Printer recommendations?

[Dakota]

Hi all, looking to replace my Epson printer and would like to know what people around here would recommend for a decent printer.
Decent meaning not an ink hog, replacement ink not costing an arm and a leg and not priced over $150. This will be a standalone printer, so I don't need a scanner/fax/whatever.

[Mandi]

I've had three HP printers over the years, and been really happy. The big secret to not having an ink hot is to set your global printing preferences to Fast Draft (or whatever your make calls it.) 99% of the time, you'll never notice it the "lessor quality" - for the times you need something better, you just turn up the quality for that single print.

I print fairly prodigiously, and I bet I only need new ink about every . . . . 4 months? 5 months? I also have found that the $11 refill kit from Wal Mart has refilled my black perfectly well 4 times now, too.

That's something to think about - there was a recent thread in this forum about a certain brand not being compatible with refills . . . HP definately is.

I have one of the All in One type models, but I have found them to be uniformly good printers no matter how many bells and whistles they have.

****
Edit: Oh, sheesh - that first line should read "ink hog" in reference to your first post. I was on the phone with my insurance agent when I typed that. I had a fender bender today :eeww: .

[Dakota]

That's something to think about - there was a recent thread in this forum about a certain brand not being compatible with refills
Maybe they were talking about Epson?, I notice that if I refill my Epson ink cartridge, the ink monitor no longer works so I don't know when I'm low on ink.:grr: I'll browse some of the HP models, thanks for the input

[Kevin]

I just recently got one of these used for $300: http://www.samsung.com/Products/PrinterandMultifunction/DiscontinuedProducts/CLP_550NXAA.asp

It is double your price range but it sure beats every ink jet printer I have ever used including the super high quality ones that cost more.

[Andilinks]

I purchased an HP PSC 1610v Printer, scanner, copier several months ago at Wal-Mart. It was cheap ($128), easy to set up, works great. Considering the price I'm amazed at the quality. I recommend this.

The paper feed is an occasional small problem, I must reload the paper bin often to get it to feed right. It's the same with cheap paper and with HP brand paper. But I usually print just one copy at a time, on longer runs the feed is fine.

I do NOT recommend HP computers, a different story entirely.

Andi

[Evoir]

I have always liked HP printers. They also have given me great support over the years. I have a 990cse and I also use the same method of always printing in draft mode and upping the mode as needed.

I recently bought an HP 4MP laser printer (prolly 10 years old) for $10 at a garage sale, it prints quite nice, too. It is a laser printer, so I think it is much less expensive to run... pretty nice.

[Kevin]

I have had horrible luck with HP ink jet printers. Their laser printers are great but kinda pricy for their feature set.

I have owned 3 HP ink jet printers over the years and only 1 has lasted long enough to empty an ink cartridge. The last HP I bought was a real nice DeskJet 895CSE. I paid ~$400 for it thinking it would work out better than the one I had before. I would estimate that I only got about 30-40 pages from it before it died. Unfortunately my printing is rare enough that 30-40 sheets was long enough for the warranty to expire so that printer was just a really expensive piece of junk.

The Lexmark we purchased for the data center had about the same record. It sat idle for weeks at a time and then simply quit working after the warranty ended even though it had barely been used.

In short I am done with ink jet printers. I don't care if it costs me 10x more or if I have to back to a dot matrix I absolutely will not ever again buy an ink jet from any company.

So far I have been completely happy with my Samsung color laser printer. My only complaint is its physical size (it is an office printer that is as big as my TV). It prints better than an ink jet ever could, it plugs directly into my LAN so no print server is needed, and it speaks PostScript and LPD so no drivers are needed.

[Dakota]

Hmm, $103.99 for the HP PSC 1610v at http://www.shopping.hp.com , with free shipping is looking nice. Sounds lke HP has a nice reputation around here for printers(not pc's though, huh?). And the prices for replacement ink is bearable. I also have found that the $11 refill kit from Wal Mart has refilled my black perfectly
Is that where you use the syringe to refill?

Kevin, sounds like inkjet printers do not hold up well if they aren't used on a regular basis? I myself don't print a whole lot, mainly because my current printer irks me to no end with it's inconsistant printing quality. Maybe a nice printer will make printing easier and more enjoyable.

[Kevin]

Speaking of HP laser printers there is now an ancient HP LaserJet 4 at the DataCenter that got left behind when Deb and Terra moved. The old HP LaserJet 4* printers were excelent and I have no complaints about them other than the fact that they are not color like my much newer Samsung. I haven't actually printed anything with it yet other than a test page but at least I know there is a printer there that will work when I need one unlike the Lexmark that was there before.

[Randall]

I have owned 3 HP ink jet printers over the years and only 1 has lasted long enough to empty an ink cartridge. My 932C has been humming along for a few years now, and the 6122s at work are even better. All of these use the #78 and #45 ink cartridges, which can last you a good long time. If I haven't run mine in a while, I have to print two or three pages to clear all of the nozzles. But I've never had any mechanical trouble with HP inkjets, aside from the rollers which do wear out after several years of moderate use.

Last time I looked, the current HPs were all using much smaller ink cartridges, which would make for an expensive proposition if you do a lot of printing. For light-duty use they might work OK.

And contrary to Mandi and Andi's experiences, I have never met a multifunction HP that didn't give me nightmares -- inkjet or laser. The print engine is the only part you can rely on, and the software conflicts can be sheer hell.

So at Job #2 we've been buying Brother multifunction machines. The DCP 8020 (http://solutions.brother.com/dcp8020/index.html) has been holding up great, and we just bought the newer model DCP 8040 as a second copier/printer/scanner station. We've got a network card in the 8020, so we can scan over the network. (A network port comes standard on the MFC-420CN (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002UECXE/103-0005647-2376610?v=glance&n=172282) inkjet fax/printer/scanner/copier, which is a great deal for a home-office unit.) This is a company that does multifunction software right.

