My printer crapped out on me.  It was a lovely travel printer, the Canon Pixma ip90, which lasted 3 years and about ten tons of travel.  It took a lot of knocks, but on this last move, the printer head was damaged.  I cleaned and realigned multiple times to no avail.  I haven’t decided yet whether or not to replace the part.

Meanwhile, I’m resigned to buy something new, and had an all-in-one in mind in the event of death or disability of aforementioned beloved travel printer.  I went to Consumer Reports and other sites with customer reviews to do the research.  I don’t take anyone’s word for anything, not even Consumer Reports; I like multiple sources.

The Canon Pixma MP520 was recommended by CR and many regular Joes.  It retails for $150 at Microcenter.  With the help of PriceGrabber, I found the cheapest price online at Newegg:  $100 total, no tax, free shipping.  It came with ink, and I bought extra on Amazon:  4-color pack for $24.  It’s usually twice that amount.

Of course, the new printer and ink will be written off my taxes, as it qualifies as a business expense, so that’s good.  Although, it would’ve been cheaper and easier if my travel printer had simply held up!  Nothing can pay back my frustration, but at least I’m getting an excellent deal.