Printers

[kib]

Now that I'm more or less happy with my cell phone, I'm moving on to my printer. Probably on some subconscious level I enjoy being in a rage.

Once upon a time, I had a printer that lasted for 8 years. I thought it was sort of disgraceful that it died after only 8 years. hahahaha. I have since been through an HP, a Canon and two Kodaks. All utter garbage.

Does anyone have a printer that does the following, and basically only the following?

Prints in black and white. Or prints in color but doesn't run out of color ink every thirtieth page. Allows for refill of the ink cartridge. Doesn't continually jam. Works wirelessly, but doesn't spend its entire life shuffling, burping, humming, grinding, updating, reconfiguring and telling me I'm out of ink like a dementia patient - fifteen minutes of song and dance for every page printed, basically. Doesn't suddenly announce that the printer is offline when the printer is clearly not offline. Doesn't require a PhD to set up.

ETA: if necessary, I'd be willing to skip the wireless part and never ever ever go near "updates" or "customer service", both of which seem to be code for "cause your device to break down so you have to buy another one."

[Zoe Girl]

i don't buy printers anymore. it is crazy. they just break in a year, stop talking to computers, suck up ink, etc. my beautiful brother printer at work that scanned, printed a little slow, but always worked, quit. i hate it. i need to have better access to a printer so they gave me a really really old one. it actually works well but does not copy which is another important function. it is not wireless, i don't care too much about wireless if the dang thing works without update and glitches like you said.


So for personal printing i print pages at work if it is a few. it is okay if we are printing something like 10 pages a month which is most of the time what i need. the policy in my building is to provide paper for your copies either work budget or buy personally and i more than do that. then i go to fedex type stores for more larger amounts of personal projects.

don't know if that helps, and i totally understand the need to be angry about something. totally off topic i am trying to not go off on the one family member who is not happy about the marriage ruling. it is one person!

[razz]

I can so understand your frustration. I bought a cheap printer by Canon and was told that people are now buying printers because it is cheaper than buying the ink refills but my new printer didn't last 30 pages before notifying me that it was low on ink. That theory just went by the wayside. The ink refill cost more than the printer though.
It bothers me to buy printers as it becomes a landfill issue but the Canons have lasted better than most so far. If the Staples was a little closer, I could walk to it for any copying but I do like having the printer for material from my emails or from the internet. Staples does provide the fax service if needed so that was one less option that I needed in a printer.

[JaneV2.0]

I have a Brother all in one. I've had it a few years, and have never bothered to learn all its features. It grudgingly accepts cheap, unauthorized refills, and does all I've asked it to do. I can't complain.

[iris lilies]

We bought a black and white-only printer a few years ago. It was Under 100. *. The brand is Brother.

ours doesn't get heavy use. It's probably a piece of junk, but so far it is still running, and of course the ink cartridges are relatively inexpensive.

editedfor more accurate price.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I think I kind of got into not buying them either. I really do go to Fed Ex/Kinkos/Stapes type places and print (make copies etc.) - of already prepared documents so I'm ready to go - a few minutes of computer time and the printing is the cost.

Well I can print at work as well I guess, though I don't often for privacy reasons, printing resumes at work or something :) (think I did print some tax statements).

[herbgeek]

We've had ink jet printer after ink jet printer, and have been annoyed with how often I've had to buy ink, along with the expense. This time I bought a laser jet. The printer is more expensive (I think it was under $100 though) but the ink last WAY longer, and I'm still on the initial partial cartridge they give you with the printer and we got this printer last year. I will admit I don't do that much printing these days though. I used to print everything in the 90's thinking the internet was going to go away and I'd never be able to find the document again. LOL.

[Alan]

I've got an old HP Laserjet 5 which has served me well for the past 15 years. The cartridge is fairly pricey but they last forever in a home environment, I think I last replaced one around 2005. It has an embedded network card so I can plug it into the network and print from anywhere in the house.
For color printing I have a cheap little HP Deskjet 1000, it's not network-able but I have it attached to a home server and then share it across the network. It works well and the replacement ink cartridges don't require easy monthly payments, although it seems we have to replace them every 6 months or so, overall I've been pleased with its utility. The worst thing about the cheap printer is the management utility embedded with the driver installation, it felt duty bound to constantly remind me of the value of HP printer cartridges and accessories. A bit of software pruning took care of that nuisance.

[Tammy]

About 6 years ago we took the plunge into the world of not owning a printer at home. Soon after that we stopped using computers altogether at home at home. My husband and I have smart phones that serve as our computers. We have held onto an unlimited data plan from over ten years ago with Verizon. When it was still all-tel or something.

