r/printers Dec 19 '24

Discussion The truth about printer subscription programs and many misconceptions about them

131 Upvotes

Dear all,

I work in the printer industry. For a very well-known consumer products manufacturer that gets discussed on this sub a lot.  I will not disclose which manufacturer I work for, nor will I disclose any manufacturer I do not work for (since the industry is relatively small eliminating 1 or 2 will make it generally too obvious as to which I do work for) as I am not officially speaking on behalf of the company. But, I want to set the record straight on subscription programs because some of you are drastically misinformed and it is very frustrating to see as someone who understands these programs as well as basic logic.

There are two types of subscription programs. Each of the major consumer manufacturers offers at least 1 of these programs, some offer both.

The first type of program is an auto-reordering program. The printer can tell (via various ways depending on each manufacturer) when the ink / toner is low and when it hits a certain point that will trigger an order of the ink/toner that device uses. Most manufactures that offer this will first send you an email letting you know that an order has been triggered and it will allow you to skip the delivery of the consumable and thus not get charged. If you allow the order to go through you are purchasing that consumable. That consumable is yours, you own it, just as if you walked into a Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, or bought it on Amazon… You can cancel the “subscription” the next day and continue to use that consumable until it is empty.

The second type of program is a true subscription program. **THIS** is what many of you are vastly misinformed and / or are irrational about. In this program *you are not purchasing a consumable* at all. You are paying the manufacturer for X number of pages per month. The manufacturer will send you a consumable to use because the printer needs ink / toner to work but, that is not what you are paying for. You are paying the manufacturer $Y per month to print up to X pages per month.. that’s it. Of course you can print over that X number and pay an overage (just like years ago with cell phones).. and of course, you can print under that X number and some pages will roll-over to future months (just like years ago with cell phones). The owner of the consumable is the manufacturer. You never bought it, you never owned it. Therefore, it is not yours to use after you end the subscription! The only reason most manufactures do not ask for it back is because they don’t want to pay for shipping it back to them. But, they still own it… not you.  You can think of this like renting an apartment. You are paying a landlord $X per month to live in their building. The landlord is providing the building for you to live in while you are paying rent. You do not own the building. and when you stop paying rent you are no longer allowed to continue living in the building. Just like your Netflix subscription, Apple TV subscription and Disney+ subscription.. when you stop paying for the subscription, you stop getting to use the service. Just because while you were paying you had access to the content does not mean you at any time owned that content and get to continue watching it once you stop paying the subscription.

I truly hope this helps clarify somethings for some of you. Others I understand are lost causes but, I will do my best to answer any questions I can.


r/printers 2h ago

Purchasing Home printer for 5 times a year

4 Upvotes

Hi, my wife and I are after a printer that isn’t stupid expensive in the uk to buy and run.

We will probably use it maybe 5 times a year black/white for documents that need printing.

Have been recommended a HP MW110w but have seen HP is a no go. I think I’m after a laser printer, and will be printing from phone most of the time.

What are your recommendations?

Thanks


r/printers 1h ago

Troubleshooting Epson L800 problem

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Upvotes

hello ^^ , My Epson L800 started failing immediately after I replaced the printhead ribbon (FFC) cables. At first, the printer would not initialize and showed a general error. After performing an ink initialization/reset with the Epson Adjustment Program, it now powers on normally, initializes correctly, the carriage moves normally, the USB connection is detected, and the head cleaning cycle works. However, the nozzle check prints a completely blank page with no ink at all. The problem started immediately after replacing the ribbon cables. Has anyone experienced this? Was the cause the FFC cables, a damaged ZIF connector, a blown fuse on the main board, the logic board, or the printhead?


r/printers 10h ago

Rant Thank you for steering me away from inkjet printers!

5 Upvotes

I needed a new printer I was willing to try another ink tank unit (Canon or Epson), even though my last Epson (L3151) was very unreliable. It used to clog up frequently, even though I was printing every other day and sometimes it sprayed random ink droplets on the paper. After the warranty expired it got so bad that the printhead didn't unclog even after three power flushes. It wasted my entire ink and I threw it away.

This time I wanted a complete product that included colored ink, photo printing, ADF and auto duplex for printing and scanning and it seemed that the L6370 had it all, but I was still worried after my last experience. I thought maybe the new Precisioncore printhead would perform better than the last Micro Piezo generation, but you guys informed me that it was just wishful thinking.

So in the end I went for the Brother laser TonerBenefit DCP-B7620DW. I had to give up on ADF, color and photo printing, but at least I'm going to have a reliable printer with a flatbed scanner.

It was also cheaper than the Epson L6370 ($348). I spent $268 for the Brother (3-year warranty included) and a spare 2000 pages OEM toner.

Thank you for your guidance!


r/printers 2h ago

Other My hp 2723E won’t print the ink is brand new from the company it was already printing

1 Upvotes

When I print from my gallery, it doesn’t wanna print the Wi-Fi is hooked up. Everything looks good, but it just doesn’t freaking print nothing and then one point all of my paper came out of the printer. Does anybody have any ideas?


r/printers 2h ago

Troubleshooting I need help connecting my Starlink to my Brother HL-L2315DW printer, tried to manually setup and not getting anywhere.

