In my experience, about 90% of users can do just fine with a black and white laser printer (or laser all-in-one). People inflate in their mind how much they think they print and love the idea of printing their own photos, but in reality they rarely print and the last time they printed a photo was years ago. A simple black and white laser printer and 1-2 trips to the local office supply store for the occasional color print job can save a lot of people a bunch of money and frustration.
That’s actually a good point. I have a canon PIXMA printer. Barely make prints, but when I do it’s usually in bw rather than color to save cost. If it’s for cost savings, im better off with a multifunction bw laser.
I recently got my first laser printer, a mid 2000s HP P3005d, second hand from a local business that was throwing it out because it was "slow." Turns out all it needed was a new pickup roller which was an easy install. That and one $20 generic toner cartridge later, and with 100,000 pages on it, it prints like new. The driver is still compatible with Windows 11 and CUPS, and I plugged it into my Asus router's USB port and set up its built in print server function so I can print to it from any computer on the network. I'm thrilled with it and will never buy an inkjet again. If you're sick of the crackdown on generic refills, don't sleep on old printers. They're built like tanks, and they don't connect to the Internet so there's no firmware updates to be had!
HP Laser Printer 1320! I bought one new over 20 years ago and it is still running just fine. Still works with Windows 11 ! ! ! It works so well, I wanted to buy another as a back up and was able to find a refurbished printer on Amazon and it works great as well!!!
I agree with you regarding laser vs. inkjet printers. Actually, the prices for color laser printers have been coming way down so I'll be getting one soon. I'm looking at a Canon color laser for about the same price as the Brother you showed. These used to cost three times this much. My black and white laser printer is about five years old and I print to it quite rarely. I appreciate the way it prints just fine every time I do use it, something I've never experienced with an inkjet. My sister has an inkjet she doesn't use very often. If it isn't working, the solution is usually to replace the ink cartridge and then print a couple of pages to clear the print head. Thanks for doing this. Last time I looked at The Wirecutter for printer recommendations, they led off their article by saying simply that "printers suck!"
My advice is buy a Brother laser black and white or color printer. It will still be working in 10 years, has a low cost per page, and Brother doesn’t do the HP shenanigans of bricking your printer or cartridges after a certain amount of time. I’d never sign up for a printer subscription service.
If you double the speed it's more fun. I don't smoke weed or do any drugs so I can't see if it's more fun if you do those things but according to many people it might be but I can't suggest it because anything that screws with your brain is not healthy .... Man.... maybe I should slow this thing down.....
as an infrequent printer, buying a laser printer was my best decision. When I had an inkjet it was a nightmare of errors every time I needed to print. I'd waste so much ink and paper just trying to clear the errors.
I have the cheap HP printer and the $1 per month subscription (15 pages). In over a year I have exceeded the 15 pages only a couple of times. Those overages have been covered by my rollover pages. When you sign up they give you an extensive trial period and those rollover pages carry over to your plan. Last year I spent $12.60 for ink!
As an owner (fixing to be former) of an Epson et-2550, I can for sure confirm that that brand/model will brick once it reaches the arbitrary "was pad fullness". It's super easy to clean the waste pads, literally two screws and a clipped on retainer bracket to remove. But even after cleaning there's no way in the maintenance or settings of the Epson software to reset that waste pad counter. Every time I try to print I get the maintenance pop up for the waste pad capacity. Now I'm in the process of finding printer reviews, little disappointed here that this was less of a "guide" and more of a comparison of types of printers. I'll look back through this guy's videos and see if there is an actual guide on one of these tank printers (although the Epson here is a 2400 which is a little dated, so probably keep looking for something at least newer than my 2550).
They do not brick your printer. They brick the cartridges. You need only cancel your Instant Ink subscription, return HP's cartridges, buy your own, install them and you are good to go. Why people do not understand HP's simple subscription baffles me.
@@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074 ET-2550 doesn't have cartridges. So yes, once that waste pad sensor is tripped as full, you're left with a brick sitting on your table unless you send it back to Epson to pay the ransom to have it reset.
0:33 This is why I bought a color laser as soon as they became affordable. You have to basically be using an ink jet every day to keep it in top shape, where the laser could go months between prints and it's fine.
I've had cartridge based ink-jet printers in the past. Spent $100 on ink, just to use it a couple times and have it clog or dry out due to lack of use. I couldn't justify the chance of forgetting to print, or having to print full pages cyan, yellow, magenta just to clear the jets on new tank printers. Tank based ink-jets do have a use case though, just not for me. I grabbed a color laser from a big box club a year ago and I couldn't be happier. I also have a 4x6 photo printer that works great. No regrets on either purchase.
I've considered this issue for a long time. What I find works is having a B&W laser printer, a Brother that I've had for like 18 years. And for photos, using an adhoc print service, like a point of sale kiosk, or by mail online service. The per instance cost for a service is more per page in theory, but if you consider that there's no maintenance or initial cost of entry, etc - it's cheaper. If I want to have pictures of my family or other stuff on display, I can just setup a monitor or digital picture frame that runs a slide show or something. Printers only make sense if you do professional prints, and those people are not buying low-to-mid grade consumer printers. They would buy a professional printer, which isn't cheap.
@@LonSeidman yes I had one of them. Kept it for many years until about 2015. Only was replaced when I got a Color Laser printer, and having two large printers seemed impractical for the home.
I have both a Lazer printer and an ink jet. An HP 1100 series and an Epson tank model. 90% of my printing is black and white, so obviously, the HP gets the most use. I make it a point to print at least one color print each week to avoid the problem of clogged print heads.
Thanx for the video. I have three printers at home . A Canon TS8160 inkjet that only gets used for CD and DVD label printing and a test page once a week and I use 3rd party refills, A Brother HL2150N with 3rd party carts and a new Brother MFC-L3770CDW color lazer. I do have a full set of replacement Brother high capacity carts for it but haven't had to replace any yet. I usually buy all my 3rd party carts and ink from the same place and never had a out of box failure. One thing I do hate about the cheaper inktank printers is that they have a top paper feed rather than bottom feeders.
This was a great video, thanks. It's so confusing now with all the options for cartridges. I've been thinking of upgrading and having the ability to print photos is appealing. Overall I am a very light user so thanks for breaking down the use cases. BTW I have a Brother laser that probably has a decade old toner cartridge in it and works fine! Laser is the way to go for black and white documents IMO
I didn't have much choice, laser printers are € 150+ non multifunctional and monochrome only, tanks printers cost around €250 and none of them even have automatic duplex, finally bought a 4-in-one Brother inkjet with 4 cartridges that are expensive af, I hope that would do it because i've had enough with HP printers scams, I can' afford a multifunctional color laser
Highly recommend an epson EcoTank (the second cheapest one in particular.) Yes it’s slightly more expensive but it comes with an inc bottle in each colour that should last you for the first year or two. The replacement bottle only costs between 10-20 bucks and again, will last you for over a year. These printers even come with a no mess, no extra products self cleaning cycle incase your printer does get clogged by dry ink. The initial cost will quickly repay itself!