Back to the printers - it's amazing how much we didn't print when it was no longer convenient to print, most of it was not necessary, a few times a year we email ourselves something at our work address and print it there. Less than a dozen pages a year. Everything is digital now.

[oldhat]

I've been without a printer for a while now because my Canon inkjet broke about a year ago (the scanner still works, though). I don't find it much of an inconvenience since I can print things at work if I need to.

The printer market really is a racket. The printers are cheap but the ink is ridiculously overpriced. You can use refills but you void the warranty--not that that makes much of a difference, given how flimsily built the printers are.

I'm not sure how the big printer manufacturers get away with the overpriced ink. You'd think that the market would prompt some big name to undercut the ink prices of the competition. Collusion, maybe?

[Float On]

I think I'll be sending the last printer and the last laptop with son#2 to college. I'm kind of looking forward to being paperless and unattached. Maybe the gardens and I will get in better shape.

[SteveinMN]

We ended up giving away our last printer because it was in excellent shape but so old that none of the computers in the house (Mac or Windows) would speak with it anymore. I bought a new Canon multifunction inkjet that was on closeout. We print rarely but sometimes find it valuable to print in color and I don't have a day job at which I can sneak in a few pages. It's also handy on a few occasions to have a copier handy, though we could walk to the supermarket down the street and get copies if need be.

Settled on the Canon mostly because it was not HP (won't buy any of their stuff anymore) or Epson (our last two inkjets; didn't like that they "chipped" their ink cartridges to prevent the use of aftermarket cartridges). My -- err, brother -- has a Brother that works well for him. But the Canon came at a good price and third-party bits for them are fairly available. We buy about one set of ink cartridges a year. I can handle that.

I don't know as there's a printer out there that meets kib's requirements, but, if there is, it ain't cheap. A laser printer probably comes the closest. Best to stick to the big names (like HP) because that way there are more aftermarket alternatives for ink/toner, repair, etc. Look for as straight a paper path as you can find. Keep in mind that some household WiFi routers have a (USB) connection which will let you print wirelessly to an otherwise wire-bound printer (that's what we did with our Canon).

Good luck!

[rosarugosa]

We've never had a printer and that has worked fine for us. I do occasionally print a few pages at work though. I will need an alternative once I leave, but would probably be fine going to Kinko's or somewhere like that.

[kib]

Like Steve, I don't have work access to printing. For the most part I may print 5 pages a month, but there are a few occasions when I want more - I like a print out of my taxes, I do maintain a hard copy address book and other info that I like to update a few times a year. I think I've got two issues, one is that inkjet ink tends to dry out if the printer isn't used consistently, and the other is that the wireless capacity of the printer means - I think - that it's constantly receiving info from the ozone re updates and the like. Literally every time I turn it on, it goes through this series of clacks and spinning and shuffling that lasts at least five minutes as it updates itself, after which maybe it prints and maybe it doesn't.

The black and white laser printers have come down a lot in price, some as low as $50, and I've been reading that laser cartridges up to 2500 page prints are available, which would basically mean one cartridge would last me 10 years - probably longer than the printer! I did wind up reinstalling the driver and reconnecting the wireless and refreshing a dry ink cartridge and now the Canon is back in business, but next time ... I want a dust gathering doorstop I can rely on. ;)

[ToomuchStuff]

I have a Brother laser printer and realize they tend to have two lines; homeowner grade, and commercial grade. My current one was a Costco deal (basically a closeout before new models) and was $99 delivered (commercial line). The next cartridge (price dependent on where you go, refurb or new, etc), will almost be the cost of the printer ($60 to $90) and is rated for 8000 pages, but that is still probably a year or so away (had the printer for around a year so for on the starter toner). I didn't opt for the wireless model, because it is wired into my network, and I can wirelessly talk to my network. If I didn't have a network then a wireless printer would be more needed.
For Christmas we kids pitched in and bought my parents a color laser printer, because it is rare we need one, and having it at a central location made sense. For home, a commercial black laser printer is the way for me (never seen a white printer yet, anyone have a link). I get years out of them and the difference in the cost per page of the toner makes the commercial one on closeout the smarter option. Photo's tend to stay digital.

[jp1]

I have some sort of HP laser jet. Maybe an HP 2200. (I'm not at home right now to look.) I bought it about six years ago and have replaced the cartridge once. It wasn't terribly expensive, maybe $150. It has always worked flawlessly.

I suspect that over the long run a laser jet is far cheaper than an inkjet due to the cost/frequency of ink refills.

[kib]

Yes, I've been reading that the big issue can be that a seldom-used ink jet cartridge will dry out, whereas a laser cartridge won't. My case is exactly that, the printer lives in a hot dry room and only comes on every couple of weeks.

