Price Match at Walmart, Coupon at Walmart, Save Money at Walmart

How to Coupon and Price Match at Walmart


I NEED YOUR HELP!!: Mad Scientist Experiment Printers VS. Ink

Sep 12 by 70 Comments

I need your help. *PLEASE READ*

We have the BEST test group here on IHTM, and I want to help us all coupon easier and more hassle free at Walmart. Especially with the Coupon Policy system updates that the stores have gotten this past week.

We know that coupons scan and print better from laser printers, I also know that not all of us have a laser printer or can afford one. There have been some really interesting comments in the past day or so that have me thinking…. I know, it is starting to hurt! LOL!

From Jena: 

I have two computers/ printers and my black and white coupons off my canon never have problems, but the color ones off my HP have problems frequently (almost always). So, if you are having tons of problems, try switching up ink or paper.

I have gotten comments similar to this one A LOT!

We know that there are certain coupon that NEVER scan at Walmart. For example, the dairy coupons that you can print in UT and ID. Then there are the coupons that don’t scan because of a bad print job, or faulty register. We want to weed those out because MOST people are going to be able to use them.

BUT, what if some people ALWAYS have a problem and it their PRINTER or the INK that they are using? Thats what I want to know!

This is what I need you to do:

1. Leave a comment with the BRAND name of the PRINTER and the MODEL + the BRAND name of the ink you use.

2. Along with whether you use COLOR or B&W

3. Plus a comment stating if your cashier at Walmart has trouble scanning coupons – on a scale from 1-5 (see below)

  • 1 – Never Have Trouble
  • 2 – Sometimes Have Trouble
  • 3 – About 50% of the time have trouble
  • 4 – Often Have Trouble
  • 5- ALWAYS have problems!

PLEASE don’t guess. If you need to take a week to answer, NO PROBLEM! If you need to test out a coupon, you can find one in the post below.

See this guy ^ above?

I am going to put this badge in my side bar ———> over there, and you can come back in the next few weeks and add in your findings when you have them.

Let’s just eliminate the possibility that there might be printers and ink that could be causing some of the problems!

Thank you guys for the help!

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Comments

  1. Honestly we have a black and white laser Brother printer that works amazing for coupons. We bought some off-brand ink (sorry I don’t have all the details you are asking for.) I have had no problems at Walmart or anywhere with coupons scanning – actually I have had less problems than with newspaper insert coupons. We paid $80 on sale and have not had to replace the toner yet in the year that we have had it. Most people who spend $30-40 on a printer will have had to replace the ink once or twice by now (comparing to how much I have printed) and spent nearly as much or more. Often these Brother laser printers are on sale on Amazon or stores such as Staples if you keep an eye out..especially with black friday and cyber monday coming up!

  2. I use a Canon MG5320, grayscale printing to save ink (fast copy). I use Canon ink since refills have caused trouble.

    When using a printed coupon, don’t touch the barcode area with your hands. I’ve had them in my hands at the store while shopping, the heat from my fingers caused the barcode lines to blur just enough to make them unusable.

    Good Luck!

  4. I have used the dairy coupon for UT & ID at walmart, it worked fine for me. I have an Epson Stylus NX330 with the Epson ink (DuraBrite Ultra Ink). I have only printed in color so far and the cashiers have never had any problems with any of my printed coupons.

  6. I use an HP OfficeJet 6500A Plus and an old HP PSC 1410v All-In-One. Both use genuine HP ink. I rarely (2) have issues with the coupons I print, whether in color or black and white. Sometimes, they don’t scan on the conveyor scanner, but scan fine when they use the handheld scanner, also.

  7. We use an HP Laserjet Pro 1606dn. All of our coupons have worked EVENTUALLY, just not always on the first try so I would have to rate it a 2. It prints b&w and I also have it set to FastRes so it prints fast, which may be the reason for the occasional hiccup at scanning.

  9. HP D110a
    For Walmart – 3 – About 50% of the time have trouble. Works with the hand scanner 100% of the time but now they aren’t allowed to use it.

    For Publix, Winn Dixie, Food World – I NEVER have problems with them scanning. Go figure.

  10. HP Photosmart C310. Using standard 564 cartridges I’ve had the cheese coupons scan fine at WalMart. I’ve just switched to a CISS so I’m not sure how they’ll do with the new ink.

  12. Printer: Kodak ESP3250
    Ink: Kodak 10b/10c
    I print coupons in B&W and in Color.
    I have problems with coupons at WM about 50% of the time.
    50% of those problems are usually resolved with the hand scanner. I heard one cashier complain about the long bar codes on some of them.

