Posts by rustysurfer79

restlessseal58 said:I'm looking for a cheap printer (under $133) that won't break the bank on ink. If anyone has any solid recs, let me know 😁

Check out the HP Deskjet 2050 + Microsoft Office refill set

We actually have one guy who just ordered half a liter of every single color for that setup. Before this, he'd already burned through four 200 ml bottles. Not sure how many print heads he's swapped out by now, but honestly? The whole concept works. He's printing bank statements like there's no tomorrow.

wiredcanyon18 said:So, I'm about to start studying architecture, and I really need to pick up a larger format printer (A3) to get through my projects. If anyone actually has a solid recommendation, I'd really appreciate the help.

Honestly, color or black & white—I'm fine with either.

George Morgan67 said:Is there any way I could pay for the Cessna Citation CISS installation in two installments? Or maybe a hybrid deal—I pay part in cash and cover the rest by doing some English to American translation work for you guys? Honestly, the scanner on this printer is so fast that I really don't want to go out and buy some old used model just because it already has a CISS setup.

Look, we all know the deal—finding a job when you're blind or have severe visual impairment is an uphill battle. Only maybe one in fifty of us actually manages to land something, and honestly, I’m part of that huge majority struggling with chronic unemployment. If there was any way I could trade my skills for services instead of paying cash, it would be a massive lifesaver right now. I’m a solid translator—I've even finished a few books—and I'm pretty meticulous about grammar and spelling. Just a thought.

Look, if you really want to test my speed and how sharp my work is, let me prove it. Send over a couple of text cards that have already been translated. That way, you can compare my version against what you've already got and see exactly how fast and accurate I am. No strings attached—just put me to the test.

No rush on making a decision. I'm actually heading out to a training seminar focused on improving job placement for the blind and visually impaired. Because of that, I won't be available to take on any work until the 27th.

So, would your version of the CISS tank actually fit inside that printer, or does it have to sit outside?

..............................................

What do you guys think? If I finally pull the trigger and ditch this Epson L, would it be smarter to just grab the cheapest color laser printer I can find for around $150?$500 Or maybe just grab a mid-range inkjet for the same price, one that might actually come with a built-in CISS already?

Look, I'm not gonna overthink this or give you some long-winded lecture. Honestly, the best move here is to just grab a Brother International printer from Groupon. Here’s the deal: whoever used this one was clearly using genuine Brother ink. Since Brother's Black is a pigment-based ink, it basically turned into concrete inside the machine. Trust me, I've been around the block, and there is zero chance we're getting that stuff cleaned out.

But honestly, the Cyan Yellow and Magenta are working like absolute beasts. They’re 100% spot on. And I don't think it's just a fluke, either—I ran into this exact same thing with three other printers where the Color 100 was perfect, but the Black was totally trashed.

So, why exactly are we pitching this as the solution?
Look, the thing is, we’ve got those permanent 10ml ink tanks available for it. Plus, the printer actually uses optical sensors to check the ink levels. There aren't any annoying chips involved, either. Basically, when you're running low, it just tells you. Also, Brother inkjet printers come with a built-in CISS right from the factory. They also feature 90 nozzles per color, which puts them neck-and-neck with your Cessna Citation. Honestly, just go look up what an Epson L with 90 nozzles per color actually costs. Once you see that, it'll click why they market this series so aggressively—it's all about the profit margins.

Look, if you aren't super picky, that missing Black ink isn't even a real issue. Honestly, since most people can't see fine details like that anyway, you won't notice any visual difference between using actual Black pigment and just mixing Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta to make a dark tone. If you just set your printer settings to "Photo Glossy Paper" permanently, the machine will work perfectly fine without any Black ink at all. On glossy paper, the printer doesn't even try to use the Black cartridge because it physically won't stick to the surface. Plus, there's a huge upside: you only have to refill three tanks instead of four. Ink is dirt cheap regardless, so honestly, this setup makes total sense if you want to save a few bucks.

So, if you've really wrapped your head around it, this whole investment is going to cost you... $33 For an MF device? Plus. $67 What about those refillable cartridges? $33 It’s $300 plus tax. Honestly, you're getting a compact multifunction printer that works like a charm thanks to the built-in factory CISS. Plus, the capacity is literally double what you're running right now.

