Hey there! Looking for some honest reviews on budget color laser printers.
Right now, I’m stuck using this old HP Deskjet 4450 with those annoying refillable cartridges, but honestly, dropping $750$267 on a solid color laser doesn't seem like such a massive hit if you look at the long game—assuming manufacturers finally stopped playing dirty with fake toner levels and software that acts like a straight-up virus.
What’s the real-world experience been like?
How much are we talking for the replacement cartridges?
How long do they actually last? What's the page yield looking like?
Are there any major headaches or hidden catches... what kind of nonsense have they cooked up this time?
Some people are out here trying to force-feed these 3D printers to everyone like they’re some kind of magic, all-powerful miracle machines...
But let's get real: for the average person, what are they actually spitting out? A few plastic trinkets and cheap keychains..
People just don't get it. Everything has its limits. These things aren't omnipotent. And frankly, people need more than just a limited run of identical little plastic junk...
Industrial manufacturing is an entirely different beast altogether. It plays by a completely different set of rules.
Look, folks, the real goal should be building a society that’s actually self-sufficient and economically sustainable.
We need to get that economic engine turning—where we're trading with one another, keeping production moving across the country, and circulating both profit and consumption... basically, we need to take control of our own wheel of fortune.
It's easy enough to talk about "imagination" and geek out over tech-bro fantasies.
But like my old man used to say... "Alright then, let that printer print me a left fork for my Mazda..."
We’re getting to a point where even the engineers at Toyota won't bother making certain parts anymore, because why would they when some guy with a glorified hot glue gun can try to do it?
Jerry Clark72 said:I honestly don't see how 3D printers could ever be a threat to the US economy.
How many people in America actually work in industries that 3D printing would even touch? I can't think of a single one right now.
On the flip side, my buddy Starks makes a solid point. These printers might actually give us a leg up by making small-scale manufacturing easier than it's ever been.
Besides, if we're talking about what really matters for the future of the US, it’s food prices. Prices are climbing now, and they're going to keep climbing until farming becomes a massive money-maker again.
For instance, imagine a scenario where corn hits $0.67 per pound. With just five acres, you'd be pulling in a salary equivalent to what I make now—and I'm a computer engineer at a top-tier tech firm using all those cutting-edge technologies that goldengull3 gets so hyped about.
Look, corn is sitting at 150 $67 for 100 lbs... the only time you see it down to 100 $40 is during bumper crop years when the market is flooded... or when some desperate guy is dumping it below cost just to move it, which is happening more and more often...
The real nightmare is there's no economic chain left. You can't funnel that corn through pigs or piglets because nobody can sell them either... and you can't feed them to cattle because most of the family farms have already gone belly up.
The core issue is that this has zero impact on our domestic market. The people who are supposed to be using economic tools to make our economy self-sufficient aren't doing a damn thing to ensure that using our own raw materials and our own people to make finished goods actually pays off...
We import almost everything... so how the hell are we supposed to stay competitive or turn a profit?
Do some reading on agricultural trends... the whole sector is collapsing and nothing makes financial sense anymore...
Agri-economics is dying branch by branch because of pure neglect and terrible policy decisions...
These 3D printers are some of the biggest loads of nonsense I’ve ever seen.
They're just toys for lazy, elitist Americans who want everything standardized and under their thumb.
Anyone with half a brain can see that a 3D printer isn't actually what people claim it is.
First off, basic logic: if you want to print something, you have to constantly feed the machine the right material...
Who in their right mind is going to sit there refilling flour for food, or iron for metal parts, making sure the ratio is perfect every single time? Who has that kind of time?
And even if they could, no matter what some tech guru tells you, it’s impossible to manufacture everything this way. Most real products require actual finishing processes—things like pressing, galvanizing, zinc coating... or case hardening...
I mean, can you imagine some genius waiting around for his printer to churn out a batch of "sliders" just so he can eat? When there are a hundred other ways to get a burger, which is the whole point of having choices—for food or anything else.
So, all this dreaming about a "universal solution" for specialized needs? It honestly makes my blood boil.
The real issue isn't printing plastic trinkets; it's figuring out how to break free from the monopolistic elites. These guys rake it in by guarding their proprietary tech, holding onto monopolies, and blocking intuitive new technologies that could actually make life easier or provide cheaper energy. If we had those, people could integrate them into affordable goods—which is the entire goal of any modern economy: driving down prices to stay competitive, boosting sales, creating jobs, and raising the standard of living.
Right now, the gatekeepers of legacy brands are hogging everything. They won't let new standards or interconnected energy networks disrupt their stranglehold on consumer society.
Does anyone here actually grasp the sheer scale of the auto industry? All its components, the massive supply chains, and the entire web of industries tied to it?
Just switching over to electric power would wipe out more than half the resources currently used for parts, lubricants, and fuels across the planet.
That’s why we’re all just standing here, sinking together. We’re paying for expensive, outdated technology packed with unnecessary details that mostly just line the pockets of Western corporations. This setup generates insanely expensive energy and transport costs, which trickles down into everything we produce, making our goods overpriced and uncompetitive because of this constant extortion.
