.

Now, here is where the disclosure comes in, if you go to the Amazon link and you end up making a purchase, I may get a small promotion from that, however, you can get this printer anywhere, not just there.  But, know that when I researched it, Amazon was the cheapest place that beat all the others by $50 or more!  LOVE THIS!
As for the instant ink services, you simply go to www.hpconnected.com to sign up.
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15 Comments
Cathy Grahame
4/18/2016 08:34:05 pm

Hi, thanks for your review on printers and ink! I am in the market to not pay so much for ink as well. I have an HP printer which is rather quirky, but it is what we have. I was wondering about the hp ink service and cost. You mentioned 4.99 for 100 copies and 9.99 for 300 copies, I believe. Do you also pay for the ink? I am spending at the least from Costco for XL cartridges on sale $125 each time. We print a LOT of pages a month! So I am not sure even 300 would be enough most months. Thanks again! I look forward to your reply. Cathy

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incidentalfarmgirl link
4/19/2016 05:28:49 pm

Hi Cathy, The best part about the HP service is that you DO NOT pay for ink...it is all included in the monthly subscription! That way if you go for the 300 pages it is $9.99 no additional cost for shipping or ink! That is color and b&w ink so I found it to be a great deal! Best of luck in your printing!

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ink for printers link
4/23/2016 03:32:43 pm


I couldn't decide between the HP Photosmart 7760 and 7960 so I bought them both, and I printed the exact same pictures from both pictures to compare quality. I found that I liked the coloring of the 7760 in most of the color pictures. The 7960 tended to have reddish looking pictures. For example, a person's face would look redder in the 7960 pictures. But the 7960 did have more detail in landscape type pictures. Hands down, the 7960 did the best job printing black and white (used the 59 Black and White cartridge in both printers). For me, I only print black and white photos about 10% of the time.

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Carrie Baragwanath
5/3/2016 09:46:28 am

Hi there!
Thank You for the review, as I am in search of a great yet cost effective printer/scanner/copier for our homeschool.
I was wondering if you have had an opportunity to try out cardstock or label printing.....
Have a Blessed day!
Carrie

Reply
incidentalfarmgirl link
5/5/2016 10:09:43 am

Hi Carrie,
I have used labels and cardstock in the printer I reviewed and both worked very well using online templates! Good luck in your search, I sure am pleased with our decision!
-incidentalfarmgirl

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Carrie
5/5/2016 10:46:17 am

Thank you!!!!

Amanda
8/21/2016 10:24:55 pm

Thank you so much ! This has been a life saver for me ! I am currently home-schooling six of my 8 kids, and I am constantly printing things off. Before I found this, I had a Canon printer and I was spending $60 a week on ink alone !! This has been a great way to save money. I go way over the 300 page limit, but it's still worth every penny. I'm still spending a lot less.

Reply
incidentalfarmgirl link
8/22/2016 05:51:08 am

Amanda,
I am so happy to hear that this is working out for your family so well, I love the service! Thanks for taking the time to let me know that this was a huge help to you!!!

Reply
Deborah link
8/30/2016 09:43:41 am

I've gone through so many printers, and right now I have one that is just black ink! I miss my old HP printer, but it died on me.

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Judith Adelle Moyers
4/23/2017 03:23:25 am

I just want to say thank you for mentioning the insta ink. I just signed up.

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hp deskjet 3630 link
10/4/2017 02:05:50 pm

These days, finding a cheap, all in one printer set up is easier than ever before which is good news for consumers. As with most technology, prices of new items tend to drop over time as more advanced models are created, making printers quite affordable for many of us.

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TN237 link
10/17/2019 03:02:53 am

The best printer have ever seen and sharing the effective methods and concepts here, basically providing the ink programs. Allowed the effective concepts and useful objectives as well.

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best mfd printer link
6/10/2020 04:28:30 pm

Using the mobile phone or the TV for email, internet access, downloading music or films is a major talking point among makers of consumer communication products and is called convergence. It is not only in telecommunications that convergence is a hot topic, however. The printer and copier industry also sees opportunities for convergence - that is combining several functions in one piece of equipment such as Multi-Function Printers (MFPs).

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printer repair orlando link
6/12/2020 05:03:13 pm

When it comes to looking after your printer, how much effort you put in to maintaining it will often pay off in a reduction to the costs of repair down the line, but sometimes you have no choice but to look for someone providing a printer repair service.

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copier repair near me link
6/18/2020 08:19:37 pm

It seems that copier repair is always needed when you have a large project and an upcoming deadline. If you don't have time to call anyone, you can try a few things to see if you can get your equipment working again.

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    Wife to a wonderful husband, Daughter of the King, Mother of 6 (one with an xtra chromosome), and an incidental farm girl.

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