For inkjets, I've been stearing people toward Canon's photo printers in the $150-200 range. They have a reputation for speed and low cost per page, and the separate color cartridges are a nice feature. But no one has taken me up on it as of yet.

For straight B&W color lasers, I still buy HP. The Lexmark we purchased for the data center had about the same record. It sat idle for weeks at a time and then simply quit working after the warranty ended even though it had barely been used. Just as well, because the ink costs on those printers are outrageous. :eeww: I just recently got one of these used for $300: http://www.samsung.com/Products/Prin...LP_550NXAA.asp I have to say I've been sorely tempted by Samsung's color lasers. Been wanting a color lasr for years, back when the cheapest printer on the market was a $2500 HP. But I shy away when I remember that you're paying for 4 toner cartridges to run these things.

Randall

[Kevin]

Yes, if you have to replace all 4 toner cartridges at once it will cost a fortune. However with my volume of printing I expect the black cartridge to last at least 5 years and 3 for the colors. That is just with the starter cartridges. If I ever have to buy replacements those will last 3 times longer. A full toner cartridge lasts a long time even with an entire office printing on it.

[Andilinks]

And contrary to Mandi and Andi's experiences, I have never met a multifunction HP that didn't give me nightmares -- inkjet or laser. The print engine is the only part you can rely on, and the software conflicts can be sheer hell.I just now had occasion to print a page and had to jog and fan the paper to get it to feed, but other than that so far so good. I bought it on May 27, '05 and my printing needs are very light. I've used it with the laptop and the eMachine, no conflicts. But now I cross my fingers. :)

Andi

[Jeff]

But I shy away when I remember that you're paying for 4 toner cartridges to run these things.
Randall
Don't forget:
Drum(s) - either 1 on the old or 4 on the new color lasers.
Transfer drums / belts / kits
Fusers
etc.

Granted these last for a long time, but when you have to replace them you might find they're as expensive as these cheap entry-level lasers in total, or more.

We have one of the old $2500 HP's (actually we have a canon but it's the same print engine as they sold it to hp for rebranding) and we go through a $320 fuser every two months (~50,000), a $120 drum every month and a half (~25,000), and a $390 transfer kit every few months (~100,000).

On the new color lasers which use a transfer belt and four drums inline, the drum cost is actually slightly higher. Of course, it's a lot of prints, but sometimes when multiple things go at once, it gets expensive.

[johnfl68]

Pretty much every printer I have purchased in the last 10 years have been HP - never had problem.

My 5L laser printer I recently retired becuase the rollers are haveing trouble pulling paper, but that was from normal wear and tear, it has pulled a lot of sheets! I replaced it with a 2550 color laser. Other than being a bit noisey, when cycling just before printing, it's been great.

John

[Jeff]

My 5L laser printer I recently retired becuase the rollers are haveing trouble pulling paper,
If you still have a use for it, bet you can change the feed and separation rollers for under $20.

[johnfl68]

If you still have a use for it, bet you can change the feed and separation rollers for under $20.

The roller kit for that model is $30, the recomened maintinance kit for its age and use is $110, so not really worth it right now. you can get refurbished 5L's and 6L's on ebay for $30-$60, so not really worth fixing, I may sell it as is on ebay so it isn't taking up space.

I just looked at the supplies page for the color laser, over 1500 pages printed, and the original toner cartriges are all still above 50%!

[Randall]

Yes, if you have to replace all 4 toner cartridges at once it will cost a fortune. However with my volume of printing I expect the black cartridge to last at least 5 years and 3 for the colors. That is just with the starter cartridges. By the time you run out, new color lasers on the market will cost less than your replacement cartridges. :rasberry:

And I wasn't even thinking about drums and fusers and belts, oh my... Granted these last for a long time, but when you have to replace them you might find they're as expensive as these cheap entry-level lasers in total, or more. Not being versed in the technical details of laser printers, I suspect that we reach a point where one of those things need replacing, and having no clue, we decide it's time for a new printer. Typically the prints will start getting lighter after a while, so we jack up the density setting, and when we're at max density and it's starting to print light again, we replace the printer. My 5L laser printer I recently retired becuase the rollers are haveing trouble pulling paper, but that was from normal wear and tear, it has pulled a lot of sheets! I have not been a fan of those 5L/6L printers. It sounds counterintuitive, but their gravity feed printers don't seem to hold up as well as the tray feeders. And I don't think it's a coincidence that they stopped making printers like those, even at the low end. :wink:

Randall

[Mandi]

Oh, one more note about the Fast Draft setting: it has to be configured for each Windows user individually - log onto those profiles, and reset.

It kinda irritates me that they ship with such a wasteful printing setting, when the whole printer economy is structured around the future sales of ink. I mean, I know that's the Capitalist Way and all, but I still think it's an attempt to dupe the consumer.

[Andilinks]

I know that's the Capitalist Way and all, but I still think it's an attempt to dupe the consumer.No, setting the default at the highest level is dishonesty not capitalism. Enemies of capitalism try to promote this myth that dishonesty is the capitalist way, which is itself dishonest.

The capitalist ideal is a perfect market where all buyers have perfect market information so the sellers must compete on quality. The internet is a powerful agent for reaching this ideal. And smashing myths about dishonesty.

Andi

[Dakota]

Thought I would update this thread with the printer that I bought.
I bought an HP PSC 1610 All In One printer, and so far it's been a
positive experience. The tip on setting it to Fast Draft was much appeciated,
spits those pages out very quickly with no noticeable decrease in quality. Thanks to all who contributed. :yeah: