If your printer has wireless capabilities - if it is new, it probably does - I would get a wireless router, use a laptop wirelessly (probably cheaper than your repair bill to buy one new), and you can always backup to flash drives, or connect anything with USB cables. I would guess there are wireless hard drives for backup, too.
A good geek can get you going. It isn't necessary to run wires at all anymore, or be anchored to a computer desk in an office. I do not do my banking on a portable device by choice...just in case I were to lose one in my travels.
On a laptop that never leaves the house, it wouldn't be any different than utilizing my desktop on the home wireless network or DROID hotspot, which is the backup system for when Hughesnet is down here.
Whatever you paid for a desktop five or more years ago, you could very well replace it with a wireless capable laptop, wireless router, and wireless printer for less or no more. Your existing laptop could use the same network at the same time, if it has wireless capacity, or it can be upgraded with a USB-inserted device.
People forget that electronic devices have lifespans of only a few years...they break down over time, and can be replaced with much more capable models for much less. Google lifespans of electronics, and compare your present devices to the projected lifespans. I won't spend but o much on a 10- year-old washing machine, or a 3-year-old computer.
