Electronics

[gardenman]

I typically do very little printing, so inkjet cartridges tend to dry up on me between print jobs. Laser is far better for me. I got about fours of use from my first toner cartridge and the cheap replacement generic ones (2for $32) are lasting even longer and performing perfectly. My printer is a $50 Samsung laser printer and has paid for itself many times over.

[irbrenda]

It all depends what you plan to print.   Photos would be an inkjet printer.  I use an HP Laserjet 4300N that is alive since 2004, and I do the maintenance myself.   It is nothing short of a serious workhorse.   Fast, dependable and toner is replaced every 18 months or sooner, depending on how much I am printing.  I buy from HP and I do use another website for much cheaper ink now that this printer is so old.  No problems at all with LD ink products.

As a court reporter, my HP is my  lifeline for printing transcripts and that means alot of volume.

For doing my photography, I have had several inkjet printers.  I love my Epson Artisan 1430 which does up to 13X19 prints.   

I did just purchase from HSN the special they had on the HP Envy 6255, and now I use the Instant Ink plan, which has its pros and cons.  But I have had zero issues with it so far.  Got a great deal on it at the time.  HP monitors the ink usage and will send ink as they see it being used up.   It's a monthly fee, well worth it so far.  Just don't run out of ink before you receive your replacement cartridge.  I guess that's the drawback.  

[RinaRina]

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@MJDinVegas wrote:

Hi, @RinaRina !  Just replaced an HP with the Epson Ecotank.  Bought it at Best Buy on sale and got $50 off by recycling the HP.  Print quality is amazing, easy filling of the tanks with no mess, easy to see ink levels.  Overall been very pleased.  I bought the ET-4760; has scanner, fax, document feeder, WiFi.  Ink is also relatively inexpensive compared to the HP cartridges.  I'll be returning mine to Costco.

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Glad to hear U like it.  That's what I'm gonna get.

Thanks!

[ValuSkr]

Another vote here for laser.  I have a Brother laser printer, bought on sale at Staples a few years ago for about $50.  It came with a starter cartridge that lasted well over a year.  The printer is black only, as I have no need for colors.  Yes, replacement cartridges can be costly; I tried a knock-off brand once and didn't have good luck so since then I've stuck with Brother cartridges.  But, I have to say, a laser cartridge costs less than two of the HP inkjet cartridges I used to buy.  I've never replaced the drum but when the time comes it might be more economical to buy a new printer.  Brother customer service is very good.

[iwrite]

@gardenman 

i have never owned an ink jet printer, but had no idea that the cartridges could dry up. that never entered my mind.

thank you for letting me know this. i am adding it to my list of reasons to tell people that ask me what type of printer they should buy, why they need to think twice about an inkjet printer.

[Nuttmeg]

@iwrite

II don't print  a lot, today and never had ink dry out.

I usually change printers, because, of a new computer or a need for better technology . 

I have used laser printers and ink jets side by side for many years. 

Laser printers are great in a business environment where you are just printing documents, envelopes and labels.

I like having my page with a touch of color. 

[Lilysmom]

I have a Brother laser printer.  Each cartridge prints 2500 pages.  Never going back to messy inkjet again.  LM

[gardenman]

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@Nuttmeg wrote:

@iwrite

II don't print  a lot, today and never had ink dry out.

I usually change printers, because, of a new computer or a need for better technology . 

I have used laser printers and ink jets side by side for many years. 

Laser printers are great in a business environment where you are just printing documents, envelopes and labels.

I like having my page with a touch of color. 

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My last inkjet printer was an Epson XP-310, and yes the ink cartridges would dry up. Not the whole cartridge, but the part at the bottom where the ink comes out. It would clot (for lack of a better word) and become unusable. Epson's response was to have me throw away the clotted cartridge and replace it with a fresh one.

Using the cleaning process typically didn't work, nor did anything else I tried. And here's the really fun part. Each time you change one cartridge the printer "recharges" the print head and according to the display, uses about an eighth of the ink in the cartridges to recharge.

So if the cyan cartridge ran out and needed to be replaced, you pretty much had to replace everything else with it. If the magenta was an eighth full and the yellow and black were a quarter full when you replaced the cyan the magenta would be sucked dry and need replacing and the yellow and black would then be at an eighth. When you then replaced the magenta the yellow and black would now be dry and need replacing and you'd have lost an eighth of the cyan already. Replace the yellow and black and you've now used a quarter of the cyan and an eighth of the magenta without printing anything.

To say that printer drank ink was an understatement. It cost about $60 each time you needed to change the cartridges and you pretty much had to throw away ink each time you did it. My laser printer is just so much more efficient than that printer. Epson used to brag about their fast-drying ink. Suffice to say it dried too fast if you didn't use the printer on a nearly daily basis and you'd have to replace one or more cartridges where the ink had dried up.

Granted, I don't print often and if you do print often you won't run into that problem. But that printer and that ink with their recharging process was just insane.

[ALRATIBA]

My preferred printer is HP officejet - it scans, copies, faxes and prints.  

I'm active in a couple of organizations ... need to be able to scan and copy in addition to printing from computer.  

Ink cartridges last me anywhere from one-three months ... depending on time of the year / activities.

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ETA:  The cartridges don't dry up .... some months I have really heavy usage when preparing handouts, etc.

[Nuttmeg]

@gardenman

The cost of ink is very expensive. I brought a printer for $120 and the ink cost $70 for a high yield black and a color cartridge. My printer is an all in one, that has two ink tanks.

I  also have a small HP laser printer. It is about 12 years old and does not even have an on and off switch. I could not make copies or scan a document. It cost $250 and a new one  today might be the same. HP has provided drivers for 12 years, and you pay for this support.