Thanks for this. I'm looking at printing options for a potential (very small) business, color labels, possibly some custom stickers, and I haven't shopped for a printer in actual decades (flashback to printing off college term papers the night before and praying the printer didn't jam!). I didn't realize ink subscriptions were actually a really competitive way to go
I had same experience with inkjets and will never buy another again. I have 2 lasers printers. One multi function hp color and a black and white brother.
My friend has purchased so many of these cheapo Inkjet printers that I've lost count. Meanwhile I've had the same laser printer for well over a decade and it's been rock solid. For photos I'd suggest either using a photo printing service or get a dye sublimation printer. Either way you'll get better photos than you can with an Inkjet.
I have an old Epson NX430 I bought used for $30 like 8 years ago. Once I found some generic cartridges that actually worked consistently I was good to go. Unfortunately I print very seldom (mostly just shipping labels) so I do have to replace cartridges that are barely used every once and a while, but since the machine still works with generics it doesn't cost much. It prints slow, but I barely ever print anything so I don't mind. And Wi-Fi printing surprisingly still works fine after all these years. I was considering getting a laser printer, but I think I'll stick with old reliable. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Great information, concise, organize and well delivered. The subscription segment was alarming. I thought you were just paying to have the unit communicate when the toner/ink is low and when to send more toner/ink. The subscription should not have the power to deactivate the chip in the printer if payment is stopper or service is cancelled. This is persuading me to go with the toner/ink. BTW: I have experienced the issue with a 3rd-Party printer head on my HP 8600E. The new head worked for 6 pages and now I get a constant printer failure error and the unit is in excellent condition. Oh Well!
I do not print a lot of pages per month on my ink jet. I had problems with clogs as you pointed out in your video. I used both HP and non HP cartridges and both would clog because of my low volume. HP did work better than the no name brands. Several years ago I subscribed to the HP ink program and I am a very happy customer. First the cartridges seem to contain more ink than the over the counter ones and I have not had any problems with clogs at all using these subscription cartridges. It seems to me that the cartridges and or ink are of a better quality than they sell retail. I am very happy with my HP subscription and will use it as long as HP offers this high quality of service and product in the years to come.
Nice video on the printers, thanks. On the new Epson EcoTank printers, the user can easily replace the sponge you are talking about. The sponge comes built into a "maintenance box," which can easily be replaced from outside the printer without ever touching the sponge itself. The printer will let you know when it is time to replace it, and the one for my printer only cost me $16 at Staples. There would be no need to return the printer for this routine maintenance.
@@paulwarner5395 I see some Canon "maintenance boxes" with the built-in sponge available for certain Canon printers at B&H Photo. Hopefully, they have one that will work with your printer. From what I am seeing, some other Canon printers don't make it as easy as replacing the "maintenance box," one would have to do some DIY cleaning of the sponge and hope the printer would recognize the clean sponge and continue to operate. Good luck with your printer.
Let's not overlook the drivers. HP's driver/app is very annoying. It requires you to create an account to use it. Canon's driver download website is a mess. I've found that Epson and Brother are the best when it comes to drivers. I personally have a Brother b+w laser printer/scanner/copier. I've had it for at least 8 years at this point and it still works great.
I agree on the longevity of laser, have an HP 1102W many years old and it is very reliable. I was discussing printing/print cartridges with someone in their early 30s and their attitude was like "What? Why is this a thing, I don't even own a printer"... I am older than that and print so rarely I am not interested in subscriptions, cartridge DRM, or any type of ongoing games these printer companies are trying to play. (For example, a printer/scanner combo where the scanner doesn't work unless ink cartridges are installed.) Recently found a new-in-box Epson inkjet for 1/3 the price on an auction site to replace my 2006 inkjet that died last month.
Just canceled my hp ink program. They shut off the existing ink and require you to install factory ink cartridges. The roll over expires and due to our low volume we were billed anther month to close. Never never again.
I still have and use my ancient Canon MP240 color inkjet printer. I got around the ink cartridge price by buying third-party cartridge and now just hand refilling them with generic ink myself. I was looking forward to get a ink tank printer as I still do want to print out photos but reflecting that I print kinda rarely, I might just get a laser printer and if I want down the line, a dedicated portable small format photo printer.
Lon been watching your reviews for years your making us both old lol. Anyway i have an HP Officejet Pro 9025 and i am on HP ink program no complaints here just an observation. I have never seen ink cartridges that i bought from a store last as long as what is sent to me on HP ink program. The cartridges must be jammed with ink from HP program where their store bought is just half full. I have not been able to find any info to prove this but trust me my printing is very consistent on a yearly basis they are filling those cartridges up lol . Any knowledge on this is much appreciated. David
you're only as old as you feel! :). So HP does in fact state in their FAQ that the carts hold more ink - they definitely have a greater capacity vs. retail carts: www.hp.com/gb-en/printers/instant-ink/faq.html
Sadly the tank based printers have become a huge waste of money. While the ink is cheaper per page, the companies charge far more up front but the idea is that it is suppose to save you money in the long run. The problem is that they add a waste tank or waste sponge, where the printer will count it as full after a certain number of page prints, after the limit is reached, there is often no way to reset it, even if you clean the sponge. At that point, the company will charge you a steep service fee. Due to this issue, many people who purchased eco-tank printers, ended up not really saving anything over the more traditional cartridge based printer. PS, for the eco tank printers, when the waste sponge is listed as full, often it is only around 2% full in real life since ink loses a lot of its volume as it dries. This is why cartridge based printers do not really bother you about a waste tank/ sponge. The issue seems to be that pushing the tank based printers are shifting the additional markup of a traditional ink cartridge, to the maintenance cost of the printer. The up front higher cost of an ecotank vs the similarly spec cartridge based printer, already makes it so that before you print enough for the raw ink cost per page gets anywhere near the cost difference of the printer, then it is already time to have the printer serviced. That service cost then acts as a major setback in savings, and unless you trust the printer to last 20 years, odds are that you will not come out ahead in terms of total cost of ownership before the printer fails and you need to buy a new one.
Thanks for this video! I don't follow your logic about subscriptions being cheaper. Clearly, if that were universally true, manufacturers wouldn't be offering them. Once you commit to the subscription with any product , the responsibility of making it cost effective falls on you, otherwise it stays with the manufacturer as it should.
Nowadays you can buy lease turn in commercial multi function copiers/printers for cheap. They usually come tuned up with full ink and you will likely never have to buy ink again.
Laser printer is my choice - my brother is 10 years old, and the toner cost nothing (does not need to be original). Small photos is done by a canon spelhy, larger photoprints i better and a lot cheaper to order at a proff. printshop than an ink-printer.
I have a Pantum mono all in one laser printer and the instructions tell you how to refill the cartridge with toner. This is why I bought the Pantum printer as 100ml of toner powder is just over $15
Had an HP PhotoSmart 6520 for 11 years but killed it last year by not using. Replaced with an Epson Et-4850 two years ago. No it isn’t as accurate as the old HP but it doesn’t cost an arm and leg for cartridges. I have used 1/4 of the ink and printed a heck of a bunch of photos. I like ink jet for best photos . Having only three colors CYMK is maybe not the best but calibrated screen and ICC print profiles it’s very good for home, plus I have used the scanner. Prints from iOS and MS wirelessly no problems. While I do like the feel of laser b/w text melted on top of the paper but I don’t own one.
Substructions are good if you print at the rate you signed up for. For us it's maddening, since we can go for months with printing at the expected rate but then sporadically print a lot. Rollover pages are only for the last 3 months so don't bank for the year. So, if you print 100 pages after in 3 months without rollover you get hit with large fees. I'd like to see any annual or semi-annual plan.
I’ve basically been spoiled at work. I’ve usually worn many hats. So until very recently I was only person with ay sort of graphic design knowledge around. That meant that I’ve had a large format, Canon, pro-ish level printer in my office. It prints photos beautifully, and unlike the cheaper inkjets I can print only once in a while and not have any major issues. Meanwhile at home, we have an HP that is now useless. Last time I tried to print anything on it, i was completely clogged up and no amount of cleaning fixed it. We don’t have to print very often at home, and I can usually print things out on the general copier/printers at work. But every once in a while, on a weekend, I get in trouble… I’ve been biding my time, thinking about getting a B/W laser printer on clearance at some point, but every time I even mention my hatred for the old one, my spouse rolls her eyes so hard. And points out how infrequently it’s needed.
the HP print heads cost around $60 for both print heads together. I tried hp ink option subscription and i didn't like it, so i recommend just buying the ink if you have a tank printer as the ink last atleast 2 years and i am a student and i print alot. Cost around $66 for the full ink set
My experience this month is the ink tanks are superb value UNTIL you get a paper jam. My Epson ink tank does not allow me to remove the back cover to get at the jam trapped in the back section. Absolutely crazy situation. I wish people when reviewing printers cover this aspect. I do not want to have to get involved with online chats , maybe a service . My old HP allows me to open the back easily. So frustrating .
My parents got a new hp printer scanner combo for Christmas. I being my family's IT they had me set it up on the Wi-Fi for them. The frustrating thing I found about that is the scanner portion of it requires an HP account because when I tried to test it with the Windows scanning app from the Windows store it would just are out the printer and I would have to unplug and plug it back in to reset it
My laser died. I got a $70 HP laser at Walmart. It was on clearance. I don't like the fact that I need to be connected to the internet to print. Normally that would be a deal breaker. But at $70, it's cool. The scanner is also a great thing to have at home.
Question - I need simple - Just a b&w printer (2-3 times a year) connects to computer only (no cell phone crap) to print b&w. Can you recommend one please.
Thank you, Lon. This was quite informative about the current state of both Inkjet and Laser printers. I did have one question not directly related to this video and that is, are there printer manufacturers that us solvent based inks vs. water based. My understanding for printing pictures, solvent base is far superior and long lasting whereas, the water-based pictures fade over time.
Thanks Lon! I will be looking for a printer for producing watercolor prints. I would love a review/overview of what to look for. Epson is my current frontrunner but your comment, regarding the sponge replacement, has me wondering if that is a point of concern.
The issue I have is, the inside of my printer drys up. I have to inject cleaning solution inside the printer and let it set for sometime for it to work. I have a solution to my problem, once my black ink is used up. I will drill a hole in the cartridge and fill it with cleaning solution, plug the hole with something.
Nice. Thanks good info. Didn't know about the subscription models. Doesn't quite seem like the best market to be doing that lol. Bought one of the cheapest canon laser printers the other day. Works pretty good. Sharp image
I do own four Epson Ink Tank printers and I'll tell you why it's advisable to go with ink tank printers if you're someone like me. I have Epson L15180, Epson L805, Epson M2170, Epson M3170. I do print documents and colour printouts for my students on a daily basis. Sometimes when the demand is high, I print in thousands. Sometimes I don't print at all even for a couple of weeks. What I usually do is I clean the print head and start printing again which is not a big deal. When it comes to maintenance box, I've replaced three times for my Epson M2170 and I've printed more than 100000 pages. So, there you go.
back in they day, printer drivers were some of the hardest problems to crack, if you could get up on like 12 of the most popular apps and their print drivers, you could make a decent living :)
I have both, I only use the scanner on the cheap ink jet and print with the laser. It's now running low on toner, so I am looking to replace it with a generic toner. I hate that the inkjet asks for a user and password every now and again to use the scanner.
What about printers on Linux machines? I am pretty new to Linux. Of my 2 printers, one worked with Linux fine. My Epson XP-850, no love. I am shopping printers lately, to use on Linux. A bit of a research project.
From experience, I would personally just stick with laser printers that understand PCL or even PostScript. They "just work." Many inkjets seem to use a proprietary "language." I don't know if any inkjets exist that actually understand PCL or PS. Some manufacturers might offer Linux drivers (or printer definition files) on some inkjet models, but you're usually totally on your own installing them.
Spend over 200 and get a mega tank, I did, well worth it. Can't even use the ink up, printed out 100's of pics. I have 6000 color and 16000 black printing left. 4 by 6 pics. My Canon prints out amazing pics as well. well worth the 200.
My hp8600 is dead according to hp. I recently have been using generic ink. Is it possible to flush out the printer and start over or is it really ruined?
Hp wanted to remote into my computer when I tried to get some ink cartridges replaced that stopped working on their subscription thing, so I threw the printer away and got a Brother B&W laser printer and have never looked back.
I had an hp 8600 officejet for a long time. Last time I needed new cartridges I ordered from HP and they didn't work. Hp was of no help, so I ended up with a Canon MF753cdw color laser for $300.00. Funny thing. I've only printed black and white pages for the last 2 months. My black cartridge is still 100% but the other 3 C, M Y are at 90%. Am I missing something??