If you’re looking to go with an external CISS for the $50, you’ll get the outside bottles, and once you say "go," you just hook them up to those permanent tanks on top. There isn't any professional installation, testing, or extra warranty coverage if things go south with a claim.

Just a heads-up, check their stock—they only had two of those units left.

George Morgan67 said:Hey everyone. So, I picked up an HP Envy 5520 last year, but honestly, I’m pretty bummed with it. The ink tanks are just way too small. My eyesight isn't what it used to be, so constantly messing around with tiny ink cartridges is a massive headache for me. I checked with a local shop to see if I could just install an external Ink Tank System, and they said it's totally doable, but man, the price tag is... $400I think that's just too much. I mean, look at what I paid for this thing. $267.

Would that be a smart move?

Or maybe I should just grab a mid-to-high range inkjet—maybe an HP? Those Canon Pixma models have much larger ink tanks, and from what I’ve heard, the official ink is like 50% cheaper than what you'd pay for the HP Envy series. I've been digging through the specs for printers in the $1,000 range... $667I haven't actually checked how big their ink tanks are yet.

Maybe it’s actually worth just grabbing a cheap color laser? I don't really need Wi-Fi, and A3 printing is totally overkill for me. I just need color output—doesn't have to be anything fancy or high-end. My main priority is keeping things budget-friendly. It definitely needs to be an all-in-one, though.

Look, my situation is kind of weird. I go ages without needing to print a single thing, and then out of nowhere, I’ll suddenly need to crank out 50 or 100 pages all at once. That's exactly why I mentioned HP as my top pick for a brand.

You want my take on this?

Honestly, you're better off just grabbing an HP LaserJet Pro that already comes with an Ink Tank System built right in.
Why?

For two reasons.

The best part about this thing is that RECALL button on the panel. It’s a total lifesaver if you have trouble seeing things clearly. You basically program your most used settings right into it. Once you set it up, you can actually find the button by feel, and if you know your way around the menu, you can save exactly what you need. All you have to do is turn the printer on, hit RECALL + Start, and boom—you're done. Honestly, I have an 80-year-old in my family with terrible vision—can barely see out of one eye, maybe 20% vision at best. But they still manage to get through novels. How? By ripping pages out of books and scanning them. I haven't come across any other modern multi-function printer that has a feature this simple. Most of them force you to dig through endless menus every single time, which is just a massive headache for anyone with poor eyesight or older folks.

Another thing is that for the HP LaserJet Pro, we’ve got those Auto reset chips. Basically, they just reset themselves.

Look, if I told you this person has been running the same machine for three years and it’s constantly grinding, struggling to print smoothly, and clogging up left and right, that’s more than enough reason to tell them to upgrade.
Investment. $400 plus sales tax

Another option on the price front would be some multi-function setup like a Canon Pixma paired with an Ink Tank System. But honestly, if my past experience is anything to go by, those all-in-one machines can be a total nightmare to deal with. If something goes sideways, anyone who isn't tech-savvy is basically stuck staring at a useless box.
An investment. $267 Plus sales tax.

The third option I’d suggest is going with an All-in-One, specifically based on the HP OfficeJet Pro. Why? Because once you set it up with an Ink Tank System and some premium ink, that thing becomes an absolute beast. Honestly, it's almost unstoppable. Sure, the print heads might act up occasionally, and you really have to make sure you don't run the tanks dry—if air gets into the head, you're looking at a pretty expensive fix. $147Plus some sales tax on the new print head. But honestly? Once that's done, the machine runs like it just came out of the box. We've actually proven that this setup—an HP OfficeJet Pro with an Ink Tank System using premium ink—can crank out 120,000 prints without breaking a sweat. And if you're like me and care about the small stuff, this Ink Tank System uses Auto reset chips to keep things simple.
An investment. $667 Plus sales tax.