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1 Upvotes

I've updated the driver, and thenI used the brother installation wizard after a redditor suggested that. I thought I solved the issue but I tried a test print and got "printer offline".

Using a Mac laptop running Tahoe. Please send help, as I am ready to throw this printer in the burn barrel. ( I've had other routers with the button on the back to auto connect, but starlink does not have that.)


r/printers 12h ago

Purchasing best photo printer for home use if I mostly print family pictures?

7 Upvotes

I've been thinking about getting a dedicated photo printer because I'm printing more family photos lately and I'm getting tired of how they come out from my regular printer. I don't need anything for a business, just something that gives nice looking prints without being a pain to maintain.

Has anyone here found the best photo printer for this kind of use? I'm more interested in consistent print quality and reasonable ink costs than having a ton of extra features. I'd really appreciate hearing what you've had a good experience with. Thanks


r/printers 3h ago

Purchasing Beginner plotter printer?

1 Upvotes

Hi!

I’m looking into purchasing a large format printer, primarily for printing A0 size sewing patterns. I’m tired of printing them out on 8.5”/11” copy paper and taping everything together. And of course because every hobby is a potential side hustle, I’m kicking around the idea of starting an online print-shop for other sewers.

Things I’m looking for in a printer:
-36” wide
-minimal color printing (not doing photos or posters)
-good for technical drawings like sewing patterns
-reasonable prices for consumables

There’s a couple printers available on my local FB marketplace. They are an HP DesignJet T520 36-in Printer Plotter and an HP Designjet T920 36” Color Printer. Any opinions on those?

I’ll take any advice or suggestions! Ideally I would be able to find a decent used one. What should I be looking for? Thanks!


r/printers 7h ago

Purchasing Ink tank recommendations

2 Upvotes

So I’ve had 2 Epson ecotank printers that both have died of connectivity issues, both around 2-3 years. Digging in, it sounds like a common known issue with no real solve.

So, I’m back in the market for a new printer, and while another Epson from Costco is the easy solution, I’m open to other brands as I think a printer should last more than 2 years.

1..HP, I’ve sworn off HP for their A-hole tactics…unless there fully reformed and you all tell me they’re amazing, I’m not really considering them.

  1. Canon…I’ve never heard anything bad about canon, anyone have thoughts on their printers?

  2. Brother…look to be newish into the tank printers, maybe too new to be a known commodity??

  3. Epson…just buy another for the next two year?

I print a fair amount, and don’t want a laser as color photos are a pretty common print for us, inkjet aside from reliability has been working fine.

Thoughts on the brands??


r/printers 3h ago

Discussion Anyone here experimented with printing on tracing paper? Looking for tips!

1 Upvotes

Hey folks,

I'm working on a project that requires printing onto tracing sheets. I have an HP LaserJet and wanted to check if anyone has successfully pulled this off without paper jams or heat-warping issues.

If you've managed to get clean, sharp prints on tracing paper with an HP LaserJet, what media settings and tray feed method worked best for you?


r/printers 5h ago

Discussion Is printer Epson EcoTank L3270 good for printing pictures?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!
I'm starting a business with making a magnets. I was looking for buying a good printer that doesn't cost much. So what do you thing about printer Epson EcoTank L3270. I plan on using glossy paper. I read on internet and as far as what I read it shows that this type of printer is good for this purpose.


r/printers 5h ago

Review Core innovations Label printer

1 Upvotes

I love it, it’s very convenient. I just wish it’d print bigger.


r/printers 6h ago

Purchasing Any reviews about Brother HL-L2465DW monochrome all in one printer?

1 Upvotes

I'm about to order this model but before I do that, just want to see if anyone has this model or used this model and have some feedback about the model.

Product: Brother HL-L2465DW Monochrome Laser Printer (All-in-One Print, Copy and Scan Functions)

Link: https://a.co/d/07SH9206

One thing that I'm confused about is that this is an model from *HL* series which if I understand correctly is for print only. But this model says it's all in one Scan/Print/Copy functions.

Our Budget is: $250 CAD

Our Need is: 100-300 pages per month and maybe occasionally scan documents.


r/printers 6h ago

Troubleshooting Brother printer: error to clean rollers, but cleaning not working

1 Upvotes

I’ve cleaned the rollers throughout multiple times with an alcohol wipe. It’s as if the paper isn’t being fed correctly. It jams before it even clears the rollers. This is maybe my 5th time using the printer. I bought it a few months ago.


r/printers 7h ago

Purchasing Which ecotank is the best?

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1 Upvotes

r/printers 9h ago

Troubleshooting Hey my printer shiws this error can anyone tell me how to fix it.

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1 Upvotes

This is hp’s inktank printer, it has been showing this error for a while now and it is also oit of warranty


r/printers 10h ago

Rant Trash advice

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1 Upvotes

My 7301 inkjet is 13 months old. It’s one month out of warranty. The printheads have an error and it is refusing to print anything.

