Looking For a Color Printer Again

[easysurfer]

I bought a Cannon color laser printer a few months back but have suffered some buyer's remorse. So, now I'm looking for a color printer solution again.

The Cannon printer had pretty bad reviews. One being not use friendly at all. I got past that hurdle as I didn't need any fancy features, just a printer that produces quality prints and doesn't cost too much. Well, the printer is pretty much a toner hog. It prints good quality prints but seems only with OEM toners that costs a lot. Thus, I have the grass is always greener feeling .

 

[RobbieB]

Brother MFC-3770CDW. Best printer I've ever had.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'll be watching this thread since I'm in the same boat. I have been using Cannon printers for years. My old one (~8 years old), which I really liked, started acting up about a year ago so I bought a newer one. Both had the same features with printer/scanner/fax. The first was user friendly, worked great and didn't seem to eat ink cartridges. The second one is not user friendly and needs to be coaxed to work. Both had good B&W and Color printing capabilities but I'm ready to switch to some other brand at this point.

 

[target2019]

We forgot to mention, the color laser requires 4 toner cartridges. It is expensive. I have HP color laser and Canon b/w. Canon is the workhorse since it's much cheaper.

 

[easysurfer]

I should clarify on my original post. The Cannon color laser printer, with 3rd party toner prints okay in text. But printing a photo, there is a big difference. Cannon says to use their OEM toner. But then the costs for a combo pack of the 4 color types used by printer go for about $350. Ouch.

My plan is to use what I have in existing toner, the probably look for another printer when the toner is almost gone.

 

[statsman]

We forgot to mention, the color laser requires 4 toner cartridges. It is expensive. I have HP color laser and Canon b/w. Canon is the workhorse since it's much cheaper.

Is the cartridge for your Canon b/w printer chipped? They appear to be for the newer Brother printers, and some owners have noted their cartridges locking out having a significantly lower number of pages printed vs. their capacity.

We have a Brother DCP-7065DCN (non-wireless) b/w printer/scanner that worked well for us (once I figured out how to bypass the replace toner message). But the printer has had some sort of physical failure with the paper feed (I heard the plastic breaking away trying the suggestions to troubleshoot the problem), so we need a new one.

 

[TrvlBug]

I bought a Cannon color laser printer a few months back but have suffered some buyer's remorse. So, now I'm looking for a color printer solution again.

The Cannon printer had pretty bad reviews. One being not use friendly at all. I got past that hurdle as I didn't need any fancy features, just a printer that produces quality prints and doesn't cost too much. Well, the printer is pretty much a toner hog. It prints good quality prints but seems only with OEM toners that costs a lot. Thus, I have the grass is always greener feeling .

We learned from our first Canon color laser printer that you need to program a print setting that uses only b&w toner. The default settings use color in their b&w prints. Once we did this, our color carts lasted forever. I print a LOT of b&w so it really made a difference. Our Imageclass recently died and we just replaced it. Need to call Canon to assist in programing the b&w print option. Also, even though they set up scan, the scan function doesn't work...arghhhh .

 

[Jerry1]

I bought a Cannon color laser printer a few months back but have suffered some buyer's remorse. So, now I'm looking for a color printer solution again.

The Cannon printer had pretty bad reviews. One being not use friendly at all. I got past that hurdle as I didn't need any fancy features, just a printer that produces quality prints and doesn't cost too much. Well, the printer is pretty much a toner hog. It prints good quality prints but seems only with OEM toners that costs a lot. Thus, I have the grass is always greener feeling .

A couple thoughts:

Are you sure it’s a toner hog? I believe the initial toner cartridges are rated for lower pages that the replacements.

Are you sure it won’t work with non-OEM cartridges. I forget the company I last used, but they guarantee their cartridges to work. And, they should work just as well as the OEM’s.

How many prints do you print? I’d probably get an inkjet if I wanted to print a lot of photos. The only problem I’ve ever had with ink cartridges came from lack of use. If you use them regularly, I think they’re a good option. If you don’t print that many photos, I’d use a third party (CVS, Walgreens . . .).

 

[easysurfer]

A couple thoughts:

Are you sure it’s a toner hog? I believe the initial toner cartridges are rated for lower pages that the replacements.

Are you sure it won’t work with non-OEM cartridges. I forget the company I last used, but they guarantee their cartridges to work. And, they should work just as well as the OEM’s.

How many prints do you print? I’d probably get an inkjet if I wanted to print a lot of photos. The only problem I’ve ever had with ink cartridges came from lack of use. If you use them regularly, I think they’re a good option. If you don’t print that many photos, I’d use a third party (CVS, Walgreens . . .).

Yes, I was aware that the original toner cartridges are rated for lower pages. I already went through the originals (did print about 400 pages with the black toner and about 15 photos -- which drained the color cartridges).

I've since replaced using a non-OEM set of cartridges. Only printed a few photos and I already see the toner level indicator decreased.

True, I can go to a place like CVS, Walgreens to get the photos done). But that's no fun.

 

[davebarnes]

For 99% of our printing—Brother HL 3170CDW
For high-quality photos—local camera store which is 2 miles away.