Regarding your setup—honestly, just setting up an Ink Tank System for that thing is going to cost you a pretty penny. $133 Plus sales tax. Then you’ve gotta factor in an hour for the actual install, an hour to run tests, and another hour for follow-up support and troubleshooting. So basically, that's three hours of service time right there. $50Just a heads up, that 400ml from the Ink Tank System usually shows up a little later on. $50 It’s basically like getting premium quality at a budget price. But here’s the catch with this setup: you can't actually find an Ink Tank System with Auto reset chips for your specific model around here. All we have are those chips that require manual resetting via the keypad. It means every single time you burn through a little bit of ink—say, between 3.5 and 7.5 ml—you have to go through the hassle of manually resetting a color. Honestly, if you struggle with your eyesight, it's a total nightmare. There are other Ink Tank System versions out there that don't require any resetting at all; they just keep running until you turn the machine off. But the problem is, these chip solutions are super specific to every individual HP printer model, even if they use the exact same cartridges. So, just because you pick up one of those kits doesn't mean it'll actually play nice with your specific firmware version.
Look, that’s exactly why a pro install costs you three times what a standard service call does.

Regarding the Canon Pixma line, do yourself a favor and check if the model you're looking at actually has the same number of nozzles as yours. It’s kind of pointless trying to compare apples to oranges here.

You should also take a look at Brother MF units. Some older models didn't even use chips and came with a built-in Ink Tank System straight from the factory. You can get pretty decent results with Brother using Colibri permanent cartridges or a Colibri Ink Tank System paired with their ink. Just don't expect the machine to last more than two years. Why? Because we've seen plenty of cases where they don't even make it that long when you're using original ink.
The total investment is roughly $267 + 200 + 150 = Brother printer + Permanent cartridges + 4* 100ml ink bottles.

Honestly, if that group of people who were just ranting about our advice on the Pixma series actually looked at what you actually need, they’d be suggesting an MF solution on this forum right now.

It's just not designed for developing nations. That Pixma line was specifically engineered for those types of markets.

Mark Hill90 said:Why go laser?

Probably because a laser HP OfficeJet Pro pulls about 600W. So when you aren't using the scanner, you basically have the perfect little warming station for your coffee or a toasted sandwich.

Print jobs and hot snacks. It's an all-in-one setup. Pretty much ideal.

Justin Ortiz55 said:Hey there,

I'm on the hunt for an all-in-one printer that handles faxing, scanning, and copying too.

My budget is around $0.67, provided that either the original or a compatible toner stays under $83 per 1,000 pages.

Any tips or suggestions would be awesome.

Thanks in advance!

You looking for something brand new or refurbished?

Daniel Thompson9 said:Man, I really need a scanner. It’s pretty big for me. (I don't buy books, I just borrow them and scan the pages).

In that case, grab an Epson Stylus DX along with those continuous ink tanks if you're cool with the speed on the Epson Stylus. Or maybe go with $33 so you get a laser and an all-in-one. Just a heads up though—you might run into issues later with color printing because the capacity on that color tank is about three times smaller than the first version.

It's tough to cover every single base.

Daniel Thompson9 said:So, how much does that actually run me? I’m pretty clueless when it comes to laser printer prices. I only saw one basic black and white unit for about $233, which felt like a total rip-off for what you get.

The scanner on the Epson Stylus worked fine for me; everything I needed to see came through clear. Maybe people just don't bump up the resolution settings—even if it takes a bit longer—when they're trying to catch tiny details.

$167 + tax for the cheapest laser printer + color inkjet combo. 3000+ 200 prints.

If you look for a similar new bundle, you're looking at roughly $367 for 500 + 50 prints to start.

With the Epson Stylus, it's not even about scanning quality. It's decent. But honestly, we just laid out ten of those units the other day because they all had the exact same glitch. They just keep whirring away because the scanner keeps trying to calibrate itself. It's a systemic issue with the Epson Stylus. Weirdly enough, the Epson Stylus 105 and the older/newer models don't have this problem.

Daniel Thompson9 said:I used to have an Epson Stylus (printer, scanner, copier combo). Picked it up about 3 years ago for roughly $167. I started out using original ink, but eventually switched to those cheap third-party ones like the T110 (pretty sure that was the black one) which cost me maybe 20-$10. It worked fine for student life. Mostly just printing black and white, some color here and there. One downside—if even one cartridge runs dry, the whole thing refuses to print, though scanning still works. I printed a ton of pages, but after two years, I had to run head cleanings more often (since I was using it way more), and occasionally it would smear a few lines of text.

I'm thinking about grabbing another Epson that takes the same cheap refills; I saw the Epson Stylus for around $167. My old one will probably go to my sister.

Anyway, that's my experience with Epson.