  13. My last printer was an HP used number 60 ( I think) ink ,had it set to fast print and grey scale for coupons,very seldom had problems. When I did notice a problem, it was usually the same problem several people had with the same coupon, so you’ll have to keep that in mind too,some just don’t print out well at all, the Tena coupon from earlier this year was prime example.
    Now I use a Cannon and it uses XL120 ,still…same setting ,fast and grey scale….never have a problem even when ink is getting low and they start to get lighter yet~( I will never buy a Cannon again, ink is wicked expensive)
    Also keep in mind, about 5 months ago I was having issues at WM for any printed coupon,fresh full ink printed and also the almost out of ink printed….I am 99% sure that it wasn’t the print job on the coupons but the registers, many people complained and so did the cashiers ie: ” I don’t know why they aren’t scanning two days ago there weren’t any problems” So hearing that, I knew also that something had been done to the scanners…but what exactly I don’t know…but it’s all good now.
    My coupons have been used at three different WM stores in my area,with above mentioned quality and no problems.
    I rate both of those printers #1

  14. HP Photosmart, HP Ink, Color, I very rarely have problems at walmart or anywhere else as long as they are coupons.com coupons. I have a lot of trouble with smartsource coupons. So rating would be 2.

  15. We use the HP Photosmart C7280. It takes the individual HP 02 cartridges, 6 different ones, but lately I have been ordering the off brand remanufactured, double filled cartridges from Inkfarm. They work great but my weird laptop will not recognize B&W or Economy printing, so everything prints in the best quality. But, no problems with them scanning at Walmart either so maybe it’s for the best. Even with printing in color and on best quality, the ink in those cartridges have lasted forever!

  17. I have a Kodak ESP 3200. Right now I’m using generic ink and it prints really dark and won’t scan so they won’t accept them. When I use kodak ink I have no problems at all. So generic ink is a 5 and kodak ink is a 1.

  19. I have an HP 4300 All-in-one printer that uses HP #60 ink and I print in black/white…..rarely have problems with them scanning at WM but I will mention, as someone else did, the Smartsource printables are the ones that usually have a glitch…but on a positive note, I went shopping at WM last night and used a bundle of coupons valued at over $150 and every one scanned perfectly without using the hand scanner at all! I even used one of the Milk coupons that you mentioned and it scanned also! I always push my ink cartridge to the very end and as long as there are no “breaks” in the barcodes, they always work. I am wanting to change to a laser printer purely for the reason of the cost of the ink, not the print quality 🙂 I’d rate my WM cashiers at a #1 but note that I am an active “cashier profiler” and always find a young girl/boy as they are much more likely to actually help! lol

  20. 1. Printer brand is Canon: Model is MP280. INK is the Canon PG210XL.

    2. Always print in B&W only

    3. 1 – Never Have Trouble
    My setting are set @ Fast (speed priority), plain paper, quality fast only use black ink only.

  21. My printer is a Brother HL-2270DW. (laser and B&W) I bought it on sale from Best Buy for about $100. I absolutely love it. I used up the cartridge it came with so I bought a generic one from Amazon for about $20 and it works great. I’ll never go back to inkjet.

  22. My printer is a Brother Laser model HL-2240. I love it!! I bought mine at Staples for about $45.00 on sale. For about $44.00 for a toner cartridge (you can get generic for about half that price) you can get about 2600 copies or more. I got way more from the starter one than they said. I have an HP all in one and I don’t use it anymore. The copies were always dark and ink soaked. Never seemed to get more that 150 copies out of an ink cartridge and they were expensive. It was always a problem scanning coupons. Not anymore with the laser nice and clean and not too dark. I print only B&W too.

  23. I have an Brother HL2240 (laser printer, black and white). Brother toner cartridge.

    1.-I rarely have trouble with my coupons scanning.

    I bought the printer for 50 bucks on Black Friday last year (it’s frequently on sale at office supply stores for about $75, too). The high-yield printer cartridges cost $45 at Walmart and last for about 2700 pages. The drum, which lasts about 12,000 pages, costs about $60 on Amazon. Even together, it’s much cheaper than ink.

  24. I have a HP Office Jet 4500 that I got from Target on sale over a year now (great price to) & I use HP both color & b&w when i can to save ink number 901 for both color & b& w ..I don’t go to walmart that much but I do go to many other Stores & to be honest it’s not most of the time the coupon that I have trouble with it’s cashier/s the paper ones have gotten so small you are taking a risk of trying to use them that the reason I love printing of websites even ink is not cheep at all it does last me a long time keep up with the great work that you are doing on this website!