The current version of the Brother appears to be HLL3230CDW. $230 from my friend Jeff Bezos.

 

[target2019]

Is the cartridge for your Canon b/w printer chipped? They appear to be for the newer Brother printers, and some owners have noted their cartridges locking out having a significantly lower number of pages printed vs. their capacity.

We have a Brother DCP-7065DCN (non-wireless) b/w printer/scanner that worked well for us (once I figured out how to bypass the replace toner message). But the printer has had some sort of physical failure with the paper feed (I heard the plastic breaking away trying the suggestions to troubleshoot the problem), so we need a new one.

I only buy OEM toner cartridges. I print so little, it does not break the bank.

 

[Jerry1]

Yes, I was aware that the original toner cartridges are rated for lower pages. I already went through the originals (did print about 400 pages with the black toner and about 15 photos -- which drained the color cartridges).

I've since replaced using a non-OEM set of cartridges. Only printed a few photos and I already see the toner level indicator decreased.

True, I can go to a place like CVS, Walgreens to get the photos done). But that's no fun.

That seems remarkably low for even the originals. What were they rated at? I think my first cartridges (not cannon), were rated at 1200 pages. Worse, I can’t believe only 15 photos out of any cartridges, originals or not. Wow. Did you open up your printer to see if there’s a catastrophic leak? Or, more likely, did the cartridges say they were empty when they weren’t (electronic issue). I like the idea of finding a way to override the sensor and keep printing. I bet there’s a lot more toner in those cartridges.

 

[Texas Proud]

I have an HP 2600 laser and it was good for many years... however it has been printing badly the last year or so... I think the generic toner is the problem but cannot find the good ones I had bought before... now I get them leaking or streaking the paper...


Wife complained.. so bought a big tank epson... ET-3750... love it so far.. the copies look just like the originals, prints are great... a bit slow and not a big place for paper but it is good for me...


Our was cheaper than this at a sale from Sams Club... my son bought one of the lower number ones and loves it... he has had for 3 years in college and still using the original ink...



https://www.amazon.com/Epson-WorkFo...?keywords=epson+et-3750&qid=1582850654&sr=8-3

 

[easysurfer]

I have an HP 2600 laser and it was good for many years... however it has been printing badly the last year or so... I think the generic toner is the problem but cannot find the good ones I had bought before... now I get them leaking or streaking the paper...


Wife complained.. so bought a big tank epson... ET-3750... love it so far.. the copies look just like the originals, prints are great... a bit slow and not a big place for paper but it is good for me...


Our was cheaper than this at a sale from Sams Club... my son bought one of the lower number ones and loves it... he has had for 3 years in college and still using the original ink...



https://www.amazon.com/Epson-WorkFo...?keywords=epson+et-3750&qid=1582850654&sr=8-3

I've been seriously considering a tank type epson as the next color printer. The biggest question is which one as epson has so many. Actually, I have narrowed choices down to a probable one. I could put up with slower speed for savings in ink costs and nice quality prints.

The Amazon reviews of the tank type epsons seem mixed. But don't know if the negative reviews are mostly from operator error .

 

[harley]

I've bought a few different color laser printers for our various houses over the years. My favorite was the Dell E525w, but they don't make that any more. I've had an HP I didn't like and replaced when the toner ran out. I've got a Samsung C480 that works pretty well, although it's sort of slow and noisy. And I had a Canon MF-something or other. I didn't like that one that much either. I haven't tried any Brothers yet.

The one thing I've noticed is that they were fairly cheap/reasonable for awhile, but seem to have gotten more expensive in the last year or two. I don't know if it's due to tariffs, or something else. But it's too bad, as they are far preferable to to inkjet printers.

 

[davebarnes]

Expensive?

I've bought a few different color laser printers...over the years.
The one thing I've noticed is that they were fairly cheap/reasonable for awhile, but seem to have gotten more expensive in the last year or two.

$230 USD is expensive?
Our first color laser printer was a $2000 Tektronix. Cartridges were $700.

 

[Sunset]

We print photos at various places some of which are Costco, Shutterfly, CVS, Walmart.

So we only need a b&w laser printer at home.

We print photos so rarely, that is the solution for us.

 

[frank]

I have an epson wf545 and have had it for 8 years. it prints great black and white. good color, but pictures not great but good. the cartridges are dirt cheap and last a long time. I have checked out a couple of other epsons, but the print quality is not very good in recent years. I was thinking about the epsons with the tanks also, but have to question the shelf life of the ink. If the cartridges last 6 months in regular use. the tanks must last a long long time, so would they dry up?

 

[statsman]

We print photos at various places some of which are Costco, Shutterfly, CVS, Walmart.

So we only need a b&w laser printer at home.

We print photos so rarely, that is the solution for us.

That describes our situation. Had the Brother DCP-7065CN that lasted for about 8 years before part of the paper feed mechanism internally broke off late last year (may have been related to our move in October 2018, then second move in June 2019).

We can still use the printer by feeding a sheet at a time through the manual paper feed slot, but that's time consuming and tends to result in misaligned printing on the pages.

