ink efficient printers??

[W2R]

Five years ago I went with the forum's recommendations, specifically that of AnotherReader here:

The 2320 is routinely on sale, often at $59.99 or even $49.99. Check Staples and Best Buy - both have had them for $49.99. We own four, one in Arizona and three spread out here. They are hardwired, not wireless, but they just keep working.

Following his recommendation I bought a Brother 2320 B&W laser printer from Best Buy for $49 on sale. The one I chose does not have a wireless connection, but I don't care because it is right here beside my computer so they are connected with a USB cable.

During those five years I still haven't used up the small "starter ink cartridge" that came with it. I bought a real (full sized) ink cartridge at the same time, and there it sits.

Best printer that I have ever had for my purposes.

 

[youbet]

^^^^^^^

Thanks! Looks perfect for our use here. Right now, they're $120 but I'll turn on my radar for sale prices coming up.

 

[W2R]

^^^^^^^

Thanks! Looks perfect for our use here. Right now, they're $120 but I'll turn on my radar for sale prices coming up.

Good idea! I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was a big sale on that model sometime in the next few months.

 

[Texas Proud]

I am looking now at:

Epson ET-2850

https://www.amazon.com/Epson-EcoTan...tronics&sprefix=et-2850,electronics,78&sr=1-4

or

Epson-ET3850 (splurge)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096N7TXR1?tag=rtings-pt-r-third-party-20&ie=UTF8&th=1

I have 3750 and love it.. not sure the difference...



Cannot remember if this was a problem but I do remember paper capacity was different on printers when I was looking so got the one with a larger capacity.... not willing to look now

 

[easysurfer]

I have 3750 and love it.. not sure the difference...



Cannot remember if this was a problem but I do remember paper capacity was different on printers when I was looking so got the one with a larger capacity.... not willing to look now

Seems there's many newer models with the last couple years and don't really know what's the difference than the older models. I have a 4760 and don't think that's made anymore. There's a 4850 now that looks a lot like my 4760 but I have no idea what's improved or not.

 

[albireo13]

yes

went in to Staples to look at a few. They had an ET-2850 and a 3750.
I didn't like how the paper stack sticks up in the back on the 2850. I prefer the paper to lie flat, in a tray. I am now leaning towards the 3850. Waiting to see if a sale pops up soon.

 

[pjigar]

Most printers will have "Draft" print mode which uses significantly less ink. I use it if I am printing something for a temporary use (which is most of what we print!).

 

[KB]

I am looking now at:

Epson ET-2850

https://www.amazon.com/Epson-EcoTank-Wireless-Cartridge-Free-Supertank/dp/B0BTY4BPZV/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2L6ECVZ6OYX4K&keywords=ET-2850&qid=1688488193&s=electronics&sprefix=et-2850%2Celectronics%2C78&sr=1-4

This printer is on sale at Costco.com for $199.79. I just ordered one.

 

[Marc]

A lesson learned provided to help someone else avoid my issues.

I have a five year old HP-6970 all in one inkjet printer. I have used various third party inks in order to minimize cost. This spring I got notification that there is a new firmware for the printer. Instead of avoiding the firmware I let it load. Since the firmware update, double sided printing hasn't worked; a minor issue.

Today I needed to replace my SmartInk 902XL high yield cartridge with an IDENTICAL cartridge. Printer came back with a message that printing is blocked since I have a cartridge without an HP chip. I tried various google searches and then contacted SmartInk on Chat. They provided directions to downgrade firmware; alas directions didn't work for Mac. So, SmartInk, showing great customer service, is sending me a replacement cartride that willl work.

I will keep my printer working for a few months but I think it is time to look at getting a new printer. The chap at SmartInk recommended a Canon Prima and I see all the Brother recommendations in this thread; those wil be my starting points.

Marc

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

I am still very happy with my Brother Laser Printer. Factor in that I might use it once a month without failure.

 

[Jerry1]

I am still very happy with my Brother Laser Printer. Factor in that I might use it once a month without failure.

Agree. Unless I really wanted color, it’s hard to beat a basic b&w laser printer for low cost and reliability. I wanted color so I got a color laser. Works great and I don’t do any photo printing so it suits me fine. But, it’s expensive.