Just curious which color laser printers are capable of printing on standard business ENVELOPES. This is a specification that's usually impossible to find while shopping for a color laser....also which color lasers do NOT have individual toner cartridges to replace only the colors that get depleted more often.
I have an HP InkJet and buy my Carts from Ebay. The carts are real HP and cost far less than from other sites. The carts always validate as HP. I've been doing this for years and have only one bad cart.
Do laserjet color printers need to be perfectly level. Im getting a black streak on left side of paper . I have a hp m277dw and yes im using Amazon toner
Hey Lon...I have been using HP ink jet printers for years without issue. I tend to opt for the OfficeJet models rather than their Deskjet models. I also am a part of Instant Ink with paper. We print moderately but all in all this ink subscription has worked very well for at least 5 years.
I table conventions and markets and I've been trying to figure out a kind of printer that can sit for a while and not clog up, as well as have a decent ink cost for the amount I print for these events. I was thinking I'd go for a tank printer because of the lower ink cost and how much ink you get, but the maintenance alone seems like more of hassle I'd like to deal with especially if I'm on a deadline to print things off. Laserjet seems the way to go if it can sit for a while, but I heard there more for text documents than images so I'm worried that my image quality will suffer and I'd be paying even more for toner than I would if I stick with my inkjet printer
It really depends what you're printing out. If you're doing a lot of photos an inkjet is better but for most other types of documents a laser is just fine.
Printer companies have been trying to scam people for years, that's why I don't bother with printers anymore, if I need to print something or whatever I'll just head over to a local copy place and get someone else to print it for me, I save time and hassling with printer issues/costs.
I had ONE cartridge get low. I bought a set to replace just the one and each time my printer started displaying low ink for another cartridge. All that with very little usage. I think it's scummy I have a piece of hardware that tells me how to use it. I want to print to failure. I should be able to run it completely dry instead of being forced to change it. We need dumb tech again. There's no need for all this oversight from the company who's incentive is to have you waste ink for more sales. How environmental is that?
need help should i go with Canon - imageCLASS MF455dw Wireless Black-and-White All-In-One Laser Printer with Fax $219.99 or Canon - imageCLASS MF654Cdw Wireless Color All-In-One Laser Printer $299.99. i might do color once or twice a year
Inkjet printers are a scam. Unless you are priting lots of photos on a daily basis, its laser all the way. The reality too is that most color laser printers can print pretty good photos now on standard paper. If you are doing something like brochures a laser printer would be a much better option. Also regarding the state page counts, usually you can get even more pages than promised if you turn off your printers low toner warning. I often get well over 200 pages more printing after the low toner warning comes on.
Does the high end tank printers like Epson Workforce Pro have the same problem of ink getting stuck if not used? Are the prints sharper like laser? Only problem I have with color laser is its size. They are usually too big.
There's one problem with printers there isn't. Envelope printer and envelope printed a Prince greatly envelopes nothing else but envelopes. That's what I'm looking for a printer. The principally an only envelopes number 10 if you really want to know number 10 envelopes. Is needs to be a printer strictly for envelopes?
Great review. One thing worth mentioning that I don't think Lon touched on: part of what makes the ink subscription plans a good value is that cleaning cycles don't count against your allotment. If you're an occasional user, the cleaning cycles could be eating up a lot of the ink you use. I agree with Lon that lasers are best overall, but if you really need the lower up-front cost of an inkjet, or color, then a subscription is a good way to go.
yes if you do own a ink jet printer remove the carteages after use but them in a bag I refuse to buy a ink printer ever again they do not last if you want a great color printer only go with a brother lazerjet that has duplex front and back saves on paper too
Pro tip: for those with clogging carts who infrequently print but need a inkjet for their usecase. HP does not bill for maintenance prints. This means you can keep running it until it works again :)
Another scam these companies are doing is marketing "Laser Quality Output" with "digital color" WTF does any of that mean? Well, if it says it's a quality *_like_* product that means it's not that thing. And when has anything in modern consumer computers *_NOT_* been digital? All of those weasel words tell me one thing, it's a "scam." And just to seal the deal on it being a scam all the ones I've looked at have a forced refresh subscription, if you don't pay up they'll shut your printer off. And don't think you can just block its internet access because it has an internal timer and will shut off anyway if you don't feed it Seymour.
I'll never go back to inkjet. Period. And HP can shove their hostile ink subscription model where the sun doesn't shine. It only creates more problems than solving problems.
In my experience, about 90% of users can do just fine with a black and white laser printer (or laser all-in-one). People inflate in their mind how much they think they print and love the idea of printing their own photos, but in reality they rarely print and the last time they printed a photo was years ago. A simple black and white laser printer and 1-2 trips to the local office supply store for the occasional color print job can save a lot of people a bunch of money and frustration.
That’s actually a good point. I have a canon PIXMA printer. Barely make prints, but when I do it’s usually in bw rather than color to save cost. If it’s for cost savings, im better off with a multifunction bw laser.
I recently got my first laser printer, a mid 2000s HP P3005d, second hand from a local business that was throwing it out because it was "slow." Turns out all it needed was a new pickup roller which was an easy install. That and one $20 generic toner cartridge later, and with 100,000 pages on it, it prints like new. The driver is still compatible with Windows 11 and CUPS, and I plugged it into my Asus router's USB port and set up its built in print server function so I can print to it from any computer on the network. I'm thrilled with it and will never buy an inkjet again.
If you're sick of the crackdown on generic refills, don't sleep on old printers. They're built like tanks, and they don't connect to the Internet so there's no firmware updates to be had!
can you please recommend some types.
HP Laser Printer 1320! I bought one new over 20 years ago and it is still running just fine. Still works with Windows 11 ! ! !
It works so well, I wanted to buy another as a back up and was able to find a refurbished printer on Amazon and it works great as well!!!
Wow, you're a top tech tinkerer who has engineering savvy. Wish I could do that
I agree with you regarding laser vs. inkjet printers.
Actually, the prices for color laser printers have been coming way down so I'll be getting one soon. I'm looking at a Canon color laser for about the same price as the Brother you showed. These used to cost three times this much.
My black and white laser printer is about five years old and I print to it quite rarely. I appreciate the way it prints just fine every time I do use it, something I've never experienced with an inkjet.
My sister has an inkjet she doesn't use very often. If it isn't working, the solution is usually to replace the ink cartridge and then print a couple of pages to clear the print head.