I have read about numerous Brother users of their newer printers experiencing issues with their OEM cartridges. Seems Brother decided to chip the cartridges for "more accurate" printing, but for many, it is resulting in cartridges needing to be replaced far sooner than the advertised toner capacity. I suspect there are other reasons for the chips.

Anyway, if someone has a suggestion for a good b/w printer with a scanner, that would be appreciated.

 

[Texas Proud]

I've been seriously considering a tank type epson as the next color printer. The biggest question is which one as epson has so many. Actually, I have narrowed choices down to a probable one. I could put up with slower speed for savings in ink costs and nice quality prints.

The Amazon reviews of the tank type epsons seem mixed. But don't know if the negative reviews are mostly from operator error .

IIRC the ink bottle is supposed to last 20,000 pages!!! And the printer I bought had 2 bottles of each ink.


I can tell you that the picture quality from this printer is much better than the laser.



Like you, it seems the review were biased on operator errors.... but some were legit... there is no end (back) piece to hold the paper in the tray... have to make sure that you push it up all the way and not slam the tray shut.. other than that it is too new for me to find another problem...


BTW, the a big benefit is that it can make a copy and scan!! And it is wireless so you can send scan to any connected computer.... Can also put the printer anywhere you want.

 

[harley]

$230 USD is expensive?
Our first color laser printer was a $2000 Tektronix. Cartridges were $700.

All of the ones I've listed except for the Samsung were under $200. The Dell was $175. They aren't expensive like the old office laserjets, but they have gone up a bit since the original price drop. I also have noticed that the companies want to get you on an automatic reordering scheme where the printer tells them the toner is running out and they will automatically send you new toner. I always disable that "feature".

I also miss the old days when you could just shake the toner cartridge and get another couple hundred pages out of it. I don't like the chipped cartridges, but haven't found a way around them yet.

And just as an aside, I've had very bad luck with non-OEM toner cartridges. I'm a cheap SOB, but I'm not making that mistake again.

 

[easysurfer]

IIRC the ink bottle is supposed to last 20,000 pages!!! And the printer I bought had 2 bottles of each ink.


I can tell you that the picture quality from this printer is much better than the laser.



Like you, it seems the review were biased on operator errors.... but some were legit... there is no end (back) piece to hold the paper in the tray... have to make sure that you push it up all the way and not slam the tray shut.. other than that it is too new for me to find another problem...


BTW, the a big benefit is that it can make a copy and scan!! And it is wireless so you can send scan to any connected computer.... Can also put the printer anywhere you want.

The better picture quality sounds nice.

Have you had to change the maintenance box on the printer? If so, how often? That's a box that collects the ink that's used for print head cleaning but has to get replaced. As long as that isn't something that needs replacing often, then that's okay. If too often, then kinda defeats the purpose of no cartridges as the box is a recurring cost that is about $25 .

 

[easysurfer]

Thought I'd give a non-update on my new printer search. I say non-update as I can't pull the trigger on a new printer. Instead, I end up at a dead end as to deciding what action to take.

I've thought about just coughing up the dough and getting OEM toners for my current Cannon Color Laser but cringe at the cost of about $350 if I was to replace the needed 4 toners. Non OEM toners are at a fraction of the cost, but has noticeable loss of print quality.

Another thought I had was to go the ink tank route with inkjets. But they still are inkjets and from what I've read, prints and acts like an inkjet which means slower and prone to print head clogging and ink prematurely drying.

 

[Qs Laptop]

If you only need color to print photos the only way to go is an inkjet printer, not color laser printer. You will never get color photographs to print with the clarity and color fidelity that a color inkjet printer will get you. Even so, if I have a batch of photos to print I upload them to Snapfish to process them and they mail the prints to me. Print quality is better and it's dirt cheap. If I only have a few photos I will do them on my Brother inkjet.

I've had Canon inkjets and now I have a Brother inkjet. The Canon's printed photos a tad bit better than the Brother, however, I can get non-Brother branded inkjet cartridges extremely inexpensively on Amazon. I've never had a problem with them. I would estimate I get five times the print life with the Brother inkjet cartridges vs. the Canon cartridges. But the Canon printed photos a bit better.

For $225 or less you could get a color inkjet AND a B&W laser printer. I've got a Brother B&W laser and a Brother color inkjet. I can get replacement inkjet cartridges for $13.99 for all three colors plus black. A B&W laser toner cartridge is $12.95.

My printers are several years old and still work great. I've seen the latest Brother inkjet printer ads that claim to have cartridges with ridiculously long life. Might want to check them out.

Another thought I had was to go the ink tank route with inkjets. But they still are inkjets and from what I've read, prints and acts like an inkjet which means slower and prone to print head clogging and ink prematurely drying.

I would get prematurely dried out cartridges on my Canon, but I could get around that by printing a test page once a week (if I could remember.) I haven't had the clogging or dry out problem with the Brother printer.

 

[MissMolly]

We bought one of those Epson tank printers a couple of months ago. The ET 4700 model. I'm quite happy with it. It reliable. It's also a scanner. It's wireless which is nice since I can put it anywhere. We don't print photos so I really can't speak to the quality for that, but I like the printer.