Recommend me a quality home printer.

[CRLLS]

I have no input on laser printers. I have been strictly ink jet, if you don't count my first ribbon style text printer. I have had HP, Epson and Canon ink jet printers. My current printer is a Canon TR8620A AIO and I have to say, it does everything I ask it to do. I buy generic ink at ~$30 for 3 sets of 5 ink cartridges We keep the printer, along with paper, spare cartridges, and miscellaneous supplies out of sight in a wall cabinet.

 

[jimbee]

I'm still using the same B/W laser printer I bought 19 years ago. It has never plugged, dried up (it can't), or otherwise failed to print. When I want to print photos, I send them to Walmart photo services.

I plan to never, ever, never, ever, never, ever buy another ink jet printer as long as I live.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I'm still using the same B/W laser printer I bought 19 years ago. It has never plugged, dried up (it can't), or otherwise failed to print. When I want to print photos, I send them to Walmart photo services.

I plan to never, ever, never, ever, never, ever buy another ink jet printer as long as I live.

I love me a good laser printer longevity story so here's mine. I am still using, and using on a daily basis, printing 40-50 sheets per day, my HP LaserJet 1200 printer which I bought back in 2002. I've replaced some rubber rollers and the pickup separation pad but otherwise it just keeps on plugging away. I use the cheap knock-off toner cartridges. My last purchase was in March when I got two high capacity cartridges for $35.

 

[m3bs]

I bought a Epson EcoTank 3760 in 2021. I've used it since then with no issues with clogging, etc. It has printed just under 3000 pages in that time, and may sit for a week at a time without being used. I'm still on the original ink fill with the black tank at about 35% full, and all of the color tanks at about 60%. I still have two extra bottles of black ink that came with it, but I can purchase a complete set of ink for less than a single cartridge for my old HP. I'm a satisfied user at this point, other than the user interface. Tiny screen, not very intuitive. I don't print photos, so I can't comment on quality.

 

[Sunset]

Thx for the link. Ugh. I don't need that nonsense.
I don't need to come home from a 1-2 week trip and have to deal with clogged print heDS.

I could get a BW laserjet to supplement the inkjet.
However, I know my family and they are not tech savvy at all and will just print everything to the inkjet as before, just because then you don't have to think about it!

After you get a laser printer, just turn off your inkjet printer so your unthinking family will default to the laser.
You can turn on the inkjet when you need to print color.

We bought a brother laser printer a few years ago to replace the ~10yr old one that still worked but developed an issue. We paid ~$150 for the MFC-L2690DW
It prints, faxes, scans and photocopies.

Our Laser is great as I can leave it for months, and it works when you want it to print as there is no clogging.

 

[tulak]

Another fan of Brother B&W laser printer. I’ve had mine for years and it’s worked great.

 

[disneysteve]

I always had a color inkjet printer and I used it a lot to print in color. Little by little I found I was doing less color printing. A few years ago I inherited a Brother black and white laser printer and made that my primary printer, only connecting the color printer on the rare occasion that I needed to. Over time, I've found I connected it less and less. Also my wife got a color inkjet downstairs that she uses for her crafting stuff so if I really need color, I can print to that, which hasn't happened yet. The few times I've needed to print a photograph, I just went over to Walgreens and did it there.

 

[easysurfer]

Another fan of Brother B&W laser printer. I’ve had mine for years and it’s worked great.

I have one of those tank inkjets. I'm now spoiled with color prints. One reason is color printing is so cheap using a tank printer.

Along with color or not, when looking for a new printer is to consider if the printer prints on both sides or not.

Personal preferences but good to know beforehand to avoid buyer's remorse.

 

[momoney]

FYI laser printers are power hogs, frequently consuming 500W to 1000W while in operation. Most inkjets only consume 20W or less while in operation.

My laser goes into a very low power sleep standby mode. I don't use it much and it doesn't bother me waiting on it to wake up. When I had inkjet I wasted ink because of infrequent use. It took time each time I used it for the head to clean itself.

 

[Qs Laptop]

We bought a brother laser printer a few years ago to replace the ~10yr old one that still worked but developed an issue. We paid ~$150 for the MFC-L2690DW
It prints, faxes, scans and photocopies.

Mine is very similar to that one, it's the MFC-L2700DW. I just checked my page counter and it is at 85,995 pages printed. Only problem I've had is I got a replacement drum that was noisy but I tracked down the noise and lubed it so noise went away.

Wow, prices on these things has shot up lately. I remember looking at the base model Brother B&W laser printer a couple of years ago and it was $99. Now it is $220!

 

[FIYes]

I had decided on a B&W laser printer, but I walked into Costco today and the HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M283cdw was on sale. I thought color would be nice so I hope this will be a good, long lasting option. I can’t resist a Costco sale.

 

[Dash man]

Before jumping on a laser B/W, are the Ecotank printers really a maintenance concern?
I have heard of clogging/cleaning complaints but, perhaps I am overthinking that.
They would save on ink.

We dumped our Ecotank printer. It couldn’t print a clear document.
We have a Brother B/W Laser and an HP for color printing.

 

[Aerides]

I don't need photo print quality, but I print a fair amount of b&w and color for my small business. I have always gone with cheap canon inkjets and cheap 3rd party ink. Because the difference is meaningless unless you want to print large photos for framing, in which case look at the Pixma pro series, and good quality photo papers.

My current printer was $91 in 2017. Usually they last about 5 years.

