Printer purchase advice

[Bill Howatt]

Being somewhat computer literate, it wouldn't be for me either, but there are lots of people who want to print, are not in a business environment, and are not the least bit computer savvy, could see this service as a good thing.

[Jerome Stanek]

For the lower package at $6.99 for 20 pages and a $1 for 10-15 more if over, doesn't seem like a real bad option for a lot of people. I'm trying to be realistic given the anguish many have with their own printing setups.
My feeling is that many, many young people don't print anything, they just keep it on their phones. I gave my stepson and older HP laser and he doesn't even use it or any other printer. Even I, as an old, now octogenarian, don't see the need to print as much although I wouldn't want to be without a printer. In my case, everything is handled on my desktop/cloud rather than a phone.

That would cost me a fortune as my grandson wants a lot of stuff printed out to color or cut out. He is only 5 and last year we went through a ream and a half of paper

[glenn bradley]

LaserJet dry toner cartridges last for many years without use. Not true for ink jet cartridges. My Canon runs Canon and generic toner cartridges without issue. Generics will not report sophisticated diagnostics and status to the printer's software on your computer like the factory brand but I don't really care. I don't print much and like having a system that will print reliably after months of non-use.

[Tom M King]

We actually use and like that HP Instant Ink deal. I don't do much printing at all, but my Wife does a fair amount with the dog business. Puppy buyers get a small book that Pam prints out with pedigrees and pictures of the parents along with all sorts of training stuff and recommendations about flea and tick treatments, heartworm, etc., etc. that probably totals between 20 and 30 pages. With a few over 40 puppies a years that adds up, but usually just in spurts for that.

Plus she gets 1 to 3 emails a day, on average, about puppies, and prints out the emails from anyone who qualifies to be on the waiting list, so that adds up too. It's a simple system for the waiting list using this method. She has an upside down stack of printed out emails that the newest one gets put on top, so when she's ready to breed a female, she just turns the stack over and contacts the first several in.

She also prints out invoices for everything she buys online.

I don't know how many pages a year we print, but the second cheapest service is more than enough. It's about 10 bucks a month. The boxes of ink cartridges are piles up in a cubby over the printer with four unopened boxes that I see right now. We've never run out under this service, which for me is a lot better than Pam telling me that she's run out of ink and needs to print puppy books.

Just like the yearly service for automatic updates from Microsoft, it's been completely painless, hands off, and everything always works. I don't think it really costs any more than buying retail ink cartridges. The fee is easily worth the lack of hassle.

[Bill George]

The Epson EcoTank models use refillable tanks that last forever, and the ink is cheap. The printer is easily converted for sublimation or decal printing. Look on FB marketplace and Craigslist, people are dumping the cartridge based old Epson printers as fast as they can!!

[Jim Becker]

The Epson EcoTank models use refillable tanks that last forever, and the ink is cheap. The printer is easily converted for sublimation or decal printing. Look on FB marketplace and Craigslist, people are dumping the cartridge based old Epson printers as fast as they can!!

I own one. It works nice and yes, it's convenient to not be bound by cartridges. BUT...as a low volume printer user, I'm constantly having to run multiple head cleaning processes in order to keep it printing clearly when I do want something on paper. Sometimes it takes four or five iterations to get things clear. And that consumes ink. Which goes into a removable reservoir they don't mention all that clearly and when it's full, you're down hard until you have another one to install. That requires tools, too. That said, I'm on my "second year" ink at this point, three plus years after buying the printer. I doubt I'll buy more ink and when it's empty, I'll probably opt for a mono laser with a scanner. I sometimes use the scanner more than I print, honestly.

[Bill George]

Maintenace Box is less than $20 on Amazon cheap enough to keep on hand.

[Jim Becker]

Maintenace Box is less than $20 on Amazon cheap enough to keep on hand.

Sure...once you know you need it...

[Bill George]

Jim you did everyone a big favor by posting that!!!

[Tim Elett]

Just getting back to post, I needed a printer and purchased a Cannon scanner and printer lazer.
Easy to set up and use,thanks for the replys and suggestions.

[Brian Elfert]

I have no issue with subscriptions for certain software products I use because I like things to stay up to date, but no way would I embrace that model for something like printing. It might be a different situation for a business, particularly one without IT support, but not for me as an individual.

It is very common for businesses to pay by the page for printing. That has been a thing since copiers got popular. Businesses can buy the equipment and pay a fee for toner and maintenance for each page printed, or just lease the equipment and everything is is covered under a higher per page cost except paper. My employer has large combo printer/scanner/copier machines that we purchased, but we pay a per page fee for toner and maintenance. We have a repair person in the building at least once a month for fifteen printers. We have employees who will complain when a printer is broken even though we have two or three printers next to each other and more printers within a short walk. A user's print job can be printed on any printer using their badge.

I rarely print anything at work. If I hit a dozen pages in a year that is a lot.

[Curt Harms]

The nozzels on inkjet cartriges can often be revitalized by cleaning with a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol,

There's another trick I read about and used. I don't exactly remember the sequence, it's been a while. I think I started a print job, unplugged the printer so the print head assembly could move freely left to right. Take a sheet of paper towel, fold it multiple times until it was narrow enough to fit in the area under the print head. Soak it with rubbing alcohol, work it under the print head assembly and move the print head assembly over the folded paper towel several times. Remove the paper towel and repeat if necessary. Then run a normal cleaning process.