For a color inkjet, I’d look at something like that Epson with the refillable tanks.

 

[Al18]

Have you considered signing up for HP instant ink service with your current HP printer. You don’t pay for ink cartridges - hp sends them to you and you pay a monthly charge. $3.99 to print 50 color pages/photo’s per month. $5.99 for 100 color pages/photo’s per month. If you don’t print all the pages each month, up to 3 months rolls over. https://instantink.hpconnected.com/us/en/l/v2

 

[Texas Proud]

Agree. Unless I really wanted color, it’s hard to beat a basic b&w laser printer for low cost and reliability. I wanted color so I got a color laser. Works great and I don’t do any photo printing so it suits me fine. But, it’s expensive.

For a color inkjet, I’d look at something like that Epson with the refillable tanks.

I have put this down before but I actually have both... a color laser and the large tank Epson...

Yes, the color laser is horrible on photos... which is why DW and DD made me buy a new laser... I was tired of the high cost of ink... the inkjet is great on pics and I recently calculated it is much cheaper to print than the laser...




OHH, saw a meme about that... someone said it would be cheaper to melt platinum and pour it into the ink cartridge!!

 

[brucethebroker]

Have an older HP inkjet that takes 61 B/W cartridges-Can do color, but never replaced original color cart due to cost, and not really needing color.

I check in on ebay (auctions) for replacement NEW HP61x carts. Save 30-40% off that way. Always check for NEW & Unopened, and exp. date of 6 mo. plus. Put in a low offer on auction and wait.

Usually quite a few to bid on. I surmise people stock up, then they wind up replacing their printer before the carts are used. Good deal for me.

I have heard good things about Brother also, but am too cheap to change printer that still works.....

 

[easysurfer]

I have put this down before but I actually have both... a color laser and the large tank Epson...

Yes, the color laser is horrible on photos... which is why DW and DD made me buy a new laser... I was tired of the high cost of ink... the inkjet is great on pics and I recently calculated it is much cheaper to print than the laser...




OHH, saw a meme about that... someone said it would be cheaper to melt platinum and pour it into the ink cartridge!!

When I got my Epson Ecotank, I also at that time had a Cannon Color laser which was a total ink hog along with a reliable Samsung multifunctional laser (which only printed single side). I wrestled with the idea of keeping all three. But for my own sanity of deciding which to use when and the actual physical space, I ended up parting with the lasers and going all Ecotank. My justification is that most of my printing is disposable.

I may print out something just to look at on paper as easier for me than to look on the screen. Then shortly discard. Or, I'd keep PDF versions too (like my taxes). So should I ever need to print out again, I can always re-print from the pdf. With that in mind, I like the cheap cost of color. Yet as I say that, I'm still keeping an eye out to see if any new tank printers come along that I get blown away by.

 

[Davidhelp]

Yesterday I wanted to print and needed to replace a Cyan (blue) cartridge for my Epson XP-7100 inkjet.
Afterward the test print showed streaks for the blue when using standard print. The issue went away when I used High. So I did a head cleaning and head alignment and nozzle check. I did it several times and the other ink colors went down down down so I replaced the magenta, black & photo black. and repeated the process. Same issue and now I am close to having to replace the cyan cartridge again..... So far about $50 worth of ink used up just cleaning. ��
I only bought the printer 11 months ago for $225.

There are many sites with how to's on cleaning the print head. In the end you end up doing the above and it will repeat all over again in the future.
I print every week as recommended so the ink does not dry out but it does anyways!

Recommendations are to use any of these: distilled water, rubbing alcohol, glass cleaner in a cup that you fill up 1/4" and a q-tip to scrub. Let sit for 15 mins or up to overnight and then do more cleanings and hope all is fixed..... till the next time.

I will buy a HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw or something similar. They cost like $430 for starters and the cartridges can be $100+ apiece but are suppose to be able to print a few thousand pages depending on coverage so may last a year or more before the cartridge replacement.
https://tinyurl.com/bdbakwyt
Large photos would take up the most ink. The ink never dries out as the 'ink' is already dry and will be melted into the paper.