I use 3rd party amazon $20 sets of ink (full set, all the colors) and I reorder maybe once or twice a year. I have been doing this for ~20 years.

 

[Jerry1]

I had decided on a B&W laser printer, but I walked into Costco today and the HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M283cdw was on sale. I thought color would be nice so I hope this will be a good, long lasting option. I can’t resist a Costco sale.

I bought that printer for my daughter/grandkids. It's almost identical to the one I have but it does take different cartridges.

One small issue I have with that model is that in order to use third party laser cartridges, you have to take the chip out of the existing HP cartridge and use it in the 3rd party cartridge. Not a big deal but not something I would want to do. For me, it doesn't matter because I've been burned using 3rd party cartridges and will never use them again. Thankfully, me and DW really don't print that much so the cost of the HP cartridges are spread out over quite a few years.

FWIW, the third party cartridges I had leaked all over the inside of the printer and created a mess that I had to clean up. I was debating whether or not to just buy a new printer, but the cartridges that come with a new machine are very limited in how many pages they will print and four new cartridges (extra large) were still less than a new printer - but not by much.

 

[Al18]

A set of Extended Black and Color cartridges will run you $440 for the e HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M283cdw!

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

We are moderate printer users, and we're really happy with our Brother inkjet. Replacement cartridges are a little over $1 each via ebay

 

[Davidhelp]

The next printer I will buy will be a Epson Ecotank. Large bottles of ink so I would not worry about cleaning cycles or when I have to do head cleaning and cleaning cycles and watch the small cartridges go empty. EcoTank Supertank Refillable Ink Tank Printers | Epson US | Epson US

 

[Walt34]

I bought this Brother color laser printer a few months ago on sale for $470, and I am very happy with it. We might have to replace the black toner before we die, but the rest will probably be part of our estate! Ironically, we got it because we don't print very often, so inkjets were so much trouble to print with after sitting idle for months.

Thanks for the recommendation, and (after doing some more research) we bought the same printer, the Brother MFC-L3780CDW. When we bought the new computer we found that the drivers for the old Dell E525w printer won't work with Windows 11. Oh well, we certainly got our nickel's worth from it. So far the new Brother one has been working fine, and just for grins I even sent a fax with it, to the HOA for this year's pool pass.

We (well, I) have to have a laser printer because DW prints everything, or at least it seems so. And the cost of that would be silly with a Canon Pro-100 photo printer with it's eight ink cartridges, although it will do that. For the two week period between buying the new PC and buying the Brother laser, that was the printer we (she) used. And she insists on color. Ah, the things we do for love.

 

[camfused]

I'm strictly a Brother color laser printer man, but I have noticed that there is now another inkjet alternative that is in between the EcoTank models, with their giant tanks, and the regular cartridges. Brother calls it the INKvestment line, and it is like a regular inkjet cartridge, but a lot larger, and it supposedly lasts for a whole year (300 pages a month) before needing replacement. I think for many of us here, that would be much longer than a year. An example is the Brother MFC-J6555DW. FYI.

 

[LakeRat1]

10 years ago I finally had enough of paying for ink ...... I switched back to a black toner cartridge printer - Brother HL-L2395 DW.... We have two homes, one in FL and one in KS, we have the same printer at both locations ...... Great Printer, even better price point for the printer and toner cartridge .....

 

[target2019]

Still living the dream. A color laser and two B/W models, one on each floor. And no ink problems for another month.

Had a chuckle this morning as her Ninja food processor made the overhead utility room lights brighten and dim. Reminded me of my late 80's Laserwriter Plus. What a beast, and it never went to sleep! LaserWriter Plus: Technical Specifications ; Max Watts: 760 ; Amps: 6.3 ; BTU per Hr: 2599.2 ; Voltage: 115 ; Freq Range: 60 Hz.

Our 2011 HP CP2025 is more friendly: 445 watts (printing), 18 watts (ready), 6.7 watts (sleep), 0.48 watts (off). I still turn that off for long stretches.

 

[albireo13]

I'm strictly a Brother color laser printer man, but I have noticed that there is now another inkjet alternative that is in between the EcoTank models, with their giant tanks, and the regular cartridges. Brother calls it the INKvestment line, and it is like a regular inkjet cartridge, but a lot larger, and it supposedly lasts for a whole year (300 pages a month) before needing replacement. I think for many of us here, that would be much longer than a year. An example is the Brother MFC-J6555DW. FYI.

Interesting. sounds like a cartridge system still ... just bigger cartridges. Moving i the right direction.

 

[njhowie]

When we bought the new computer we found that the drivers for the old Dell E525w printer won't work with Windows 11.

Before you give up on the old Dell, you may want to give the Dell Open Print Driver a shot. I have an ancient Dell 3100cn and there were no drivers for Windows 10. I searched, tried "compatible" drivers that should have worked, and nothing. I stumbled upon the Dell Open Print Driver, and it was like magic.

I have searched and the Dell Open Print Driver is compatible with Windows 11, and Dell's support site says the E525w is supported by the Open Print Driver.

Dell Open Print Driver | Driver Details | Dell US

 

[Walt34]

Before you give up on the old Dell, you may want to give the Dell Open Print Driver a shot.

Thank you, but it's too late now. I took that printer and the carcass of the old PC to the recycling site nearby and it's almost certainly in little bitty pieces by now. Oh well, I'll keep that in mind for the future.