Printer Blues

So as I mentioned earlier, I decided to purchase a new printer for the History classroom at school. Waiting for the administration to deal with this would've taken too long, we felt, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I only wanted something simple. Something easy to use. Something small. Something cheap.

So to Best Buy I sallied forth, in search of a simple deskjet printer. I arrive, make a beeline for the printers (which involves a quick meander through, y'know, the music section. Just because any visit to Best Buy requires a perusal of CDs), and discover the biggest obstacle to my endeavor: the almost complete and total lack of basic printers.

See, virtually all the printers they sell at Best Buy are those all-in-one printers, the kind that can print, copy, scan, fax, and do all but make you coffee. These are all well and good, and for a moment I considered buying myself one of those and giving the school my old printer. Except I already have a perfectly functional scanner. I have no need of one of these multifunctional monstrocities, nor does the history classroom. Plus, the thing's run from $150 to $300, way more than I'm looking to spend here. I finally find a basic HP printer for like $70, which is tolerable, so I ask the guy for it. He says they are out of stock (so why keep the display model sitting out, taunting me?), but they have them available in Tyson's Corner. So to Tyson's Corner I sally, snagging Michelle for company and entertainment on the way. They do indeed have the printer, and I purchase it.

But what annoys me here is the dearth of decent, basic printers. I appreciate the move towards consolidating desktop computer accessories as much as the next geek; hell, if my scanner were to go on the fritz next month, I'd be out like a shot purchasing one of those nice HP all-in-ones. But sometimes you just don't need all that extra stuff, especially when cost is an issue. Yeah, they're nice and all, but that was way more money than I wanted to even think about spending for school, especially since I'll only be one of the three people using it but the only person paying for it (which may be an entirely separate issue, but I digress). Consolidating computer peripherals into a single unit is all well and good, but let's not count the basic printer out as obsolete just yet. I mean, c'mon, I don't think I'm asking too much here.

Okay, it's late now, later than I should have stayed up (lack of school tomorrow or no; Wen and I have a bunch of stuff to do). I'm off for bed.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Butch Walker, "My Way"