The Epson Stylus and the Epson Stylus are basically the same, yet totally different.
Why are they the same?
Because they share the same print head. So, the print quality and speed are identical.

Why are they different?
Because the Epson Stylus has newer cartridges with 50% less capacity. And honestly, the Epson Stylus is less reliable than the Epson Stylus. That older model’s scanner was kind of a letdown. Plus, the Epson Stylus uses those third-party cartridges with chips, and those can be super sketchy. You buy them, they don't work, and you end up tossing the whole lot in the trash because you can't figure out why they're failing.

If you're a student, the smartest move for that budget is to grab an Ink & Toner Bundle. Why?

Because for that price, you actually get two machines. An inkjet for color and a laser printer.
The laser printer is a tank—just set it and forget it—and it handles maybe 3,000 to 4,000 pages easily. Then you've got the inkjet for whenever you actually need something in color.

Dennis Young57 said:There’s actually a huge difference between third-party inks, even if most of them come from China.
From what I've seen, the ink for my Epson Stylus Photo from Staples works pretty well, which is a big change from using ORINK or Printer Replenishment Service.

Can you snap a photo of the printer housing? Just so we can see if that theory actually holds up.
And make sure it's a shot taken today right there on your desk. Not some random Stock photo from who knows when or where.

William Thomas13 said:Maybe in a year or two
Daily print volume shouldn't really go over 200 copies

Then you just grab whatever's easiest to find. Most of these setups are basically built around a 24-month warranty. It’s like a lease where you're paying off that guarantee through the cost of the ink and toner. Once that term is up, you just swap it out for the latest model under the same deal.

Basically, it's hard to mess this up.

William Thomas13 said:Hey,

Like the title says, I'm looking for some advice. I need a printer to handle receipt printing from the POS system—so speed is pretty huge here—but I also need color printing for daily store promos.
Scanning and copying are big for me, but I don't really care about things like faxing or Wi-Fi.
Budget-wise, I'm looking at a max of around $533
.
Thanks.

Tell me how long you actually plan on using this thing.

Karen Peterson8 said:Hey everyone, I’m hoping you tech experts can weigh in on this printer here.

So, I'm looking for a printer.
I really want a laser one since I'll be churning out about 500-700 pages every month.
It'll mostly be black and white, but I'll need color occasionally, which is why this looks pretty handy.

The scanning feature caught my eye. It's not a total dealbreaker since I have a separate scanner, but mine is painfully slow and I always struggle with driver CDs, so having an all-in-one would be way easier.

From what I can tell, this model is on the cheaper side. Most others seem way more expensive, so I'm a little worried there's a catch somewhere. Honestly, I'm not a tech whiz, so I'd really appreciate your input.

Price is a big factor, and this is basically my absolute limit just because it handles color and scans too. I plan on using third-party toner cartridges, which I found for about $50 each. I assume I'll swap the black one out more often while the colors last longer, so the math seems okay to me.

I also looked at this option and even this one, and I probably would've picked one of those if I hadn't spotted the one mentioned above.

Please let me know what you think! Thanks so much in advance.

Look, I'd only give you one piece of advice:

Ask the person you're giving your money to where you should leave the extra cash for this printer next time.
>>
Regarding those third-party toners—does this printer require calibration? If that same toner starts looking at you like a lost puppy with huge, sad eyes, then you've got your answer.
>>>

casualmarlin22 said:I need a new printer. I'm torn between an HP LaserJet Pro which is $150 and uses original colors (2 packs) that cost about $27. My dealer told me it might only get 100 pages out of one color before I have to buy more.

The other option is an Epson Expression Premium which is $157 and can use generic cartridges (4 packs) for around $4.

Which one should I pick, or does anyone have a third recommendation? I mostly print text daily, with some color stuff occasionally. I just don't want it to be super expensive and want to make sure I can find ink at a decent price later on.

Just decide what matters more to you: saving a few bucks or paying $13 for the exact same thing.
Once you burn through that first set of ink on the first option, you aren't left with a printer anymore—you're left with a mess of generic ink issues.

It's the same deal if you grab a cheap printer designed for generic cartridges from the jump; after a month, you're in the same boat, except now each cartridge is only $4.

So, what's more important to you: a little extra cash now or $13 for the same result.