  26. I have been using a Lexmark E238 laser printer since before I started couponing a year ago. Even after a year, I’ve gone through reams of paper and yet haven’t needed to replace the toner. It’s black and white only. I rarely (1.5 out of 5) have trouble with coupons scanning, and if I do, it’s usually Wags with their handheld scanners.

  27. Brother MFC240c printer
    I am using generic ink bought from Amazon (less that $10 for 4 black, 2 blue, 2 yellow, 2 magenta)… I always print my coupons colored 🙂
    Some have problems scanning in Walmart but when I use it in other stores, they scan with no problems…

  28. I use an Epson Stylus Photo RX580. I got it specifically for printing photos and wanted the best out there. I went to Best Buy and had all the Rep’s for each brand take my memory card and print out the best pic they could from it. Well the Epson won hands down. And it was only $49.00. With 6 different colors it is expensive to replace so I use the generics from a website. I couldnt tell the difference. I dont do photos too much any more and have been couponing alot and I dont ever have a problem with scanning, except when the printer heads need cleaning and the print is not clear.
    I also use the backs of junk mail or junk paper from work. I never buy printer paper.

  29. I have a HP Photosmart printer that I got in Dec 2007 and I have had a LOT of problems with the coupons scanning at walmart. So, this past week, I bought a $29.00 HP Deskjet 1000 printer at Walmart, and every single coupon I used worked! I also used the printer on Draft setting and they still worked. I used the Georgia Pacific Everyday Copy and Print with blue on the wrapper and I had no problems! The only coupon I had a problem with was one of the coupons I had printed on my OLD printer! You can’t beat a 29.00 printer and the black ink is only 14.00 which is much cheaper than the 19.99 I pay for my other older HP.

  31. My printer is a Canon image CLASS MF3010 Laser Multifunction Printer/Copier/Scanner (Black/white). I bought mine at Wal-Mart for $70. I buy the cartridge on eBay 3pk for about $60 and it works great. I never have problems when they scan my coupons.

  33. 1. I use a Canon MX892 Multifunction (all-In-One, or AIO) COLOR inkjet printer with genuine Canon Ink.
    2. I use Color only
    3. I’m a “1” – no trouble.

    I had one coupon that scanned, but the WM cashier had to only verify the expiration date. Other than that, no problems with multiple merchants – WM, Farm Fresh, and Dollar Tree Deals. I use the “best/highest” resolution, so it sucks ink, but has not produced an unreadable coupon.
    I second @donna whitson – WM cashiers HATE my Free coupons for coke from MyCokeRewards – always looking to reject them, but they scan just fine!

  34. my printer is a HP Deskjet D1520 series. I usually print in color/BW just because it is easier for me to see what the coupon is for. I print using the economical setting and most times do not have any trouble with it scanning. When there is trouble, it has been because some of the coupons still have the two bar codes and the cashier doesn’t know which one to scan. So I would rate my success rate at a 2. I was just at my local Wal-Mart three nights ago, PM and couponing, some coupons did not want to scan, and the cashier just punched them through, I am not sure if they got the memo about the change yet here in Nebraska or not, we are usually a year or so behind other states in the nation. LOL

  35. Here are some possible ways to correct the problem: make sure your printer software is current; make sure your operating system is current, i.e., Windows XP, Window’s 2000, Windows ME, Windows 7;

    First, switch printers from one computer to the other, print the same coupons from both computers and use these coupons at the same store. Next, take the same coupons to a different store and use them both at the second store. Still have a problem?

    Retail Point of Sale Systems (Registers) are pretty tolerant, they will generally scan a fuzzy or blurry IP Coupon. However, some stores have older systems which can cause real problems.

    A few other things to check are (1) quality of laser toner, you get what you pay for with a refurb, (2) has the laser printer been properly maintained, is the drum beyond it’s life, cleaning the corona wire toner cartridges are replaced.

    I have printed tens of thousands of laser color, laser B&W, and Color and B&W Ink Jet IP Coupons. My success rate at the stores is way above 99%. So good luck and I hope these simple checks help.

  36. I use the HP P1102W. It is a wireless laser printer. I don’t use factory toner. I buy toner on Amazon from GREEN APPLE BRAND HP LASERJET P1102W TONER CARTRIDGES, 4 PACK. It’s so much cheaper than an ink jet and I can get a 4 pack of toner for like $40. I NEVER have issues with my coupons not scanning. I would recommend a laser to everyone. Ink jets are ink hogs, the ink costs a ton and the prints don’t come out as crisp or clear. Hope this helps.