Thanks for doing this. Last time I looked at The Wirecutter for printer recommendations, they led off their article by saying simply that "printers suck!"
I always enjoy your videos Lon - informative, to-the-point, comprehensive yet concise, and entertaining. Keep up the good work.
My advice is buy a Brother laser black and white or color printer. It will still be working in 10 years, has a low cost per page, and Brother doesn’t do the HP shenanigans of bricking your printer or cartridges after a certain amount of time. I’d never sign up for a printer subscription service.
So right about subscriptions. Me neither, would never consider it.
I have no need for a printer, but I'm excitedly about to watch a 17 minute long video about printers 😂😂
Yes!
You think you dont need but once you get one. Its a godsend.
Always good to keep yourself updated on tech :D
If you double the speed it's more fun.
I don't smoke weed or do any drugs so I can't see if it's more fun if you do those things but according to many people it might be but I can't suggest it because anything that screws with your brain is not healthy ....
Man.... maybe I should slow this thing down.....
We could be friends 😆😆😆
as an infrequent printer, buying a laser printer was my best decision.
When I had an inkjet it was a nightmare of errors every time I needed to print.
I'd waste so much ink and paper just trying to clear the errors.
I only occasionally print as well and use a laser printer for that reason. I had a set of toner cartridges last 5 years.
I have the cheap HP printer and the $1 per month subscription (15 pages). In over a year I have exceeded the 15 pages only a couple of times. Those overages have been covered by my rollover pages. When you sign up they give you an extensive trial period and those rollover pages carry over to your plan. Last year I spent $12.60 for ink!
I never want a company to be able to remotely brick my printer
As an owner (fixing to be former) of an Epson et-2550, I can for sure confirm that that brand/model will brick once it reaches the arbitrary "was pad fullness". It's super easy to clean the waste pads, literally two screws and a clipped on retainer bracket to remove. But even after cleaning there's no way in the maintenance or settings of the Epson software to reset that waste pad counter. Every time I try to print I get the maintenance pop up for the waste pad capacity. Now I'm in the process of finding printer reviews, little disappointed here that this was less of a "guide" and more of a comparison of types of printers. I'll look back through this guy's videos and see if there is an actual guide on one of these tank printers (although the Epson here is a 2400 which is a little dated, so probably keep looking for something at least newer than my 2550).
They do not brick your printer. They brick the cartridges. You need only cancel your Instant Ink subscription, return HP's cartridges, buy your own, install them and you are good to go. Why people do not understand HP's simple subscription baffles me.
@@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074 ET-2550 doesn't have cartridges. So yes, once that waste pad sensor is tripped as full, you're left with a brick sitting on your table unless you send it back to Epson to pay the ransom to have it reset.
@@jimjones6960
Notice I said Instant Ink, yes? Epson has no Instant Ink. That is HP's subscription program.
0:33 This is why I bought a color laser as soon as they became affordable. You have to basically be using an ink jet every day to keep it in top shape, where the laser could go months between prints and it's fine.
To keep an inkjet(the inktank variety) you have to use to use it once a week or 10 days and print about 4-5 pages. Easy peasy!
Which product of color laser printer did you buy?
I've had cartridge based ink-jet printers in the past. Spent $100 on ink, just to use it a couple times and have it clog or dry out due to lack of use. I couldn't justify the chance of forgetting to print, or having to print full pages cyan, yellow, magenta just to clear the jets on new tank printers. Tank based ink-jets do have a use case though, just not for me.
I grabbed a color laser from a big box club a year ago and I couldn't be happier. I also have a 4x6 photo printer that works great. No regrets on either purchase.
I've considered this issue for a long time. What I find works is having a B&W laser printer, a Brother that I've had for like 18 years. And for photos, using an adhoc print service, like a point of sale kiosk, or by mail online service.
The per instance cost for a service is more per page in theory, but if you consider that there's no maintenance or initial cost of entry, etc - it's cheaper. If I want to have pictures of my family or other stuff on display, I can just setup a monitor or digital picture frame that runs a slide show or something.
Printers only make sense if you do professional prints, and those people are not buying low-to-mid grade consumer printers. They would buy a professional printer, which isn't cheap.
Good video, i mainly been a LaserJet fan since the 90s. For me the laser has the better overall value.
I once had a legendary LaserJet 4 !
@@LonSeidman yes I had one of them. Kept it for many years until about 2015. Only was replaced when I got a Color Laser printer, and having two large printers seemed impractical for the home.
@@LonSeidmanCool
I have both a Lazer printer and an ink jet. An HP 1100 series and an Epson tank model. 90% of my printing is black and white, so obviously, the HP gets the most use. I make it a point to print at least one color print each week to avoid the problem of clogged print heads.
Thanx for the video. I have three printers at home . A Canon TS8160 inkjet that only gets used for CD and DVD label printing and a test page once a week and I use 3rd party refills, A Brother HL2150N with 3rd party carts and a new Brother MFC-L3770CDW color lazer. I do have a full set of replacement Brother high capacity carts for it but haven't had to replace any yet. I usually buy all my 3rd party carts and ink from the same place and never had a out of box failure. One thing I do hate about the cheaper inktank printers is that they have a top paper feed rather than bottom feeders.
Thank you, new sub. Best review I have watched all day. You have helped me select the perfect printer for my needs. Thank you so much!
I switched to a color laser last year and love it. Photos are not very good but I never print them any more. I’m not a high volume user.
Have you printed a b & w photo with it? If so, how was the quality?
I’ve found the generic cartridges for my Canon AIO last longer than the official ones. As long as they continue to work, I will continue to buy them.
This was a great video, thanks. It's so confusing now with all the options for cartridges. I've been thinking of upgrading and having the ability to print photos is appealing. Overall I am a very light user so thanks for breaking down the use cases. BTW I have a Brother laser that probably has a decade old toner cartridge in it and works fine! Laser is the way to go for black and white documents IMO
Thanks for the informative video. I was looking at “tank” printers but now am going to get a laser printer. Keep up the great work.
I’ll never buy an ink based printer ever again.
I didn't have much choice, laser printers are € 150+ non multifunctional and monochrome only, tanks printers cost around €250 and none of them even have automatic duplex, finally bought a 4-in-one Brother inkjet with 4 cartridges that are expensive af, I hope that would do it because i've had enough with HP printers scams, I can' afford a multifunctional color laser
Ditto. Particularly not HP. Their conduct is egregious.
Highly recommend an epson EcoTank (the second cheapest one in particular.) Yes it’s slightly more expensive but it comes with an inc bottle in each colour that should last you for the first year or two. The replacement bottle only costs between 10-20 bucks and again, will last you for over a year. These printers even come with a no mess, no extra products self cleaning cycle incase your printer does get clogged by dry ink. The initial cost will quickly repay itself!
