Yesterday, after finally deciding that I did not want to cope with my 5-year old HP printer, I went to Best Buy and asked for the latest HP which used the same ink cartridges, for I had purchased from Amazon.com a whole bunch of them. Oh my, was I surprised and, maybe worse, embarrassed, at my anachronistic incompetence. The world of printers has gone right by me, as have smart phones and everything else electronic.
I got an HP ENVY 5530, which does everything: print, scan, photo, copy, web. No FAXing, but who does that anymore? You need to plug the printer into the electric socket, but everything else is wireless.
The greatest shock was that you don't BUY ink cartridges anymore. For a monthly fee of $2.99 you can print up to 50 pages, with each additional set of 15 pages costing $1. If you don't get up to 50 in any month, the difference is rolled-over to the next month, with any rollovers good for eternity up to that maximum, i.e., 100 pages to begin the month. You are automatically billed. For $9.99/month, you can have 300 pages, with each additional set of 25 costing $1. Your printer, when on, is in touch with HP, which automatically, for FREE, sends you black or colored cartridges by mail when you are getting low. Something scary about this, but I guess this can also be called convenient. They include a postage paid recycling envelope to return the used cartridge. You never again need to purchase ink cartridges. Those companies now doing this are doomed. If you own stock in any of them, sell quickly.
Now for the bad news. I tried to link my computer system to the printer. I couldn't. I called a number they provided, and, amazingly enough, at 5PM Hawaii time, was connected to a really nice, patient and helpful lady, who stuck in with me for nearly an hour. There were things I had to do which I had no hope in my dweeb world without professional assistance. Again, from agony to ecstasy, this time in one hour. My HP angel was wonderful.
This a slick, quick printing device. My total cost of all the above was $149 (including a four year warranty), plus, of course, that $2.99/month for 50 pages. This is absolutely the final printer I will ever purchase in my life.
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Tropical Storm Francisco close to Japan and Tropical Storm Raymond near Mexico are both moving away from land. However, Super Typhoon Lekima is now a Category 5 at 160 MPH:
However, as you can see, Lekima is safely on a path sufficiently far away from Japan.
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