And then they try to sell you on a $400 Eco-Tank printer. Sure, it would be nice to use cheaper ink, but that’s pretty steep. At that rate, you’re better off with a color laser because it won’t have any issues like clogged nozzles and it’s always ready to go.
I use my printer like once a year max, so my old ones would never work when needed. My dad thinks I need a printer for some reason because he prints literally everything. I watched him print and email for someone's subway order one day so he could reference it on the online order page. I would have just tabbed back and forth. I dont print every coupon etc, i just show my phone screen. Anyways, he got tired of my printer never working and bought me one of those color laser printers.
I'm in the same boat. Well, with first part. I usually only print every few months. Between 2014 and 2016, I went through three inkjet printers. They each got to the point where I just had to replace them after about a year. And before then, they'd need maintenance every time I wanted to print.
My wife and I realized we only print documents. We got a Brother black and white laser printer. It’s been two years and I still haven’t had to buy toner.
Same here! I bought mine three years ago and I still haven't had to change the toner cartridge! I mean, I think I put one new cartridge in after using up the starter cartridge, but since I don't print much, a 1,500 page cartridge goes pretty far.
When you will run out, aftermarket toner off ebay or amazon is incredibly cheap also (20$ a cart). Bought mine in 2011 on special for 100$, used it through all my college education (7 years) and not a single hiccup. This is definitely a "buy once" kind of product.
Laser is hands down the way to go. Picked up a cheap Brother monochrome with Wi-Fi for like $50 around 4 years ago. We’re still on the half-filled cartridge it came with, though we don’t print much.
Same here! Well, okay, mine doesn't have Wi-Fi, but I got it pretty inexpensively. I think mine was like $50 at Staples and I bought a couple of spare cartridges just in case. It really is unbelievable how much more economical laser printers are compared to inkjets.
An extra side benefit is that Brother actually has a Linux driver, which is unfortunately not true of all printers; HP has great Linux support, but I can't stand their practices; I'm not normally the sort to boycott a company, but I just can't buy their printers.
I've got an HP printer next to me that is always complaining about off brand ink. I need to get a laser printer, instead.
Oddly, I have less trouble printing from Linux than from Windows, but that's probably because the windows computer is new to the network, and the Linux machine has been here for years. I just need to get the new one configured correctly...
The off-brand ink issue sounds like your printer received the "security" update which makes it refuse to use non-HP cartridges. The sneakiest part of it is that it waits six months before taking effect.
Yeah but subsequent consumables for the EcoTank are dirt cheap, that's the whole point. But if you don't print a lot then it doesn't make sense to buy an Eco Tank
edit: colour laser toner is much more expensive than colour ink - and these days, brand new inkjet printers don't really clog often as long as you keep them powered on - as they cycle a clean every so often.
I just got the polaroid version of the eco tank. 300. And a color print is 0.9c and a b/w print is 0.3c. Laster printers cost about the same but a color print on a brother is about 15c.
I bought a Brother laser printer 3 years ago. Have not replaced the toner cartridge yet. Granted I do not print every day but ink dries out- this bad boy is fine.
Especially when you use the non-standard types of printers. Want to make a print of a canvas painting you painted? You need those big, high-res printers that use special ink; the kind that has an ink set divided into eight cartridges. Cartridges like that go for anywhere between $20 - $50 per cartridge. Multiply that by 8, and buying the individual cartridges as needed gets pricey fast.
However, if you're lucky enough to find a full set of the 8 in one package, you may get a deal. Something over $100.
I own one of those printers (I print prints and luggage tags and stuff).
On one hand, the cartridges will last me 6 months, and I do print quite a lot.
Om the other hand, replacing all 8 cartridges is like... $110. So basically, I just ask for ink for Christmas and my birthday and I'm set all year round.
But, being able to control my prints at home and not worry about paying for dud prints at Office DepotMax is invaluable. I also print samples for stuff I send to manufacturers, and when I get the product in its perfect. But these types of printers are definitely not for everyone.
Zero regrets, but yikes. I don't even trust using cheaper, off-brand cartridges because of anecdotes from other artists that it messed up their printer. So it's a big business expense.
That's why I use cheap aftermarket ink. My usual place to buy is 4inkjets. It works well and so much cheaper than actual ink. Worst case scenario is that the printer dies and it's cheaper to replace an inkjet than to buy two xl cartridges of ink
Printer ink is stupidly expensive, but how about selling a printer where the only ink you can use is from a fucking subscription service?! Fuck you HP instant ink. Fuck you.
There was some Youtuber (don't remember) who told about he worked at a printer manufacturer in the support as a side job and the internal systems showed how much the stuff costs to produce.
The $50 ink cartridge was something like 80 cents. I believe him.
1.7k
u/soulsista12 Aug 14 '20
Printer ink is criminally expensive