TMS, I was looking at this Samsung - were you serious about looking for a white printer, or just joking that no printer actually prints in "white"? :~) This one is a home version I'm sure, but not sure how you can tell the difference? searching "monochrome laser printer white" came up with many options on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Wireless-Monochrome-SL-M2020W-XAA/dp/B00JCA4GQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435762198&sr=8-1&keywords=monochrome+samsung+printer+white

(http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Wireless-Monochrome-SL-M2020W-XAA/dp/B00JCA4GQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435762198&sr=8-1&keywords=monochrome+samsung+printer+white)

[ToomuchStuff]

Prints in black and white.


We bought a black and white-only printer a few years ago. It was Under 100. *. The brand is Brother.





The black and white laser printers have come down a lot in price, some as low as $50, and I've been reading that laser cartridges up to 2500 page prints are available, which would basically mean one cartridge would last me 10 years - probably longer than the printer! I did wind up reinstalling the driver and reconnecting the wireless and refreshing a dry ink cartridge and now the Canon is back in business, but next time ... I want a dust gathering doorstop I can rely on. ;)


Yes, I've been reading that the big issue can be that a seldom-used ink jet cartridge will dry out, whereas a laser cartridge won't. My case is exactly that, the printer lives in a hot dry room and only comes on every couple of weeks.

TMS, I was looking at this Samsung - were you serious about looking for a white printer, or just joking that no printer actually prints in "white"? :~) This one is a home version I'm sure, but not sure how you can tell the difference? searching "monochrome laser printer white" came up with many options on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Wireless-Monochrome-SL-M2020W-XAA/dp/B00JCA4GQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435762198&sr=8-1&keywords=monochrome+samsung+printer+white

(http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Wireless-Monochrome-SL-M2020W-XAA/dp/B00JCA4GQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435762198&sr=8-1&keywords=monochrome+samsung+printer+white)

Put a piece of colored paper in your printer and show me the white printing!
Best bet to tell the home line verses the commercial line is things like number of pages per month rated at, number of (estimated at % of ink coverage) pages per toner cartridge, then cost. (commercial ones tend to cost more upfront but end up being cheaper on toner)
When my old printer had a problem, I waited and used other means for a bit, until what I was looking for came on sale. In my experience, the three brands I see most in commercial use are HP, Lexmark and Brother. Brother being what a lot of companies have moved to, due to things like separate drum cartridge, verses built into the toner with HP. (brings cost per page down, verses maintenance, depending on pages printed)

[Gardenarian]

My dh got a free HP inkjet printer/scannerwhen he bought a computer several years ago. It works fine. and I don't print so much that the ink is really an issue. It comes in handy when I need to print off forms for school and such. It never jams or anything like that, and hooks up easily to different computers. It is NOT wireless.

I used to do most of my printing at work, but I'm very part time now and having a printer at home has been a huge convenience, especially with all the buying and selling of houses we've been doing. I can print forms, scan them, and email them back.

It is a color printer but I don't use the color much. I did use it for a craft project and it worked fine - not professional quality, but good enough.

I have only bought ink for this printer twice, and didn't get refills. The computer guy at work said the refills are lower quality and last half as long as new cartridges (for inkjets - not laser printers.)

I bought a laser printer from a friend but I rarely used it and the cartridge dried up, Apparently if you have a laser printer you have to print regularly or they go bad (I'm sure I'm not saying that correctly.)

For large print jobs (novels) I use the printing service at the college. It's cheaper and faster than doing it at home.

Anyhow, printers are cheap and plentiful on Craigslist...

[Radicchio]

I agree with Alan---I've had several HP Laserjet printers over the years, both for home-based business and private use. Finally convinced my parents to buy a laser printer (also HP), as well, and they love it. Yes, you pay a big chunk when you buy the cartridge, but, as Alan mentioned, they last a very, very long time. And when they start printing poorly, take them out of the printer and shake them up a bit and put them back in. You'll get a lot more copies out of the cartridge that you thought was about dried up.

[SteveinMN]

And when they start printing poorly, take them out of the printer and shake them up a bit and put them back in. You'll get a lot more copies out of the cartridge that you thought was about dried up.
A couple of decades ago, the company at which I worked started buying the then-new Toshiba laser printers. I don't know if it was the long boat ride from Japan or what, but even new toner cartridges often would appear to be dead on arrival. Toshiba's suggestion? Drop the cartridge from standing height onto the hard floor. Worked almost every time (Toshiba made good on the ones for which it didn't). Definitely shake old toner cartridges to get several more pages out of them.