Photos are suppose to be good but I would have to see samples of people. The cost is actually cheaper then an inkjet as those cartridges cost at least $13 apiece for standard and $25 for high yield and you replace several a year and the printer will eventually stop working. At work we had a HP 4050 B&W laserjet from 1999 and in all the years it just needed a cleaning and new roller drum. The rubber wore down and would not pull the paper in correctly. So 22 years and still working when I left.

The HP Color Laserjet above is big like 17" x 17" by 15" high. I would have to put this across the room on top of a 3ft high bookcase and use wifi to connect. I have measured around my desk and maybe I can move the computer to the other side and put the printer in it's place with both on some box to raise the printer and the pc because dust gets sucked in when on the floor. I would have to redo the layout for all my electric cords and network cables. A mess but I could do so.
SENRYEE Farmhouse Antique Black Wooden Crate
https://tinyurl.com/ye2y8zpr

 

[Route246]

+1 for Epson, I think now on sale at Costco, too.

Many printer companies now have their version of Ink Tank type printers.

I believe Epson was the first and I've owned one for a few years. The original bottles of ink lasted about 2 years. I bought refill bottles recently and that should last about another 2 years. It's a good feeling not having to worry about running out of ink and getting socked by high cartridge prices.

Still not perfect though as sometimes the ink does clog which needs to clean cycle (that uses up ink). I've figured out that with my Ink Tank printer, I need to be patient with the clean cycle. Run it once, then don't print overnight to see how well the clean went. Instead I run about 3 cycles and that uses more ink than needed.

For my printer, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give a 7.5.

If you don't need color and just print text, I'd say laser is the way to go. Otherwise, not so clear cut. I've had both and don't think I'd go back to laser. But a personal choice.

 

[easysurfer]

+1 for Epson, I think now on sale at Costco, too.

My "improvement" to my model ET-4760 eco tank printer.

The manual mentions about the purpose of and replacing the maintenance box. But nowhere does it mention about checking and interpreting when to replace.

After finding out of a youtube video, I put a label on my printer so I won't forget. Label simply says change when test level shows all white. Simple enough.

 

[Texas Proud]

My "improvement" to my model ET-4760 eco tank printer.

The manual mentions about the purpose of and replacing the maintenance box. But nowhere does it mention about checking and interpreting when to replace.

After finding out of a youtube video, I put a label on my printer so I won't forget. Label simply says change when test level shows all white. Simple enough.

What do you mean by 'test level'?


I think I saw a video on this and I do not think it is just an easy swap... any thoughts?

 

[easysurfer]

What do you mean by 'test level'?


I think I saw a video on this and I do not think it is just an easy swap... any thoughts?

By test level, navigate to the maintenance box menu, then check to see what the displayed level shows. If all white, then time to change. The level on my printer shows 1/2 white 1/2 gray.

The logic is kind of backwards as to when to change. I saw another place that said replace when all white. But my mind kind of thinks if an empty box, should start off as white. But apparently not so. Gray mean box empty. White means time to replace. I guess the level is more like a battery level on a cell phone. When all white means box no longer useable, time to empty.

I must admit though, I've yet to change the box and don't know if I should have in the past. When I got a message in the past, I turned off the machine, then back on, and the message went away.

From what I've seen, the replacement only involves unscrewing a screw or two and then swapping the box.

video for my printer's model:

 

[Texas Proud]

By test level, navigate to the maintenance box menu, then check to see what the displayed level shows. If all white, then time to change. The level on my printer shows 1/2 white 1/2 gray.

The logic is kind of backwards as to when to change. I saw another place that said replace when all white. But my mind kind of thinks if an empty box, should start off as white. But apparently not so. Gray mean box empty. White means time to replace. I guess the level is more like a battery level on a cell phone. When all white means box no longer useable, time to empty.

I must admit though, I've yet to change the box and don't know if I should have in the past. When I got a message in the past, I turned off the machine, then back on, and the message went away.

From what I've seen, the replacement only involves unscrewing a screw or two and then swapping the box.

video for my printer's model:

I think you are getting a notice screen on that as my box looks the same as yours... I then clicked the double round arrow at the bottom right and another screen showed up showing a LOT more available to me... (or a lot less... not sure lol)


OH, just noticed yours does not have the same keys as mine... nevermind...