Printer / Scanner / Fax recommendation

A friend recently asked for a suggestion for a home 3-in-1 printer / scanner / fax.

We've had pretty good luck with the HP DJ F340, but it has been replaced with a newer model. It seems that the F4480 (and a few others) has taken its place. We haven't had any direct experience with this model, but the www.Staples.com reviews look good. It seems like the models in this market change daily - thanks for the confusion HP.

If it were our choice - instead of experimenting with the new F4480 model, we'd probably find a new F340 from some reputable web retailer.

The down side of all of these retail models is TCO (total cost of ownership). HP and other retailers get away with selling their models on the cheap by selling the replacement ink for sky high prices. In a lot of cases (especially if you are a business that prints a large number of documents), a larger upfront investment in the machine will gain you a lower TCO.