  37. I have a phaser 8560 its a dream, wax printer, so no smearing. I almost never have troubles with coupons scanning. The ones from say coupons.com or coupon network never. But sometimes its the companies who offer a low-res image to print.

  39. We have Lexmark X2670 and four computers. I bought replacement cartridges A14 (instead of the none refillable ones “14”) and refill them myself with cheap, cheap ink from eBay. I only print coupons in B&W on standard quality (not low or high just normal quality) and I always use standard paper (88/20 or 90/20).

    When I go to WM – I usually have 200+ coupons and about 75 of them are IPs. About 10% of them have a problem scanning on first try (7 to 8 of them) … but when the cashier tries them again, a few times – they always scan.

    One trick I have found works well is if a coupon is having a hard time scanning – and the cashier has tried it 2 or 3 times… Ask the cashier to turn the coupon up side down (top to bottom NOT front to back – duh LOL) and try scanning it again. It has a lot to do with the way the cashier holds and moves the coupon – so turning it upside down makes the hold and movement different so it works.

    the only coupon I had problems with in last month was the B2G1F Nabisco coupons – it scanned ok but said not good or something (and it said right on it redeem at walmart) … I only had 1 of them, finally the manager said just put it in and took it to the office to figure it out… all I was buying was 3 boxes of crackers, so we couldn’t figure out what the problem with it was.

  40. Nothing, and I mean nothing beats a laser jet.
    We bought our Samsung printer 4 years ago and it is a work horse. We have no problems with printing. And since we’ve changed over to laser jet, we have had no problems with coupons scanning. It’s just great.

  43. Kodak Office Hero 6.1, Kodak Color cartridge 10c, Kodak Black cartridge 10b, #1.
    (never have problems with scanning at the register at Walmart).

    I know you didn’t ask but… (have periodic problems with scanning printed coupons #2 at Meijer and Kroger)

  44. I have a canon pixma i print in blk/white and color and my coupons scan i have not yet had a problem. I got this printer at walmart for 40.00 and i believe the price has went down about ten bucks now but ink costs 50.00 for both color and black you also get 50 sheets of 4×6 photo paper.
    But one thing i have done is not change my ink when it said i was running low because i wanted to see how long it would print before i had to change it and even then my coupons were still readable.

    • I think I have the same printer, MP250? I rarely have an ink-related scanning problem. Usually it’s the computer beeping and saying I didn’t buy it, when clearly I did!

  45. I have a Brother HL-1440 laser B&W printer. Only time it is a problem is low ink or the “toner saver” is clicked on. Also a Canon MP560 color printer that I have never had a problem with.

  46. I have an HP Photosmart and I use HP brand ink, #60, in color. I occasionally have problems but I really think when I do it is more ‘operator error’ when the cashier doesn’t have patience for my pile of coupons!

  47. I use a a Brother HL2140 laser printer (black and white) and use the TN360 toner and I never have problems with coupons not scanning.
    This printer can often be found on sale for around 50.00 , the toner cartridge sells for a little more than the printer but lasts me over 6 months printing my coupons from the 4 computers I own . (I pick up the toner cartridges when Office Max put out those bags that anything you can fit into them they give you 20% off so it makes the toner even cheaper … I will never never ever go back to using an ink jet printer for coupons , toner is way cheaper and a lot less troubles with them scanning)

  48. Kodak ESP 5210
    Ink: 10B=black and 10C=color
    Scanning coupons: 2
    I have my printer set to draft and black and white.
    Lately, I actually have more trouble getting newspaper coupons to scan.

  49. I use a Brother MFC-8680DN laser printer with a Brother TN-650 high yield cartridge. It prints in black and white only, and on the scale of 1 to 5, I am at a 1 with this combo. I never have any issues with my coupons scanning (unless I am at Target, but that’s for a diferent reason). Now, if I buy a recycled cartridge, or an off brand cartridge, they tend to print lighter and I will move down to a 2 or 3, depending on the manufacturer of the cartridge. This printer was around $300 at Costco when I bought it, which is pricy, but I work remotely part of the time, and I needed a reliable and quick printer. Plus, this unit is a printer, scanner, and fax machine all in one.

  50. I use an Epson Workforce 635. I use both color and black ink with Epson cartridges 126/127. I use (currently) Hammermill paper or whatever I can get on sale! I rarely have a problem, so I choose #2

  51. I use a Brother MFC Black and White Laser and a Cannon i9900 color inkjet and I don’t have any problems with either. So I choose #1.
    By the way – you can get a Brother black and white laser printer for as low as $96.99 on Amazon (they work great)

  52. I have a Canon MP495 and I use the black and white Canon cartridge # 211 on the fast setting and rarely have any issues with coupons scanning. I had one (out of about 10 used in the transaction) that wouldn’t scan at Walmart but that is the first one.

