It all depends on what you intend to use it for.

I have an HP scanner (scanjet xpa) that has an add on tray to scan negatives which you rest on the glass when you need to use it. This can do pretty high resolution pictures (way too high for web applications) and I have had no problems in the year I have owned it. I think I paid $100 when it came out.

I also have an HP printer (photosmart 1115). It can print on different sized papers and also has a 4 x 6" to make prints. I think the cost was around $200 or so. Pretty nice resolution too.

It can read smart media and compact flash which is what most digi cams take. I have never used this feature though. It's not a big deal since if you do go with a digi cam, you can feed the files in through the camera instead of the printer, it's just an extra card reader when it comes down to it.

What the real question is do you want a digital camera or not. This is the first thing to decide and based on how high end of a camera you purchase, it will decide on how high a printer you will need. Your printer can only print as good as the original image file.

The scanner is the last option. Would you need one if you bought a digital camera? Are you taking pics and just posting them on the net? Do you have large collection of photographs that you need to put on your computer? Make sure you have a cd burner so you can store all the images!

All this info is my own opinion and should be taken as such.

good luck on your purchase(s)

frank