Thanks for this. I'm looking at printing options for a potential (very small) business, color labels, possibly some custom stickers, and I haven't shopped for a printer in actual decades (flashback to printing off college term papers the night before and praying the printer didn't jam!). I didn't realize ink subscriptions were actually a really competitive way to go
I had same experience with inkjets and will never buy another again. I have 2 lasers printers. One multi function hp color and a black and white brother.
My friend has purchased so many of these cheapo Inkjet printers that I've lost count. Meanwhile I've had the same laser printer for well over a decade and it's been rock solid. For photos I'd suggest either using a photo printing service or get a dye sublimation printer. Either way you'll get better photos than you can with an Inkjet.
I have an old Epson NX430 I bought used for $30 like 8 years ago. Once I found some generic cartridges that actually worked consistently I was good to go. Unfortunately I print very seldom (mostly just shipping labels) so I do have to replace cartridges that are barely used every once and a while, but since the machine still works with generics it doesn't cost much. It prints slow, but I barely ever print anything so I don't mind. And Wi-Fi printing surprisingly still works fine after all these years.
I was considering getting a laser printer, but I think I'll stick with old reliable. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Great information, concise, organize and well delivered. The subscription segment was alarming. I thought you were just paying to have the unit communicate when the toner/ink is low and when to send more toner/ink. The subscription should not have the power to deactivate the chip in the printer if payment is stopper or service is cancelled. This is persuading me to go with the toner/ink. BTW: I have experienced the issue with a 3rd-Party printer head on my HP 8600E. The new head worked for 6 pages and now I get a constant printer failure error and the unit is in excellent condition. Oh Well!
I do not print a lot of pages per month on my ink jet. I had problems with clogs as you pointed out in your video. I used both HP and non HP cartridges and both would clog because of my low volume. HP did work better than the no name brands. Several years ago I subscribed to the HP ink program and I am a very happy customer. First the cartridges seem to contain more ink than the over the counter ones and I have not had any problems with clogs at all using these subscription cartridges. It seems to me that the cartridges and or ink are of a better quality than they sell retail. I am very happy with my HP subscription and will use it as long as HP offers this high quality of service and product in the years to come.
Nice video on the printers, thanks. On the new Epson EcoTank printers, the user can easily replace the sponge you are talking about. The sponge comes built into a "maintenance box," which can easily be replaced from outside the printer without ever touching the sponge itself. The printer will let you know when it is time to replace it, and the one for my printer only cost me $16 at Staples. There would be no need to return the printer for this routine maintenance.
I thought that Canon was doing the same now but can't find a link to it.
@@paulwarner5395 I see some Canon "maintenance boxes" with the built-in sponge available for certain Canon printers at B&H Photo. Hopefully, they have one that will work with your printer. From what I am seeing, some other Canon printers don't make it as easy as replacing the "maintenance box," one would have to do some DIY cleaning of the sponge and hope the printer would recognize the clean sponge and continue to operate. Good luck with your printer.
Let's not overlook the drivers.
HP's driver/app is very annoying. It requires you to create an account to use it.
Canon's driver download website is a mess.
I've found that Epson and Brother are the best when it comes to drivers.
I personally have a Brother b+w laser printer/scanner/copier.
I've had it for at least 8 years at this point and it still works great.
I agree on the longevity of laser, have an HP 1102W many years old and it is very reliable. I was discussing printing/print cartridges with someone in their early 30s and their attitude was like "What? Why is this a thing, I don't even own a printer"... I am older than that and print so rarely I am not interested in subscriptions, cartridge DRM, or any type of ongoing games these printer companies are trying to play. (For example, a printer/scanner combo where the scanner doesn't work unless ink cartridges are installed.) Recently found a new-in-box Epson inkjet for 1/3 the price on an auction site to replace my 2006 inkjet that died last month.
Just canceled my hp ink program. They shut off the existing ink and require you to install factory ink cartridges. The roll over expires and due to our low volume we were billed anther month to close. Never never again.
Yes its a scam
Very good comparison thank you
I still have and use my ancient Canon MP240 color inkjet printer. I got around the ink cartridge price by buying third-party cartridge and now just hand refilling them with generic ink myself. I was looking forward to get a ink tank printer as I still do want to print out photos but reflecting that I print kinda rarely, I might just get a laser printer and if I want down the line, a dedicated portable small format photo printer.
Lon been watching your reviews for years your making us both old lol. Anyway i have an HP Officejet Pro 9025 and i am on HP ink program no complaints here just an observation. I have never seen ink cartridges that i bought from a store last as long as what is sent to me on HP ink program. The cartridges must be jammed with ink from HP program where their store bought is just half full. I have not been able to find any info to prove this but trust me my printing is very consistent on a yearly basis they are filling those cartridges up lol . Any knowledge on this is much appreciated. David
you're only as old as you feel! :). So HP does in fact state in their FAQ that the carts hold more ink - they definitely have a greater capacity vs. retail carts: www.hp.com/gb-en/printers/instant-ink/faq.html
Sadly the tank based printers have become a huge waste of money. While the ink is cheaper per page, the companies charge far more up front but the idea is that it is suppose to save you money in the long run. The problem is that they add a waste tank or waste sponge, where the printer will count it as full after a certain number of page prints, after the limit is reached, there is often no way to reset it, even if you clean the sponge. At that point, the company will charge you a steep service fee.
Due to this issue, many people who purchased eco-tank printers, ended up not really saving anything over the more traditional cartridge based printer.
PS, for the eco tank printers, when the waste sponge is listed as full, often it is only around 2% full in real life since ink loses a lot of its volume as it dries. This is why cartridge based printers do not really bother you about a waste tank/ sponge.
The issue seems to be that pushing the tank based printers are shifting the additional markup of a traditional ink cartridge, to the maintenance cost of the printer. The up front higher cost of an ecotank vs the similarly spec cartridge based printer, already makes it so that before you print enough for the raw ink cost per page gets anywhere near the cost difference of the printer, then it is already time to have the printer serviced. That service cost then acts as a major setback in savings, and unless you trust the printer to last 20 years, odds are that you will not come out ahead in terms of total cost of ownership before the printer fails and you need to buy a new one.
Thanks for this video! I don't follow your logic about subscriptions being cheaper. Clearly, if that were universally true, manufacturers wouldn't be offering them. Once you commit to the subscription with any product , the responsibility of making it cost effective falls on you, otherwise it stays with the manufacturer as it should.