  53. HP m1522nf laser printer ($40 on sale ~3 years ago, so not that expensive), using aftermarket toner ($15-20/cartridge on eBay, lasts over a year of mostly coupon printing 😀 ). Sometimes the aftermarket toner causes streaks down the center of the page — that doesn’t seem to interfere at all.

    The only coupons I have trouble with are the Great Day Farms coupons. Those almost never scan. Everything else is fine.

  55. I have a Epson Artisan 810 and I always print in color. I have noticed that a few times it has printed in black and white and those seem to look a lot clearer than the color. I recently bought some better paper but havent run out of the cheap stuff to start using it yet. I would say about 1 out of every 10 won’t scan at Walmart. So not too bad.

  56. Im using the HP Deskjet J110 series (cheapy from Walmart) with HP 61 XL ink B&W & Color..Only time I have trouble is when I run my ink way too low & I know better! lol
    and really the few times I have had trouble has been at a Dollar General BUT there its not just the printable coupons its the newspaper coupons…

  58. I opted for a HP 8600 earlier this year. Both Staples and Office Depot showed the cost per page was actually LESS than a laser. I re-insert the paper for those singles shots to use the paper on the backside. I have not had a barcode not scan except for the Budget Saver pops.

    My experience with Walmart is that the cashiers are not all that bright and seldom properly trained. Once one coupon does not scan, expect the handheld to be used on them all… now I expect a fight to shop in a store that is not that friendly to start with.

  59. i use a samsung ml-1865 laser. It prints from any one of the 3 computers wirelessly and I have never had a coupon not scan. It also is less than half the cost of ink when priced per page (than inkjet). Which means it pays for itself before too long. The toner lasts for over 800 pages and the printer itself was on sale for 59$ last holiday season. It is the best purchase I’ve ever made for couponing.

  60. I have a Dell V715w and use Dell ink. I print in color and tried different quality settings. I didn’t start having problems with printable coupons at Walmart until the bar codes changed. Now, I always have problems (at three different Walmarts) – so much so that I do most of my shopping primarily at Target and Kroger because my coupons scan at those stores.

    I just purchased an Epson because my daughter needed a printer for college. I gave her the Dell and I’m hoping the coupons printed from the Epson will be accepted at Walmart. I’ll post after I try to use some this weekend.

  61. I use an HP 8600 and print my coupons in color. I rarely have trouble with a coupon that won’t scan. The down-side to this printer is that the ink cartridges are rather expensive. I tried printing the coupons in black and white, but they didn’t display as clearly, so I went back to color.

  62. i print mine at work — we use a copier ricoh– the last time i was in walmart and kroger EVERY ONE of my printed coupons has issues i used to print using an hp laser jet 1020 and i didn’t have issues with them

  63. I use a CannoniP2600 and sometimes I have trouble. The last time I was in Walmart, yesterday, my printed coupons had less problems than my maunfactures coupons. Another thing that I noticed, is sometimes they need to clean where the coupons are scanned.

  64. I use my Cannon Pixma MX330, the ink is also Cannon Pixma MX330 XL. The coupons usually always auto-print in color, occasionally I can change it to B&W.

    I usually never have a problem with them scanning at Walmart or at other stores, so #1.

  65. My cheap HP Deskjet 1000 Printer (with expensive HP 61 Ink Cartridges) always had trouble scanning coupons I printed. If I printed in draft mode, you could expect beepage. On a normal day, it was hit or miss – but it still happened often.

    THEN
    I purchased my new baby, on sale, a Lexmark Pinnacle Pro901 (with the cheap $5 for 500 page 105XL Ink Cartridges) and its a night and day difference. I buy the cheap paper and I print on draft mode. It’s VERY rare that I get beepage and when I do it is usually on paper I reused (scraps to print on the blank side) or when I had them in my purse too long and they looked like old receipts.

    The barcode is crisp now! I’ve had several cashiers ask what kind of printer I use because my coupons work so well. (Must be couponers too!)

  66. i have a hp deskjet 5440(stop laughing, i know it’s old but it still works, lol). when i print “everyday general printing” in color it works just fine, my coupons go thru just fine, it has problems though if i print “fast” print, it makes the bar codes “skip” right in the middle. our superone is very picky about coupons scanning and i have not had any problems since i went back to “normal” printing.

  69. I use a HP officejet 6500A+. Have it set for only Grayscale(Black only), Res 600×600. HP920 ink,

    Never had trouble, you can see the UPC and the faded logo they add on some print outs.

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