If we actually made a move... we’d already have networks of sustainable, cheap energy potential—biogas, solar arrays, small hydro plants all linked up to consumers, transit, and EVs, backed by a massive network of charging stations and places for quick battery swaps... or even hot water heating available across the entire US mainland.
We’re talking about the money being funneled to those old partisans and their family pensions—plus probably all the folks who fled to other countries in the former America... we're looking at roughly $450 million total for about 70,000 people.
Eighty years after World War II...
The President of the Communist Party USA, John Doe, signing off on this... an eleven-year-old kid, or maybe just a seven-year-old boy, acting as a partisan...🙂
Compared to these historical profiteers, our own veterans look like infants.
Amanda Diaz said:Clearly, you're missing the big picture here. Just take a look at what you could buy with that much money back then versus what you can actually afford today...
Dana Robinson4 said:So, what we’re talking about here is whether you had ten minimum wage earners or just one doctor's salary?
It isn't quite the same thing, is it, when you compare life today to how things were twenty years ago?$33
Section 4.
The base minimum wage for October is set at $311,488, for November at $323,948, and for December at $336,906. The total minimum wage for October, November, and December shall be determined as 70% of the lowest base wage established for those months under the provisions of paragraph 1 of this section.
None of you seem to get it. Do some actual reading on the greenback contracts and the transition to a professional military back in '91. And look into those lawsuits over three average salaries in Rhode Island.
Go find some statements from Whisper about how an American soldier makes the exact same pay as an American soldier... (of course, he just threw the entire payroll into one bucket and calculated an average).
And think for a second about the cost of actually fighting and operating out in the field with those 3,000 guys...
Professional soldiers weren't out there buying iPhones and plasma TVs, only to end up being able to buy 10 things then and only 3 now... they were buying completely different stuff...
Just so you know, after about ten years, even with rank increases, kids, and seniority, the pay only went up by maybe $300—$133 so inflation absolutely gutted military pay... and it hit us hard...
So I’m asking certain people to stop lecturing me on the value of money when I’ve personally dealt with moving in and out of units multiple times because the pay was too low for the work required... and it’s happening again today because they passed a rule saying a soldier is on duty 24 hours a day... basically, out of 30 days, you're only actually home for 2 or 3...
Overtime for guard duty, training sessions, or being on standby? That was never paid until around 2005-06, when they finally started passing regulations about paying for shifts, drills, fire calls, and on-call duties after younger officers arrived and pushed for fixing a broken system.
And then, instead of paying for everything that *should* be paid, they cancel the pay and introduce "comp time" that you can never actually use. Now, we're right back to a 24-hour workday because the government simply can't afford to pay for all the hours spent on missions...
I honestly don't get people complaining about making $1233.
When I signed my very first contract, fresh out of school, green as grass, I was pulling in $3,100... and that was before seniority, before kids, before anything.
And right when I needed it most, too.
Look, the auto industry is the biggest business on the planet.
Then you’ve got tourism.
And the chemical industry.
Thank God someone actually had the guts to open up a plant here.
Just imagine if we had ten of them, like they have over in places like Mexico...
It would be a massive loss... we've been bleeding money for decades now.
Honestly, if you ask me, the whole "New World Order" demonization being pushed everywhere is actually less dangerous than the absolute circus of fake democracy we’re seeing in these newer nations. It’s just a massive, coordinated shell game.
Look at the established powers—they at least toss the masses enough crumbs to keep them from revolting. But these fledgling democracies? They don't offer bread; they just force people to play rigged games.
It’s basic common sense: experience has taught them that you don't slaughter the cow that provides the milk. Instead, you feed it, pamper it, and keep it producing.
And now, they're pushing this entire system through total digitization, trying to bypass the messy, unpredictable human element altogether.
James Patel20 said:I was just sitting here watching an episode of "60 Minutes," and it really got me thinking about all those names they were throwing around in relation to the old political shifts back in the day... It’s interesting because when you look at the parents of current big-shot politicians—like the fathers of folks who might be compared to someone like Mitt Romney or Joe Biden—it turns out they all held these massive, high-ranking positions within the old state administration back in the day. They even brought up historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt, and I’m sure there are plenty more names that didn't make the cut on screen. It honestly feels like political power in the States is being passed down through generations, almost like a family heirloom that gets handed from parent to child... It gives off this strange vibe that certain families are just pre-destined to run the country, which starts to feel a little bit like we're living in a modern monarchy rather than a true democracy. We have these "blue blood" political dynasties at the top, while everyone else is just caught in the middle, voting and fighting amongst themselves while the same few families simply rotate seats on the throne... everything stays within that same tight circle.
To me, the whole thing feels a bit haunting, if I'm being honest... What are your thoughts on all this?
I think that tiny slice of the cream of the crop basically passes down a single message from parent to child...
