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Color Printers and Tot School


mlkmnsgrl
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Hey all! This isn't classical-related at all, but this forum is my go-to for everything since you give such great advice. So three questions:

 

1. We have a B/W laser printer that scans in color, but I'm finding so many wonderful file folder games and such that I really want to be able to just print in color instead of spending hours with colored pencils. So, I don't need an all-in-one or anything, just a basic color printer that can handle cardstock for things I don't want to laminate. Any recommendations for printers that don't suck ink/toner?

 

2. I'm eating up all of the 1+1+1 and Jolanthe's blog posts and printables I've found, but I'm sure there are more things aiming specifically at tots. What are your favorites? We're Christian, so religious things are welcome and we already have Before Five In A Row, although supplemental materials for that text would be great (besides Jolanthe's I mean). So, yeah, preschooling parents--hit me with your favorites!

 

3. Along those lines, what are the best resources you've found--like is it worth investing in one of those blue chart things that hang/sit and hold different printables?

 

Thanks all!

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1. Our printer before this was a Brother. It handled ink very well, and we were able to substitute generic-brand ink for even more savings. I would recommend looking into that brand. A word of caution: We chose to go with the cheapest printer we could find, and we are now regretting our choice. I had heard it had an ink problem, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I made the purchase. :glare: It's so worth the extra money to get a better printer.

 

2. The 1+1+1=1 "blogring" really will take you everywhere you need to go- there are links on that site to other sites that have similar materials and activities. Plus, then you can delve into their full preschool curriculum (which has a lot more materials available) For 1+1+1=1, I print a variety of activities, plus some more of the hands-on activities (like the number Hopsotch), although with a very early learner, I would save the ink and just write a big "1" "2" and "3" on printer paper and have him/her hop around on the numbers as you call them out. Then, you can add more numbers in gradually... and not waste ink. The Apple Hopscotch example is from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Another thing I use to "mix it up" is Starfall.com. My son loves that.

 

This is basically what I am using for "tot" school for my kids- but I am not doing it anywhere as seriously as is described on 1+1+1=1. It's basically just exposure, so I treat it like that. Light and fun.

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1. Our printer before this was a Brother. It handled ink very well, and we were able to substitute generic-brand ink for even more savings. I would recommend looking into that brand. A word of caution: We chose to go with the cheapest printer we could find, and we are now regretting our choice. I had heard it had an ink problem, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I made the purchase. :glare: It's so worth the extra money to get a better printer.

 

Just wanted to clarify--the Brother you had was an inkjet and you do recommend that brand? What's the printer you don't like now? Our b/w laser jet is a Brother, and I do like that brand from our experience thus far.

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Just wanted to clarify--the Brother you had was an inkjet and you do recommend that brand? What's the printer you don't like now? Our b/w laser jet is a Brother, and I do like that brand from our experience thus far.

 

I am not the one that initially recommended the brother but I have recently put 52 dollars worth of ink into one to just have to chunk it. We never had any problems until I used a generic ink and it clogged the printer head. We called corporate and it would cost 95 to look at it and then costs of repairs. It was going to be approximately 200 to fix this printer. I personally don't recommend it due to the issues we just had. It was only a year old and had great reviews. After researching the issue, there are TONS of people having the same issue. My husband is an IT guy; took it apart, located the printer head and cleaned it as instructed in forums just for it to not solve the problem and was more than likely a clog in a tube SOMEWHERE. That model was an all in one model Brother MFW-495cw.

 

We just purchased a new, wifi, all in one from HP. The ink is cheaper/prints way faster and much better especially on draft compared to the brother. We paid 79 for ours. Ink will run 40 dollars for black and color.

 

Also, want to mention, if you use a generic ink: it voids your warranty :/

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We have used the cheapest HP, Epson and Lexmark printers we could find (never paying over $45). And even then, the ink costs more then the printer. Bleh! My best suggestion is buy a cheap printer and then find a place that sells refurbished ink cartridges. Yes, it voids the warranty - but really, with a $45 or less printer, warranty isn't worth much anyways as it would cost almost as much to send it for repairs. I, personally, have never had trouble with refurbished ink. We've done everything from refill outlets to the do-it-yourself kits.

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I love http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com. She sells tot curriculum in a zip file but you can also download most of it free from her blog posts. She charges more for the convenience of having it bundled together in one file. She offers most free.

 

I have a Lexmark printer and get the ink really cheap off of sellers on ebay. They refill carts and sell for cheap.

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One suggestion for file folder games - instead of printing on white cardstock and colouring over with pencils, you can try printing black-and-white on light coloured cardstock.

 

This will work if the graphics are cars/fairies/mushrooms/fish/etc. It won't if you want to print pumpkins or other multi-coloured graphics.

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