OT printer recommendations

[William]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

after years of futzing with inkjet printers, a few years ago i bought an inexpensive Samsung lazer printer. M2020 to be exact.

This ^^^^^

The last HP inkjet (Office jet 8600 if I remember correctly) printer we had was the last straw. It wouldn't run just the black ink cartridge if you were out of any other color...and we printed in B&W 95% of the time. It was crazy how fast the color cartridges would run out of ink even though we weren't printing in color. The older HP's would let you run on just the black ink but they decided they didn't want people to do that anymore. Obviously they make their money on selling ink cartridges. The only thing I might use that printer for now is a boat anchor.

Switched to a Brother lazer printer that can do a bunch of other stuff and haven't looked back. We don't miss the HP one bit.








W.

[9tubes]

My home office has a HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479. More money but it's nice to have a fast, reliable printer/scanner. Life is too short for crappy printers and my time is money.

[veloduffer]

I just replaced our Epson MFD inkjet with a HP Color Laserjet Pro M255dw. The HP has a nice small footprint, easy to set up with app, dual sided printing, fast.

We got tired of the ink (mostly black) running out quickly plus cleaning heads at least once a week. Just wish I had replaced it earlier.

[deechee]

I absolutely hate my Canon multifunction. Even though it has some "sleep" mode, it never works unless we restart the printer after a period of non-use. The flip side is if we leave it turned off too long, then it enters this ridiculous "download mode" and needs a firmware push before it becomes functional again. I can't imagine anyone who is not comfortable with printer settings and flashing would enjoy this lemon. Canon MF4800 series.

My dad's Canon Selphy works fine everytime we want to make a quick photo print. So I don't know whats up with Canon drivers.

ps. its a laser. I haven't replaced the original cartridge in years. Always had lasers, and agree brothers are great despite what their ridiculously low prices make you think. (I didn't buy this Canon.)

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by zmudshark

Dump inkjet and go laser. I have a three year old Brother that was about $100 (no scanning, just printing) and it sits unused in Phoenix for the hottest 7 mos of the year. No clogged nozzles, no problems at all. It is used mainly for printing mailing labels for my wife's side line hustle.

Same. Going on 10 years with no problems.

[josephr]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

after years of futzing with inkjet printers, a few years ago i bought an inexpensive Samsung lazer printer. M2020 to be exact.

it's a breadth of fresh air. dead simple, dead reliable. knock-off toner carts from Amazon keep it running.

these days, it's mostly used for printing boarding passes (i always like to fly with a paper pass, hate using my phone for boarding), and kids ditto typed sheets. all B&W.

i'll never buy an inkjet again.

This --- except I bought a Brother off Amazon for $90. Replacement cartridges are like $12-15 and last forever. If I need to scan something to send to someone, I just take a picture of it with my phone. I miss not being able to print stuff in color, but I don't have to worry about inkjet cartridges going low on cyan requiring a late night run to Office Depot.

[9tubes]

Originally Posted by William

This ^^^^^

The last HP inkjet (Office jet 8600 if I remember correctly) printer we had was the last straw. It wouldn't run just the black ink cartridge if you were out of any other color...and we printed in B&W 95% of the time. It was crazy how fast the color cartridges would run out of ink even though we weren't printing in color. The older HP's would let you run on just the black ink but they decided they didn't want people to do that anymore. Obviously they make their money on selling ink cartridges. The only thing I might use that printer for now is a boat anchor.

Switched to a Brother lazer printer that can do a bunch of other stuff and haven't looked back. We don't miss the HP one bit.

W.

One dirty secret of the printer business is how they count pages. It's usually some variation of "X pages or empty cartridge, whichever comes first." Then they count a page with color on it as a click on the page count. An example: let's say that you print text documents and put the document name in the footer. You don't want it to be too distracting so you pick a pale blue for that footer text. Boom. Each page becomes a color page for the count. Since that blue is probably a mix of color from two toner cartridges, that's a click on the counter for each of them. That $0.03/page toner cost just jumped to $0.15/page. Dirty? Yep. Legal? Yep.

With a color laser the solution is to set up your Microsoft Word document template so that the style sheet has all style options as pure black (code 00000) and if you want to create a footer in some light color be sure to pick a pure black tone at a grayscale of 40% or 60% or whatever. If you pick a gray from the color chart that happens to be a blue-gray or a brown-gray, you've just put color on your page. Another trick is to a set up a printing profile in the operating system printer manager that is only black and white.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by tuxbailey

Use case:

You buy printer, and you add printer to computer using install disk/download software online to setup.

After a while, software are updated by manufacturer. The way this usually happens is you go to manufacturer's
Website's support section and download a new install program etc. And it is downloaded into your computer's download folder.

For some hardware that is retired the manufacturer could pull it away or not support older OS.

What if you need to reinstall the OS in your PC, or add the printer to a different PC in your house?

Granted, nowadays OS has better support for common hardware but it is still a good practice.

Yes just copy the file to an external flash drive, or network drive. This is important for any older hardware that is functional. Or you may be forced to upgrade if you update your computer.

