OT: Printers

[Pepere]

I hate printers. I can buy one for lest then $100.00USD but spend more than a new car buying ink..... How do you get around the high cost of ink? Plus I don't print much but it runs out of ink anyway. I read that there is a time stamp on the ink and if it goes over this date it tells the print it's out of ink. I was thinking of going back to a dot matrix printer. Do any of you know of a fix to these desk-jet printers/cartages?

Thanks.

David

 

[Bjoern]

How do you get around the high cost of ink?

Use a black cartridge only and refill it when needed. Costs half as much as a new one.

And I don't print what's not necessary, say things MSFS related.
I've got a laptop for displaying checklists and charts.

 

[dswo]

I was going to say: if you don't need color, buy a laser. You can get a good one for under US$100, and per page costs are usually lower. At least they used to be; this article says that's not true anymore: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/color-laser-printers-2,1534-2.html. In any case, it's something you can calculate.

I bought this laser for under $100 two years ago. I've replaced the toner cartridge once. It costs more at the moment, but it seems to go on sale regularly at NewEgg. (If you're interested, you can go to the product page there and set up a price alert.) I like it because the per page cost is low AND it's networked so that anyone in the house can use it, whether or not my computer is on.

[444] brother HL Series HL-2170W Workgroup Up to 23 ppm Monochrome Wireless Laser Printer

• HL-2170W
• 2400 x 600 dpi

• Dimensions: 14.5" x 14.2" x 6.7"
• Weight: 15 lbs.
• Black Print Quality: 2400 x 600 dpi
• Time To First Page (seconds): Less than 10 sec.
• Model #: HL-2170W
• Item #: N82E16828113291
• Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

• <label>Was: </label><del>$159.99</del>
• $141^.99
• $4.99 Shipping

<input name="priceBefore" value="$141.99" type="hidden"> <dd class="addToCart"> </dd> <input value="http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16828113291&cm_re=brother_hl-2170w-_-28-113-291-_-Add2Cart" id="addCartHref" title="addCartHref" type="hidden">

 

[spotlope]

I second what David said. I got a Brother black-and-white laser printer a year and a half ago, and I'm still printing on the "starter" toner cartridge it came with (and that's supposed to be smaller than a full cartridge). And I print a lot, too.

One other thing you can get is a little device my wife uses. She's got a fancy Epson color inkjet that uses some sort of special archival ink (she's an artist and uses prints in her paintings sometimes). She uses a small, fairly inexpensive device called a chip resetter that makes the printer think an old ink cartridge is new again, thus allowing her to wring the last bit of life out of her inks. It's amazing how long that thing will print after the ink is technically empty.

 

[pilottj]

I recently had to purchase some more cartridges for two Lexmark ink printers. Instead of buying them in town and payiing 50+ bucks a piece I found a website that sells refurbished ones for around 15 bucks or so. I was able to buy 4 (two for each printer) for the cost of buying one at one of the office supply stores.

this is a good price comparison site
http://www.inksmartshopping.com/

Since I needed more than one type of cartridge and to get them sent in the same shipment I just used this site
http://www.enviroinks.com/home.php


Cheers
TJ

 

[IanP]

The danger of using recycled cartridges unless you print a lot is that they tend to dry out very quickly and clog up your print heads. You've scrapped your warranty by using unsupported cartridges, you can't print because once that stuff has dried, you're very unlikely to ever get it out and it's time for a new printer.

This always used to be a problem for everyone but HP printers, because every time you replaced a HP cartridge, you replaced the print head as well, but I'm let to believe that's no longer the case.

I actually plumped in the end for a cheap colour laser - a Samsung CLP-315 which is sitting next to me here. It's still on its first set of toner cartridges as well and showing no sign of running out, although they look tiny. The print resolution is very poor compared to the inkjets though, which is why we still have an Epson multi-function device (printer/scanner/copier) for printing photographs and suchlike. We had got a Canon, but that hit the same problem of a single set of ink cartridges costing more than a new printer. The Epson was a lot newer than the Canon, had a lot of extra features that Mrs. P. wanted, so she bought it.

Ian P.

 

[Pepere]

Thanks for all the info.. I think I will try a lazer printer.



David

 

[Helldiver]

I've run the gamut among printers, Fancy Epsons, HP "do it all in one". Lexmark cheapies and Canon printers. They all do the same thing. Now I don't use a printer that much. Once every other month. By the time I get to use it, the ink has dried and it will not print. At $50 bucks for cartridges, it gets expensive. Why they don't makea primter that only gets occasional use to print, I have no idea.
Maybe when color lasers get down in price it might be a better bet.
Right now I have this expensve Epson that isn't compatible with Windows 7. Anybody want it.? The cartidges ae full. There just dried out.

 

[Quixoticish]

I've run the gamut among printers, Fancy Epsons, HP "do it all in one". Lexmark cheapies and Canon printers. They all do the same thing. Now I don't use a printer that much. Once every other month. By the time I get to use it, the ink has dried and it will not print. At $50 bucks for cartridges, it gets expensive. Why they don't makea primter that only gets occasional use to print, I have no idea.

A laser printer would suit you better if the ink is drying up.

 

[IanP]

http://www.staples.co.uk/printers-m...r-printer-colour/clp-315-colour-laser-printer

That's the little chap I have, although obviously from a British store. I can't believe Samsung don't sell them the other side of the long thin wet thing, either, though.

I don't print massive amounts, but have yet to change a cartridge and they don't dry out if you leave them (but they do gunk up if you leave them in hot and wet climates... think Brazilian rain forest. )

Keep toner cartridges out of the sun, though, and they'll last for donkeys years.

Ian P.

 

[pilottj]

Hey Helldiver,
What version of Windows 7 do you have? If you have the pro version(I think Enterprise and Ultimate work too) and if your computer supports it, you can run 'XP Mode'. XP Mode is a virtual XP machine that runs within your Windows 7 environment. You can run older programs and devices that are not compatible with 7 within the XP mode. My Lexmark X83 is not 7 compatible but works fine in XP mode. If your Epsilon worked in XP before, it should work in this XP mode in Windows 7.

CHeers
TJ

 

[TeaSea]

Yep, go with a laser. You can even find color for $200.00 if you don't mind paying for the extra cartridges when they go dry. I had my last one for over 3 years, and replaced the cartridges once.

Unfortunately it died (it was second hand).

If you don't want color, the B/W printers are really coming down in price.