Posts by rustysurfer79

rustypanther39 said:Thanks, I appreciate that, but if I'm driving all the way out just to grab toner, the gas alone would pretty much kill any savings.🙂

So you just grab one of those Hummingbird bundles—you know, the one with 88 cartridges—and suddenly you're looking at an effectively 88 savings per unit. It's a total steal.

Don't even sweat it—folks were driving all the way from Indianapolis just to grab that package from us out here in Napa Valley.

rustypanther39 said:I was just wondering where I could actually pick one of these up?🙂

If you're coming from Indianapolis, you can cut through Falconer and then hop onto the wine route heading toward that suburban town. Just pull over halfway up the hill on Route 81—right by that red hand sign.

I can't see the image you linked! It looks like the link might be broken or private. Could you try uploading the photo again or describing what's going on? I'd love to take a look.

rustypanther39 said:I was just wondering where I could actually pick one up?🙂

Run a search for Asterix Obelix and locate them at ???? .com

rustypanther39 said:Wait, where can I find that? I really need some Black

Honestly, Black is what kills these things. It runs out the fastest and clogs up more than anything else, which is why we eventually just tossed the OEM cartridges. Most of the time, these printers end up at the repair shop because of the Black ink issues. The other colors are totally fine and you can find them in huge quantities everywhere.

rustypanther39 said:Hey guys, after all that drama with my old printer and those knock-off inks, I finally just bit the bullet and bought a new one🙂. 🙂My HP Envy Series works like a charm, but honestly, I’m over the whole third-party ink thing... just thinking about how much a single $30 Black cartridge costs makes me want to pass out.

You can actually grab some genuine ones for around 30 bucks$13
.
See, we have a huge stash of original cartridges sitting around—they're at about 70-90% capacity—that we pulled out to swap in some Hummingbird ones after getting the print heads serviced.
Basically, if they've got about 50% left, you could snag two original cartridges for $13
.

melloworca46 said:Which model should I go with? I don't want to drop a ton of cash, so maybe something used would work.
How can I tell if a model uses refillable cartridges?

If you're buying new, then

An HP OfficeJet is roughly $300 +
Hummingbird refillable tanks == $50 + tax +
Hummingbird or Magnetic ink (4 x 100ml) == about 80 cartridges == 150 or $33 + tax
Do the math and see what the total comes to

Same thing if you go the used route
An HP OfficeJet with refillable tanks + 4 x 100ml ink == 88 cartridges == $333
Or
An HP OfficeJet with refillable tanks + 4 x 100ml ink == 88 cartridges == $167

So what's the deal with the difference?

The difference is that the OfficeJet has 128 nozzles per color, while the other one has 90. But it's nearly 100% faster, so it makes up for having fewer nozzles with pure speed.

Then you've got the other OfficeJet with maybe 28(?) nozzles, which is painfully slow if you want the same print quality as the first two. Basically, if one nozzle out of 128 gets clogged, you won't even notice. Same goes for the 90-nozzle version. But with only 28, it's actually noticeable.

Now, if you consider that the OfficeJet also has extra consumables like a battery for the refillable system—which has an uncertain lifespan and costs about 15 - $6.75 to replace—while the other doesn't need that, then both options make sense depending on how you look at the price and usage.

If you aren't planning on printing a massive amount, just grab the cheapest All-in-One you can find and toss it once the ink runs out. Honestly, between the mess of swapping cartridges and the time or money spent maintaining it, it’s barely worth the headache. That's just how they design them now. It's like disposable pens, markers, or lighters. You don't really swap the internals anymore. Sure, there are third-party fixes, but they aren't nearly as reliable as the dedicated refillable systems for Epson.

In the higher-end tier, though, swapping out components because of those 90 or 128 nozzles actually makes sense.
It's a similar story with Canon or HP in that category. Epson just has the edge because you have reliable Hummingbird refillable tanks and ink to back it up. You won't run into issues even if it sits for a while, mostly because the print head is easy to clean. That isn't always true for the originals (pigmented ink tends to settle if it sits too long), let alone some random third-party stuff you pick up from different vendors every time. It's like when you constantly switch partners in bed and then wonder why things aren't working out.

But here, you get 4 x 100ml bottles, and for some people, that lasts them a couple of years.

melloworca46 said:Look, I know how this works. It’s just capitalism at play! Companies pump out mediocre gear just to force us to spend more cash on upgrades later, but that’s a whole other conversation. Guess I’ve got no choice but to go grab a new printer!

Listen, if you're buying something brand new, don't expect it to be cheap $267. You're basically looking at paying twice as much as the bottom-of-the-barrel option, but honestly, you aren't getting double the lifespan either. All you really get is slightly better performance and maybe fewer trips to the store for ink.

