Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have a Canon MP830 multifunction printer connected to my Mac running OS X10.5.X. In many ways I find the Canon unit to be functional and more than satisfactory. I print the occasional photo and have been please with the results, although I have to admit that I am increasingly using photo printing services because the results are overall better and there is little wastage of ink, paper and time to get good results. The scanner works great and I love the sheet feeder on it. I use the fax for outgoing occasionally and it works well enough. Copier function is fine as well. Most of us know that printer companies really sell ink to make their money, and Canon is no exception. I have long noticed that my Canon is constantly pestering me about replacing a color ink tank when I haven't been doing color printing. These tanks ain't cheap. If you buy canon inks, a 4-tank (CMYK) pack is going to set you back about $45 discounted. After being hit up by my printer for yet another color tank, and knowing I have printed no color images lately, I investigated more carefully. Referring to the Canon support website under "greyscale printing", which is the only such option offered by the printer driver. I find the following words: "Note: Grayscale printing does not prevent the use of all inks. Shades of gray are created by using all color inks to create a composite shading." I started looking into other models of the Canon multifunction printer sets and found the same answer for this and other models. Just be aware, that with simply modest B&W printing, you are going to go through a lot of color ink. Since I can buy a B&W laser printer for less than $100 now, I am strongly considering this option, and relegating my Canon to scanner/fax service only. A rather big disappointment, because I don't like being taken advantage of. If I were shopping again, I would look carefully at the KODAK printers simply because they are making a marketing point of the abuse consumers have been suffering at the hands of the other ink vendors.