Nowadays you can buy lease turn in commercial multi function copiers/printers for cheap. They usually come tuned up with full ink and you will likely never have to buy ink again.
Where from?
Laser printer is my choice - my brother is 10 years old, and the toner cost nothing (does not need to be original). Small photos is done by a canon spelhy, larger photoprints i better and a lot cheaper to order at a proff. printshop than an ink-printer.
Brother its not color laser printer in budgeth price with scanner for home usage !!
I have a Pantum mono all in one laser printer and the instructions tell you how to refill the cartridge with toner. This is why I bought the Pantum printer as 100ml of toner powder is just over $15
Had an HP PhotoSmart 6520 for 11 years but killed it last year by not using. Replaced with an Epson Et-4850 two years ago. No it isn’t as accurate as the old HP but it doesn’t cost an arm and leg for cartridges. I have used 1/4 of the ink and printed a heck of a bunch of photos. I like ink jet for best photos . Having only three colors CYMK is maybe not the best but calibrated screen and ICC print profiles it’s very good for home, plus I have used the scanner. Prints from iOS and MS wirelessly no problems. While I do like the feel of laser b/w text melted on top of the paper but I don’t own one.
Substructions are good if you print at the rate you signed up for. For us it's maddening, since we can go for months with printing at the expected rate but then sporadically print a lot. Rollover pages are only for the last 3 months so don't bank for the year. So, if you print 100 pages after in 3 months without rollover you get hit with large fees. I'd like to see any annual or semi-annual plan.
I’ve basically been spoiled at work. I’ve usually worn many hats. So until very recently I was only person with ay sort of graphic design knowledge around. That meant that I’ve had a large format, Canon, pro-ish level printer in my office. It prints photos beautifully, and unlike the cheaper inkjets I can print only once in a while and not have any major issues. Meanwhile at home, we have an HP that is now useless. Last time I tried to print anything on it, i was completely clogged up and no amount of cleaning fixed it.
We don’t have to print very often at home, and I can usually print things out on the general copier/printers at work. But every once in a while, on a weekend, I get in trouble… I’ve been biding my time, thinking about getting a B/W laser printer on clearance at some point, but every time I even mention my hatred for the old one, my spouse rolls her eyes so hard. And points out how infrequently it’s needed.
the HP print heads cost around $60 for both print heads together. I tried hp ink option subscription and i didn't like it, so i recommend just buying the ink if you have a tank printer as the ink last atleast 2 years and i am a student and i print alot. Cost around $66 for the full ink set
My older brother printer has a button sequence to reset the page counter if it gets stupid when changing toner cartridges.
My experience this month is the ink tanks are superb value UNTIL you get a paper jam. My Epson ink tank does not allow me to remove the back cover to get at the jam trapped in the back section. Absolutely crazy situation. I wish people when reviewing printers cover this aspect. I do not want to have to get involved with online chats , maybe a service . My old HP allows me to open the back easily. So frustrating .
My parents got a new hp printer scanner combo for Christmas. I being my family's IT they had me set it up on the Wi-Fi for them. The frustrating thing I found about that is the scanner portion of it requires an HP account because when I tried to test it with the Windows scanning app from the Windows store it would just are out the printer and I would have to unplug and plug it back in to reset it
My laser died. I got a $70 HP laser at Walmart. It was on clearance. I don't like the fact that I need to be connected to the internet to print. Normally that would be a deal breaker. But at $70, it's cool. The scanner is also a great thing to have at home.
Question - I need simple - Just a b&w printer (2-3 times a year) connects to computer only (no cell phone crap) to print b&w. Can you recommend one please.
Thank you, Lon. This was quite informative about the current state of both Inkjet and Laser printers. I did have one question not directly related to this video and that is, are there printer manufacturers that us solvent based inks vs. water based. My understanding for printing pictures, solvent base is far superior and long lasting whereas, the water-based pictures fade over time.
Very well explained, thank you!!
Thanks Lon! I will be looking for a printer for producing watercolor prints. I would love a review/overview of what to look for. Epson is my current frontrunner but your comment, regarding the sponge replacement, has me wondering if that is a point of concern.
Lon what kind of buying guide is this? How about comparing and contrasting different models? etc...
This video was an overview of market choices, you can see individual reviews in the playlist.
Would like to hear your thoughts on which printers give you the best photo print quality. Maybe break it down by brand and model and price ranges?
The issue I have is, the inside of my printer drys up. I have to inject cleaning solution inside the printer and let it set for sometime for it to work.
I have a solution to my problem, once my black ink is used up. I will drill a hole in the cartridge and fill it with cleaning solution, plug the hole with something.
I’m hearing a lot about the tank printers drying out.
Nice. Thanks good info. Didn't know about the subscription models. Doesn't quite seem like the best market to be doing that lol. Bought one of the cheapest canon laser printers the other day. Works pretty good. Sharp image
I am puzzled by the lack of mention of multi functionality.
I do own four Epson Ink Tank printers and I'll tell you why it's advisable to go with ink tank printers if you're someone like me.
I have Epson L15180, Epson L805, Epson M2170, Epson M3170. I do print documents and colour printouts for my students on a daily basis. Sometimes when the demand is high, I print in thousands. Sometimes I don't print at all even for a couple of weeks. What I usually do is I clean the print head and start printing again which is not a big deal.
When it comes to maintenance box, I've replaced three times for my Epson M2170 and I've printed more than 100000 pages. So, there you go.
back in they day, printer drivers were some of the hardest problems to crack, if you could get up on like 12 of the most popular apps and their print drivers, you could make a decent living :)
I have both, I only use the scanner on the cheap ink jet and print with the laser. It's now running low on toner, so I am looking to replace it with a generic toner. I hate that the inkjet asks for a user and password every now and again to use the scanner.
What about printers on Linux machines? I am pretty new to Linux. Of my 2 printers, one worked with Linux fine. My Epson XP-850, no love. I am shopping printers lately, to use on Linux. A bit of a research project.
From experience, I would personally just stick with laser printers that understand PCL or even PostScript. They "just work." Many inkjets seem to use a proprietary "language." I don't know if any inkjets exist that actually understand PCL or PS. Some manufacturers might offer Linux drivers (or printer definition files) on some inkjet models, but you're usually totally on your own installing them.
DAMNIT! just bought my new printer 5 days ago go….sir, please consult me before posting videos so I can time my purchases accordingly 😂
It’s almost always cheaper to buy a new inkjet printer than to replace the ink cartridges. Thrown out so many perfectly fine printers…
Spend over 200 and get a mega tank, I did, well worth it. Can't even use the ink up, printed out 100's of pics. I have 6000 color and 16000 black printing left. 4 by 6 pics. My Canon prints out amazing pics as well. well worth the 200.