On the flip side, if your main goal is just getting cheap prints, your best bet is grabbing a reliable setup == a printer paired with refillable cartridges plus the bulk ink
Why?
Because once you hit that 5,000 to 8,000 print mark, those printers usually need a reset. With the newest models, nobody has even made the reset tools yet—and even if they did, manufacturers aren't exactly rushing to release them to the public.

Carl Turner34 said:hey there
where can I pick up some black ink to refill my HP cartridges?
thanks

Honestly, I’d try to stay away from HP if I were you. But if you're stuck with it, grab a Mini refill kit for an HP Deskjet to start. They aren't pricey, so once you get the hang of it, you can just top off whenever you need.

But seriously, check out these links before you dive in:

melloworca46 said:I’m having a massive issue with this all-in-one.
Every time I power it up, part of the scanner bar starts shaking—you know, the thing that moves the light along—and it makes this weird clunking sound because it keeps hitting the other side of the track. After about a minute, the noise stops, but then all the lights just start flashing at me pretty fast.
Just for context, I bought this two years ago and used it totally fine for the first year. Then, last year right around this time—just after my warranty expired—it started acting up like this. I've only replaced the Black ink once since I use it the most, and my computer still shows I have some left, even if it's getting low.
On top of that, when I try to run a test copy (using the Stop and Power button combo), the paper won't even feed through the machine!
I’ve reinstalled all the software and drivers from scratch multiple times, and I've tried every troubleshooting step in the manual, but nothing works.
I honestly have no clue what to do. Taking it to a repair shop is way too expensive and just isn't worth it; I’d rather just buy a whole new printer-scanner than pay for service.
If anyone knows anything about fixing these things, please help!!!

There’s no helping it.

At our shop, we’ve got five broken HP Envy Series units sitting here, all with the exact same glitch. It’s happening everywhere. These things are built to last about 18 months before they're basically junk. Our hourly labor rate is $50 and parts are impossible to find. Everyone is seeing the same thing, and there's no math that makes repairing these worth it. Basically, they belong in the trash.

In other words, the manufacturer rigged the game. They want you to just go out and buy the newest model, keeping in mind you'll likely be doing the same thing again in 18 months. Or, to put it bluntly: they want to make sure you keep buying their genuine ink at FULL PRICE. Because they know you wouldn't shell out that kind of cash otherwise.

That’s just how it works these days.

Makes sense?

Drew Ward2 said:Alright, perfect—I don't actually need it for thinner paper then! Can you recommend something that would work specifically for business cards and stuff like that? I want to keep ink costs low. What should I be looking out for?

Thanks in advance!

Look, if we're talking strictly from experience...

Is the HP Business Inkjet 1100 + CISS actually any good? Looking for something in that class. $500
I don't know what you're getting at here. You just dropped "or" and nothing else? Give me something to work with!
The Canon IP 1800 + CISS is in a league of its own. $200

or

The EPSON SC 660 + CISS is in a league of its own. $333

It really just boils down to print quality and how long the ink actually lasts.

The print head lasts about 50,000 to 80,000 copies. If it finally gives up on you, you just swap it out when needed. $83 No clue what you're getting at. You've gotta give me something to work with here.
It lasts for about 10,000 prints, assuming you swap out the heads whenever they start acting up. So yeah, basically 100%. $50 It’s all in your head.
You’re looking at a lifespan of about 5,000 to 8,000 prints. As for the print quality? It's top-tier.

The main difference compared to the current Epson models is that this one actually comes with a paper feeder set at a 45-degree angle.
2. under $60

So, here's the deal: Option 1 uses a cloth sheet, but it grabs the paper across its entire width. Option 2 just has one tiny roller on the right side, while Option 3 features two small rollers—one on each side.

Most of the models out there right now only take paper pairs under 80 sheets and they’re stuck with just one roller. I've seen some HP setups where you get a single side feeder, and honestly? It’s pretty mid if you're trying to run heavy stock. Not exactly ideal.

And if you’re looking for a solution where you don't have to compromise on anything, then you've gotta go with...

Got a Rex Rotary GX 3350 + with that extra rear manual tray, plus some permanent cartridges and the gel ink to go with them.
== $267 + $333 + $500 It’s basically like having 40 cartridges. You just run them until they're empty and toss them in the trash.

When you lay it all out on the table, a single Canon IP 1800 + CISS is actually a pretty sweet deal if you're looking for a little love.

Drew Ward2 said:Hey guys,

I’m looking to kick off a little home business doing business cards, restaurant menus, and stuff like that.