Sophia Fowler87 said:That’s exactly what I was worried about. Got any better ideas?

So here’s the deal:
If you need to hit 1,000 pages a month, you’ve gotta look at a printer that uses a toner cartridge rated for something like 4,000 pages.

Basically, you're buying toner every three months. But if a brand-new machine with those specs is too pricey, you might consider a used one that takes a similar high-capacity cartridge.

But there’s a catch.

The thing is, for the newest models, finding cheap third-party toner is almost impossible. With older, used printers, though? You can find compatible cartridges everywhere.

And here’s catch number two.

Nobody is crazy enough to sell a used printer with super cheap toner unless the machine itself is basically worn out.

So, you end up right back where you started.

However, if you grab a bundle—like a 3-pack of toner plus a "free" printer—you usually get around 14,000 pages total. That printer might be rated for 200,000 pages, but it'll likely only have about 10,000 on it. Basically, you're paying for the toner and getting the printer as part of the deal.

Meaning, if you go the new route, after a year you've spent roughly $333. But if you play it this way, you could get that same amount of printing done for about $1200 plus $333.

Just my two cents.

Sophia Fowler87 said:That’s exactly what I was worried about. You got any better ideas?

If you're looking for something new, honestly, it all ends up being the same thing. Every manufacturer is just constantly spying on what the guy next door is doing. They all basically run on the same logic.

I don't think laser or MF are long-term moves, mostly because using them feels like you're just leaving a scanner sitting right on top of a kitchen oven.

Dennis Young57 said:From what you've seen, are these kinds of inks actually decent (basically matching the quality of the originals) like you mentioned here when comparing the HP setup to a CISS system?

Exactly. Just gotta be careful, you can never be too cautious. You really need to check out the plastic quality on these cartridges. >Basically, compare how the housing is molded against similar generic imports from overseas. Honestly, those overseas manufacturers have totally crushed German companies on price. So, it’s super easy for them to pull that old trick: slapping a big-name label on a generic product and selling it for a premium. You also need to check if the black ink is dye or pigment-based. Even the design of the Intel can tell you a lot about what you're dealing with.

Sophia Fowler87 said:Hey everyone.

I'm looking for some advice on a 3-in-1 printer for a small home office. Needs to be wireless, white (you know how it is with the wife :-)), laser, and able to handle about 1,000 pages a month without the official toner costs killing me.

I was checking out this one but I can't tell if it's actually any good.

Just a heads up, you'll probably burn through 8 toner cartridges *$150. That's just my guess.

Dennis Young57 said:It was obvious ages ago that EPSON just offered a totally different vibe than the competition

It's basically the same thing, just different packaging
but it's 50% cheaper, you get 100% more ink, and the MF is thrown in for free

silentsailor23 said:So, is there any third-party ink available for those printers?

And could you maybe drop a link to a specific printer from a shop that fits the description—something around $167 that actually has compatible ink options? Thanks.

Honestly, you guys just don't get it.

You’re acting like little kids.

Do you really think Canon HP EPSON is going to play fair with toddlers and give you a fighting chance to win while they lose?

Seriously, try to wrap your heads around this. The second they realize they're losing the game, they just reshuffle the deck.

If you want to actually save money, you have to pick a printer that these big corporations aren't interested in playing with anymore because they've already lost their grip on it.

That's exactly why someone needs to hand-pick those winning printers and bundle them together into a combo that actually works for you.

But instead, you're all stubbornly sticking to a game that was rigged from the start so you'd be the loser and they'd walk away with the prize. It's like it just won't sink in.

Just remember: "new" doesn't mean better. Usually, things are branded as "new" just so you'll buy in and lose even more money on the latest gadget.

Look, once again, the EPSON DX 4450 + Colibri setup is the winning move if you need a multi-user device. Or grab a Canon IP 1800 + CISS if you want the best bang for your buck in terms of speed, quality, and print cost.

For comparison, those Canons I mentioned are basically built on the same tech—everything from the Canon IP 1000 IP 1500 series and up. They usually come with about 3-10 ml per color. So, you're looking at roughly 20 ml total for that price. But with the CISS version, you're getting about 280 ml. Sure, it's not "brand new in box," but you get the idea.

Anyway, feel free to keep banging your head against a wall if you want. Maybe one day it'll finally click.