My hp8600 is dead according to hp. I recently have been using generic ink. Is it possible to flush out the printer and start over or is it really ruined?
Hp wanted to remote into my computer when I tried to get some ink cartridges replaced that stopped working on their subscription thing, so I threw the printer away and got a Brother B&W laser printer and have never looked back.
I had an hp 8600 officejet for a long time. Last time I needed new cartridges I ordered from HP and they didn't work. Hp was of no help, so I ended up with a Canon MF753cdw color laser for $300.00. Funny thing. I've only printed black and white pages for the last 2 months. My black cartridge is still 100% but the other 3 C, M Y are at 90%. Am I missing something??
I'm done with the Epson Ecotank printers, on printer number two and can only print black/white. Once the black tank gets clogged I'm going laser.
Just curious which color laser printers are capable of printing on standard business ENVELOPES. This is a specification that's usually impossible to find while shopping for a color laser....also which color lasers do NOT have individual toner cartridges to replace only the colors that get depleted more often.
I have an HP InkJet and buy my Carts from Ebay. The carts are real HP and cost far less than from other sites. The carts always validate as HP. I've been doing this for years and have only one bad cart.
I use both as I do arts and crafts. Like laser for fabric better
Do laserjet color printers need to be perfectly level. Im getting a black streak on left side of paper . I have a hp m277dw and yes im using Amazon toner
Hey Lon...I have been using HP ink jet printers for years without issue. I tend to opt for the OfficeJet models rather than their Deskjet models. I also am a part of Instant Ink with paper. We print moderately but all in all this ink subscription has worked very well for at least 5 years.
I table conventions and markets and I've been trying to figure out a kind of printer that can sit for a while and not clog up, as well as have a decent ink cost for the amount I print for these events. I was thinking I'd go for a tank printer because of the lower ink cost and how much ink you get, but the maintenance alone seems like more of hassle I'd like to deal with especially if I'm on a deadline to print things off. Laserjet seems the way to go if it can sit for a while, but I heard there more for text documents than images so I'm worried that my image quality will suffer and I'd be paying even more for toner than I would if I stick with my inkjet printer
It really depends what you're printing out. If you're doing a lot of photos an inkjet is better but for most other types of documents a laser is just fine.
@@LonSeidman It's mostly regular paper, matte sticker paper and cardstock
Printer companies have been trying to scam people for years, that's why I don't bother with printers anymore, if I need to print something or whatever I'll just head over to a local copy place and get someone else to print it for me, I save time and hassling with printer issues/costs.
When my HP inkjet printer "choked" 10 years ago, I purchased a laser printer and never looked back.
Thanks for the video! What your opinion on Thermal Printers? I have seen a few reviews but none go as in depth as your reviews. Cheers!
Thermal printers are the best if you don't mind 4x6 maximum paper size output.
I had ONE cartridge get low. I bought a set to replace just the one and each time my printer started displaying low ink for another cartridge. All that with very little usage. I think it's scummy I have a piece of hardware that tells me how to use it.
I want to print to failure. I should be able to run it completely dry instead of being forced to change it.
We need dumb tech again. There's no need for all this oversight from the company who's incentive is to have you waste ink for more sales. How environmental is that?
I have to soak my HP inkjet cartriges in warm water if I don't use the printer for a few weeks.
need help should i go with Canon - imageCLASS MF455dw Wireless Black-and-White All-In-One Laser Printer with Fax $219.99
or Canon - imageCLASS MF654Cdw Wireless Color All-In-One Laser Printer $299.99. i might do color once or twice a year
Inkjet printers are a scam. Unless you are priting lots of photos on a daily basis, its laser all the way. The reality too is that most color laser printers can print pretty good photos now on standard paper. If you are doing something like brochures a laser printer would be a much better option. Also regarding the state page counts, usually you can get even more pages than promised if you turn off your printers low toner warning. I often get well over 200 pages more printing after the low toner warning comes on.
Does the high end tank printers like Epson Workforce Pro have the same problem of ink getting stuck if not used? Are the prints sharper like laser?
Only problem I have with color laser is its size. They are usually too big.
Yes they’ll clog up just like regular ink jet printers
It will be nice to include the cost of electricity, as the laser printer consumes more than the inkjet
There's one problem with printers there isn't.
Envelope printer and envelope printed a Prince greatly envelopes nothing else but envelopes.
That's what I'm looking for a printer. The principally an only envelopes number 10 if you really want to know number 10 envelopes.
Is needs to be a printer strictly for envelopes?
Great review. One thing worth mentioning that I don't think Lon touched on: part of what makes the ink subscription plans a good value is that cleaning cycles don't count against your allotment. If you're an occasional user, the cleaning cycles could be eating up a lot of the ink you use. I agree with Lon that lasers are best overall, but if you really need the lower up-front cost of an inkjet, or color, then a subscription is a good way to go.
yes if you do own a ink jet printer remove the carteages after use but them in a bag I refuse to buy a ink printer ever again they do not last if you want a great color printer only go with a brother lazerjet that has duplex front and back saves on paper too
my printers magenta does stripes 😐
The best most reliable printer is the one at work.
Pro tip: for those with clogging carts who infrequently print but need a inkjet for their usecase.
HP does not bill for maintenance prints. This means you can keep running it until it works again :)
How did you know I was rolling my eyes?
It's worth noting that with HP's instant ink, once you accept the subscription plan, even a trial, the printer will never allow non-HP ink again.
I would pay twice as much for a printer if they would sell cartridges as half the cost. I would probablyrint three times as many photos.
Tank ink printer
Once the drip pad is full , the printer is done and work.
no price for tank printers
Another scam these companies are doing is marketing "Laser Quality Output" with "digital color" WTF does any of that mean? Well, if it says it's a quality *_like_* product that means it's not that thing. And when has anything in modern consumer computers *_NOT_* been digital? All of those weasel words tell me one thing, it's a "scam."
And just to seal the deal on it being a scam all the ones I've looked at have a forced refresh subscription, if you don't pay up they'll shut your printer off. And don't think you can just block its internet access because it has an internal timer and will shut off anyway if you don't feed it Seymour.
I will never buy another HP inkjet. I moved to Epson, a much better tool.
given brother's lack of support ill buy HP laser every day
I'll never go back to inkjet. Period. And HP can shove their hostile ink subscription model where the sun doesn't shine. It only creates more problems than solving problems.
I buy a cheap printer then throw it away when I get the printing done. Won't need to print again for 3 years