So I'm wondering which copier (and printer) would be the best move if I want to handle high-volume orders.🙂 I really need to know what to look out for—I don't want to buy something where the ink costs end up eating all my profit.🙂

Thanks in advance,

Lp

Mission impossible

Why?

Because if you want to make business cards, you need a printer that can actually handle heavy 200-250 gsm cardstock without jamming.

If you try to do everything on one machine, you'll eventually wreck the paper feeder, and then it won't even pull standard 80 gsm office paper properly.

Basically, you should probably get two separate machines. You definitely shouldn't be trying to run your high-volume business card jobs through a standard office copier.
OK?

Michael Thomas6 said:Could the scanning resolution be set way too high? I'm looking at the specs, and it says—for 600 x 1200 in color mode—it can only handle "up to" 0.75 pages per minute.

If that's the issue, maybe try dropping the resolution down to 300 x 300?

Basically, just buy the genuine ink and hang onto your receipt. If things don't improve, you can head straight to the manager and ask for a full refund.

Alright:

Sound fair enough?

Michael Rodriguez46 said:You probably think it's just Vaporware

AHA

Michael Rodriguez46 said:Alright, let me try rephrasing that.

Does anyone actually own these models? I'm curious to hear how they've treated you. What kind of ink are you running, and what's the actual page yield looking like?

Thanks!

If you think you're gonna print a ton of stuff, just forget about buying a new printer.

You'll just end up getting ripped off by more Vaporware.

Sam Wood94 said:Fair enough. I haven't checked that specific setting yet, but I'll give it a shot. It’s just weird because everything else worked fine—like, if I hit black and white on the copy function, it prints exactly what I scanned. I actually dropped it off at a buddy's place today; he runs an IT firm, so he's gonna take a look tomorrow and see what he can figure out.

Looks like you either fried the B&W print head section or the nozzles are totally clogged.

Sam Wood94 said:My Canon pixma MP 610 isn't pulling enough black ink, any idea why?

If you've got it set to Photo paper, it won't use the heavy black because that's pigmented ink, which actually sucks for photos and CDs.

Makes sense, right?

gentlemarlin47 said:Honestly, it’s just like those cheap electric razors. You get the "razor" for pennies, but then the replacement blades cost more than actual gold 😢

This thing is headed straight for the trash, and I've already got the upgrade sitting right here on my desk 🙂

Honestly, Gillette patented that exact business model over a century ago. Someone just had to figure out how to apply it to new tech

gentlemarlin47 said:Well, even the Epson Ink & Cleaner Kit isn't going to save me now that the print head is completely shot. 😢
I know what I'm doing next time, but what am I supposed to do with this hunk of junk right now?
Toss it in the trash?

It’s pretty obvious the manufacturer knows exactly what happens. You walk out of the store with a shiny new printer, and before you even turn the corner, they've already made sure some third-party cartridge will mess things up. They've rigged the game so they don't lose a dime.

Basically, if you were happy with your old one, it’s not like your new HP is going to last forever either. HP is just sitting there waiting for you to come crawling back.

But hey, do whatever you want with the old one. Leave it on the HP doorstep so everyone else can see how the sausage gets made.

gentlemarlin47 said:I was playing around with some off-brand ink, and I didn't realize one of the cartridges was bone dry until it was too late—obviously fried the printhead.
The repair shop is asking for an absolute joke of a price just to swap out the head; at this point, I might as well just go grab a brand new printer 🙂

The thing is only a few months old, so I feel like a total idiot throwing it straight in the trash.
Does anyone have any tips on how to fix this without getting completely ripped off?

Grab some reliable Epson Ink & Cleaner Kit instead.

Or maybe a Clarks refill set plus a reset tool.

That’s really the only way to actually extend the life of your printhead.

Those sketchy generic brands you used? Yeah, they're a disaster waiting to happen.

I’ve got ten years of experience dealing with HP printers, trust me on this one.

Rebecca Fox53 said:Man, this is such a headache...
It's practically brand new, barely hit twenty copies, and it's already ruining my life.
How?
The thing just won't "recognize" any toner at all—not even its own official multipack!
So now I'm headed to the repair shop.
And get this: they're telling me the chip that identifies the toner might be fried. They have to order a part, but the tech isn't even 100% sure if that's the issue... and if it's not, the whole unit might be toast and I'll just have to toss it!

Is this for real? Any idea how much this is gonna run me? Anyone dealt with this before?
Thanks guys, currently mourning my wasted afternoon...🙂

Around $200 - $100

And honestly, I doubt anyone's gonna mess around with that specific fix unless they're absolutely certain.

Basically, go grab a second opinion from a different shop.

Just a heads up though—once you've had two or three techs tearing it apart and putting it back together, nobody's going to be able to tell you what the actual problem was.