Cheap home printer that is not utter pants?

LV426

Two years.  Check your stock of homemade discs for readability now and then again over the next two or three years.  
(a) the adhesive vapour penetrates through to the reflective layer and corrodes it (bear in mind, in a cross-section, the reflective layer is actually right next to the label side; much closer than to the readable side)
and/or
(b) the label shrinks causing the disc to dish ever so slightly - but enough to stop the laser focussing at the outer edge making the end of the disc unreadable.
Happens on CDs and DVDs.
I'm not saying this definitely will happen to you, but just in case, I highly recommend that, if you have used this technique, you make backup copies of your discs as soon as you can - whether images stored on a HDD or duplicate discs (without labels).

ZX81user

Thanks LV426 for the advice, I have checked what few I have, them seem ok, but will check on them every 6mths..
Although this printing on labels is handy, I tend to use the printer really for documents, for the price of the printer and inks its a money saver, as for photo printing with gloss paper, its brilliant, not the fastest on the block, but it does the job

password1

i don't think you can buy a cheap reliable inkjet.. well in my experience they only last a few weeks of light use before paper jams, head needing cleaning, etc. and get clogged up or stop working if you leave it for a period of time not using it..epson are great when new but they all fail..its false economy as the ink costs more than the lrinter itself. so frustrating..you spend more time 'head cleaning' than printing..

for a longterm solution id get a laser or be prepared to buy a new chesp inkjet every so often..epson are the most unreliable in my experience.. they are great value until you've used up the first ink.