Super info, very clear, thanks much.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Id say give it a shot. I dont think itll damage anything on the actual printer. Worse case, the cartridge wont be detected as genuine and it wont work until you put a xerox brand in. I think the salesperson is only saying that as its not common practice so they probably dont have any experience with it.

Originally Posted by C40_guy

We've had the same Xerox color printer for a couple of years now, and I've bought generic cartridges from LDProducts.com. Much less expensive than the Xerox branded products, and they work fine.

Note -- do not buy more than you need...they do age out and become unusable.

Originally Posted by Doug Fattic

Laser toner marketed by the printer manufacturer is very expensive. Toner from 3rd party companies is cheap by comparison. That is what I have used without any problems. However when I compare the color they produce on paper compared to the manufacturer's color, it is not nearly as bright and has a dull appearance. If you are using black only this probably wouldn't matter.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

One dirty secret of the printer business is how they count pages. It's usually some variation of "X pages or empty cartridge, whichever comes first." Then they count a page with color on it as a click on the page count. An example: let's say that you print text documents and put the document name in the footer. You don't want it to be too distracting so you pick a pale blue for that footer text. Boom. Each page becomes a color page for the count. Since that blue is probably a mix of color from two toner cartridges, that's a click on the counter for each of them. That $0.03/page toner cost just jumped to $0.15/page. Dirty? Yep. Legal? Yep.

With a color laser the solution is to set up your Microsoft Word document template so that the style sheet has all style options as pure black (code 00000) and if you want to create a footer in some light color be sure to pick a pure black tone at a grayscale of 40% or 60% or whatever. If you pick a gray from the color chart that happens to be a blue-gray or a brown-gray, you've just put color on your page. Another trick is to a set up a printing profile in the operating system printer manager that is only black and white.

That (especially) is really great information/tip.

[Dekonick]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

We needed a new printer and after some research bought a Xerox 6510/DN (basic wired color laser printer only), which spec fit our needs, has good reviews, and was on a good sale. No report yet, as it will be delivered tomorrow.

My question is:
is it OK to use third-party toner cartridges for these laser printers? There are quite a few on Amazon, etc, but the salesperson was adamant that one must use Xerox toner cartridges (and they do not even sell Xerox cartridges in the store) with Xerox printers, HP with HP, Brother with Brother, etc.

Is that really true? Will third-party cartridges really damage a printer, or do the manufacturers just want us to buy their branded $$$ cartridges? Xerox cartridges are pretty expensive, as are all the branded cartridges.


We do not do a lot of printing, so the supplied Xerox introductory cartridges will last awhile, but it would nice to save money on future cartridges if we will not be risking damaging the printer by using generics.

Is it OK to use non OEM cables, bits, brake pads, etc on your bike? A Shimano or Campy rep will swear up and down you MUST use their parts only because XYZ... yet how many of us interchange or even alter parts? Same is true for PC's. They want you to use their disposable goods... but if you find something that works, it is fine. Give it a shot.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by Dekonick

Is it OK to use non OEM cables, bits, brake pads, etc on your bike? A Shimano or Campy rep will swear up and down you MUST use their parts only because XYZ... yet how many of us interchange or even alter parts? Same is true for PC's. They want you to use their disposable goods... but if you find something that works, it is fine. Give it a shot.

Yes, that makes sense and I agree, conceptually.

But what the salesperson told me (and echoed here above) was that the printer may not "read" a third-party toner cartridge as a legitimate Xerox (in our case) cartridge, and therefore not "allow the printer to print."

So, it would not be good if rather than buy a Xerox cartridge for $85.00 we buy a third-party for $50.00...and then printer will not allow the third-party cartridge to print at all. $50.00 down the drain.

That definitely happened when we tried using third-party/refilled ink cartridges on our old HP inkjet; it would absolutely not recognize/allow the use of the generic cartridges. The message on the screen even stated so, as if we were criminals transporting contraband or something.


The Xerox Phaser 6510/DN laser printer we ordered the other day was delivered today, very fast.
Set-up was very easy, and it looks great; really heavy though!

[RFC]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

after years of futzing with inkjet printers, a few years ago i bought an inexpensive Samsung lazer printer. M2020 to be exact.

it's a breadth of fresh air. dead simple, dead reliable. knock-off toner carts from Amazon keep it running.

these days, it's mostly used for printing boarding passes (i always like to fly with a paper pass, hate using my phone for boarding), and kids ditto typed sheets. all B&W.

i'll never buy an inkjet again.

+1 This. It was a great day when I dumped the inkjet and got a lazer. Works first time every time. No more blowing out ink nozzles. What a mess.

[djg]

We have a color multi-function printer at home, but I needed to get a second printer for telework purposes. Somebody recommended a wirecutter review, which lists two top choices -- a color multi-function printer and a budget b&w laser printer. I bought the budget printer, from Brother, and it seems great for what it is -- easy to set up wired or wireless, easy to operate, relatively fast printing, and relatively inexpensive (both the purchase price and the ink). I can dig up the model if anybody wants, but the wirecutter suggestions ought to be pretty easy to find with a quick internet search. And . . . it was in stock (and discounted) at several places, so I had it quickly.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

Same. Going on 10 years with no problems.

Spoke too soon. Printer died today...