I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question. I know, I know, I’m the printer guru and I know all there is to know about printers. Truth is I keep my ear to the ground but I don’t run out and test every new printer on the market. That’s what CNET is for.

So don’t ask me to recommend your next printer. I won’t do it because if you get something you’re not happy with, I become the bad guy. I’ll be happy to steer you in the right direction but I will never recommend any specific printer.

Most of the time the question is, “Which printer is the easiest to refill?”. I can answer that one really fast, Canon, hands down. Any Canon. See, I won’t get specific. But the fact is, if you are refilling and want to eliminate 90% of your headaches, buy a Canon.

The order of complexity, from easiest to hardest, for refilling cartridges is as follows:

• Canon
• Epson
• Lexmark (Dell, Compaq)
• Hewlett Packard

I don’t recommend buying any of the others like Xerox, Brother, Sharp or any off brand printer if you want to save money on supplies. The people that make the ink and the generic cartridges are ONLY going to concentrate on very popular printers. Same with remanufactured cartridges.

By the way, Dell printers are getting really popular but be warned, even though they are made by Lexmark, they will not accept a Lexmark cartridge. And I don’t know of any company that is remanufacturing Dell cartridges. A Lexmark refill kit will work with Dell cartridges though.

All the newer Epson cartridges need a reset tool if you refill them. If you don’t reset the chip on the cartridge they simply will not work.

HP cartridges can be reset by selectively taping over certain contacts on the cartridge foil strip. I tip my hat to whoever figured that out.

Lexmark does not need a reset procedure but they are a little fussy to refill sometimes.

Canon ink tanks contain NO technology. They are simply a plastic shell. The hardest thing about refilling Canon cartridges is getting a good seal over the refill hole. If you don’t get a 100% airtight seal they will leak.