Printers

[slofox]

I don't have a printer at home these days - I use the ones here at my workplace. I have a laser (monochrome) and a colour inkjet here.

BUT. I might sell the shop and then would have no access to a printer at all. I'd need one at home. Which can be a problem as follows:

I had an inkjet printer at home for ages but rarely used it - to the point that it clagged up totally and was "not worth repairing." Even the inkjet here at the shop gets little use and I have to do the head clean thing every time I want to use it.

So, the question is, what kind of printer will remain useable with relatively rare use? The inkjet is nice if I want photo prints but then I could always get them done at some booth or other - probably cheaper than I can print them myself. Other than that, it's mainly document printing that I do.

What say you whizz kids?

[p.dath]

It depends on your volume of printing.

For home use, I'd tend to stick with an inkjet. Don't worry about getting a photo model in your case, just a plain colour model.

[BMWST?]

printers are so cheap now..i ahve a copier .scanner printer that cost me way less than 100 bucks,but the cartridges are expensive,so check that out before you buy...

[Gremlin]

Well your basic options are inkjet or laser. You don't want a laser, but they produce good documents, but expensive on toners.

You should check what yield the toners for a chosen model are (how many pages a toner prints) and how much it costs. The printer itself is often sold at cost, because they will get you on the running costs (namely toners).

Then decide if you want colour or black and white (most likely colour?) and if you'd have more than one machine printing to it (network rather than USB then) and if you want a multi-function (fax, scan, copy etc etc).

We currently supply almost exclusively Canon, as the drivers are good and the machines perform well. Toners are reasonably priced as well. Had problems with HP which support desk denied, then we found out months later we were correct. Cost us a lot of time we couldn't realistically charge clients.

Currently, I'd suggest something like the Canon MX870 I think it is, for a all in one home solution. Toners are also cheap for it, and they are individual (ie, if you have one toner for all colours and print a lot of blue, the other colours go to waste).

[shafty]

Slofox, you you really need one nowadays? You can often get away with e-mailling info to your Smartphone etc

But if you do....Laser works out majorly cheaper PER PAGE if you can live with black and white...

We have an Injet, they ROB you with the cartridge prices, so will throw it away when they run out, feck em....

[slofox]

Slofox, you you really need one nowadays? You can often get away with e-mailling info to your Smartphone etc

But if you do....Laser works out majorly cheaper PER PAGE if you can live with black and white...

We have an Injet, they ROB you with the cartridge prices, so will throw it away when they run out, feck em....

I've only got a dumbphone...it suits my abilities.

I might go the laser way - like I said in the OP, the inkjet at home died from lack of use. Another one might do the same.

At work, my laser is a multi-purpose job, print fax copy - Brother 2820 IIRC. Does gazillions of documents per toner cartridge and has proven to be extremely reliable in over six years worth of use despite the application of, ermmm, "percussive maintenance" from time to time when the paper feed played up. Maybe I need something like that. Although I'd hardly ever use a fax from home, email being what it is.

Anyhoo, I'll wait until I have to do something before I choose.

Thanks for the feedback all.

[steve_t]

I agree with your first post, Slofox. I'd recommend you get a laser and if you want photos printed, ride out to Hardly Normal or Dick Smith and hit them up for their 8c prints

[george formby]

+1 on the lazer. I am looking at replacing the ancient Brother copier in my shop, I just need b & w prints & have weighed up the cost against ink jets. There is nowhere near the difference in price between the two that their used to be. Lots on trade me to choose from. If you want to go the other way I have a Brother inkjet printer with scanner etc at home which I'm just about to list for sale. Yours for a couple of bottles of wine & postage.

[SMOKEU]

I suggest going for those all in one printer, scanner, copier multi function centres. You can get one that does good quality prints for less than $100 from the big chain stores. That will be your best bet for low volume printing. Genuine ink cartridges are often very expensive, but good aftermarket ones are reasonably priced on Trademe.

It's not worth buying a laser unless you're doing a fair bit of printing.

[riffer]

I picked up a Hewlett-Packard HP4200 business Laserjet for $30 on trademe. It came with a cartridge that still had 20,000 prints left in it.

It's only done about 60,000 prints.

It's networkable, and absolutely reliable for the entire family.

The hell with inkjets.

[pzkpfw]

... I had an inkjet printer at home for ages but rarely used it - to the point that it clagged up totally and was "not worth repairing." Even the inkjet here at the shop gets little use and I have to do the head clean thing every time I want to use it. ...

I've got a Canon LBP5000 Colour Laser that doesn't really do much printing at all, and have never ever had an issue with it.

So if rare-use clogging-up is an issue for you, I'd certainly say Laser is the way to go.

(The "sad" thing, is that soon I need a new Black toner, and a genuine cartridge costs not much less than a new printer of the equivalent model to mine. But that's just the way it is. Ink isn't cheap either (and per page is more).

One thing to watch is the content of the supplied cartridges. Mine came with standard full carts, but it's common for printers to come with "Initial" or "Starter" cartridges.)

[pete376403]

One thing to watch is the content of the supplied cartridges. Mine came with standard full carts, but it's common for printers to come with "Initial" or "Starter" cartridges.)

Brother laser printers do excellent print and are dirt cheap (about $60 with the cash back) but the replacement toner or drum is well over $100. One of our customers dumped pallet loads of older, perfectly serviceable Brother printers because they needed new drums, and it was was cheaper to buy new printers

[Mom]

I've only got a dumbphone...it suits my abilities.

I might go the laser way - like I said in the OP, the inkjet at home died from lack of use. Another one might do the same.


Thanks for the feedback all.

If you really only print that often, dont buy a printer. If something really needs printing, put it on a stick and take it somewhere where you can print it. The local I-site used to charge 20 cents a page to print stuff Even the local office services place was reasonable for a one off.

[pzkpfw]

Brother laser printers do excellent print and are dirt cheap (about $60 with the cash back) but the replacement toner or drum is well over $100. One of our customers dumped pallet loads of older, perfectly serviceable Brother printers because they needed new drums, and it was was cheaper to buy new printers

Geez, I'd have been through that with a screwdriver, to "salvage" stepper motors and stuff. All to sit unused in my garage, but...