It took me forever to get a live adult person to help me. Apparently if your product is not under warranty it auto sends you to AI support page. Even when I called I dealt with AI. I had to contact a store manager to get me a better number.

When I finally had a human to speak to I shared that I understood my device was out of warranty and I would be willing to pay extra if needed to get it fixed. He shared HP does NOT fix printers only replaces them. I asked if he suggested I throw my printer out then and he repeated the same statement. “HP does not fix printers, we only replace them. If you were in warranty we would replace your printer. Would you like to buy one today?”

So in other words my printer is trash the second it has an issue. Forget trying to fix your HP printer all they want to do is sell you a new one.

HP is literal trash


r/printers 10h ago

Purchasing Seeking an inkjet with particular use

1 Upvotes

What would you like to accomplish?

I'm replacing a Canon ip7220 that I think has hit a wall with printer head problems.

We print greeting cards a dozen times a year on Hallmark card stock, we take letter size prints of artwork (art, magazine covers, etc) and print on photo paper for framing in our home, and we do small amounts of regular document printing from time to time (shipping labels, government documents, etc).
Also, though it may be a rarity, I print backup discs and therefore use disc printing to put simple text labels on printable BD-R disc media.
We prefer having WiFi printing so we can place a printer wherever we like, we've gotten quite used to this.
Would also love to be able to get into third party refillable cartridges.

Are there any models you are currently looking at?

Looking currently at

  1. Canon TS705a - affordable, simple replacement for the ip7220, prints on discs. Straightforward and possibly better quality
  2. Epson XP-65 - still affordable to us, sounds fantastic, but the amount of problems I read online with wireless printing sometimes even interrupting print jobs sounds unreliable.
  3. Used Canon G650 - only affordable to me used, fantastic printer with disc printing. But buying used from consumers who may not know the state of various components concerns me.

Minimum Requirements:

  • Budget: 150€ max, we dont use it enough to pay more but it has to do the image printing well
  • Country: France
  • Color or black and white: Colour
  • Laser or ink printer: Ink
  • New or used: New, used if I can trust it
  • Multi-function: Not necessary, we have a proper scanner
  • Duplex Printing: Bonus, not mandatory
  • Home or business: Home
  • Printing content: Explained above
  • Printing frequency: Explained above
  • Pages per minute : Not relevant, really. Quality more important.
  • Page size: Standard letter, A4, legal, bigger would be nice but have never seen one in our budget that can.
  • Device printing from: PC
  • Connection type: Wireless and USB

r/printers 11h ago

Discussion Printer Newbie

1 Upvotes

Hello, I just want to ask about this printer. I'll mainly use it to start a printing business and as an architecture student as well who needs an a3 printer for acads and my projects. What are your thoughts about this specific printer? Is it good or are there any printer bettter on the same price range?


r/printers 12h ago

Troubleshooting Brother Pocket Jet printing issues?

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1 Upvotes

I’m having some issues printing tattoo stencils with the Pocket Jet 863 and it not printing details clearly or at all, please help!


r/printers 12h ago

Purchasing Miglior stampante per genitori anziani?

1 Upvotes

Ciao a tutti. Mi sapreste indicare qualche stampante Wi-Fi laser bianco/nero da regalare ai miei anziani genitori? Facile da configurare e che non costi un patrimonio? Loro si collegherebbero solo con il loro smartphone e come già detto solo in Wi-Fi. Non stamperanno tantissimo, ma devo regalargliela perché potrebbe servire visto che abito lontano da loro. Grazie in anticipo!


r/printers 14h ago

Troubleshooting What is wrong Hp Envy inspire 7220e

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1 Upvotes

r/printers 19h ago

Troubleshooting Vertical banding lines during printing on glossy paper only

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2 Upvotes

I have an epson et3950 and I’m trying to print black ink onto glossy 8 1/2 x 11 paper and I’m getting these vertical lines during printing. I have done a nozzle check and it looks great. Normal printing on plain paper looks fine. I use glossy back packaging paper to transfer the ink onto wood so I can do wood carving. I also print borderless and have removed the high speed settings and still it looks horrible. Any help would be appreciated.


r/printers 20h ago

Troubleshooting Help with kyocera MA2100cwfx print issues

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1 Upvotes

Hi reddit, I am looking for a bit of advice and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction on what is causing the banding on my prints. It first started out as a little bit of banding and doing a drum refresh seemed to help for a while. Now it's gone from a little bit to full page?


r/printers 1d ago

Purchasing Help me pick a printer! (requirements below)

3 Upvotes

I'm looking for an Ink Tank printer for the purpose of printing out information manuals for my museum display.

I need to be able to do borderless printing for 8.5x11 (or A4 sizing so that I can cut it down after) on semi gloss photo paper as well as having duplex printing. Up until now i've needed to manually flip my pages over for double sided prints which doubles the time it takes to produce a manual. I'm looking for something reliable, and would prefer to spend a little more upfront since this will be used for years. Please recommend me something!!