"Go to school, kid. Look at those highly educated, well-dressed folks—they don't actually *do* anything, yet everyone treats them like royalty. Just stick to the books."
That’s universal advice right there. The difference is, some of these kids didn't even need the degree.
Their jobs were already waiting for them.
Handed down through the bloodline. It’s just a glorified family business.
Check one of the following. -No cartridge(s) are set. -Cartridge(s) are set incorrectly. -Right Front Cover is open. Open the indicated cover and check the cartridge(s), then close the cover.
What should I do? Is it maybe because my color cartridge isn't inside??
I mean, it's literally telling you what's wrong right there... do you not speak English?
The first thing... a cartridge is missing.
The second thing... the cartridge isn't seated properly.
The third thing... the cartridge cover isn't closed.
Which printer are we even talking about here?
Here, take this and go read up on printers and their issues.
Maybe you'll actually find something useful for your specific model in there.
That’s exactly why there’s a catch... we need a total overhaul of the justice system first.
If Europe wasn't so terrified of losing its capital, they would have stepped in way sooner.
But here? It’s all just buddies shaking hands behind closed doors. You see it in how judges handle things—like that ridiculous ruling involving that American basketball player and that old creep from Kansas City.
So, until things actually get sorted out... you've gotta watch your back.
As for insurance, it looks to me like State Farm has finally grown tired of all this chatter you guys are making. Now they’re trying to play nice, offering decent service and acting polite just to snatch up clients, unlike the other sharks out there.
The game seems to be: pay out the claim, then have their lawyers try to squeeze the money back out of the other insurance company.
Honestly though, the whole industry feels like one big scam. It’s sickening.
Splitting the blame, nitpicking over tiny details, outright blackmail... it's disgusting.
The incoming administration and whoever ends up holding the reins need to set some non-negotiable priorities—real mandates that every single party loyalist tasked with the heavy lifting actually has to sign off on personally.
I am sick to death of the endless party bickering and those ridiculous shots from Congress where a bunch of red-faced, sixty-year-old dinosaurs just scream at each other for the cameras. We can't have a repeat of that circus ever again.
They’ve got far too much actual work to do to be wasting time. For the next four years, I don't want to hear a single heated argument coming out of the Capitol; all I want to see are heads down and hands up, getting the job done.
We need hard standards in place, and we need results measured against them—raw, unvarnished data. And by the way, there absolutely must be at least two or three independent oversight agencies to make sure nobody is cooking the books.
Honestly, they messed up when they scrapped the state senate structure.
It was almost like they wanted to kill off the political backbone of our regional governance entirely. If they had just strengthened the state senate's responsibility to oversee the economic climate and business conditions here in the US, it would have been a massive asset.
If I have to sit through more sessions where these same old fossils puff their chests out in a half-empty chamber, tossing around the same tired talking points... man, it's enough to drive you insane.
There’s a massive logical flaw in this whole argument about Dalmatians not being "real Americans."
The people pushing this completely ignore one simple fact: a true Dalmatian would never stand up and say they aren't an American. Period.
And let’s be real—the rest of the country sees right through it. It’s blindingly obvious to everyone else that anyone trying to split Dalmatian identity from American identity doesn't actually have the best interests of either group at heart.
Honestly, it’s like running full speed into a brick wall.
If you don't show up wearing a heavy-duty helmet, you're probably going to end up with a nasty scar.🤣
So, do yourself a favor: stop being obnoxious and quit making a fool out of yourself.
Jonathan Smith12 said:Please, don't feel like you even need to bother responding to me. It’s just one of those things where, looking back at history in places like California, there has always been this specific subset of people who simply refused to stand behind the American cause when it mattered most. They hold their breath while things are tense, but once the danger passes and the dust settles, they invariably crawl right back out from whatever shadows they were hiding in. Honestly, it’s nothing new at all—just the same old pattern we've seen play out time and time again. It’s funny, isn't it? How selective our collective memory becomes when things finally start looking up. You know, back when companies like ExxonMobil were polluting the local environment, nobody seemed to have anything to say about it. When the US Army was stationed right here in the neighborhood, there weren't any frantic calls to demand they pack up and leave the city. Back in those lean years, when the economy was so stagnant that everyone was packing their bags to head off to find work in places like Chicago or New York, you didn't hear these people complaining about the state of the nation's finances. And remember when we didn't even have decent roads—when just two massive semi-trucks could completely block the entrance to the city? Not a single whimper from the critics then. Even when the local hospital looked like an absolute eyesore—something so dilapidated that no major European metropolis would ever be embarrassed by its facilities—people stayed quiet. And when the military hospital at the old base was looking pristine and top-notch, serving nothing but service members and their families in the mornings, nobody questioned why the rest of us couldn't get treated there too. It seems people only find their voices once the problems they ignored for decades finally become impossible to overlook. As for the various university departments, the main campus library, the Marko Marulić Library, and all the student dormitories—well, those details have already been laid out in writing.
Oh, I know. Around Osijek and moving east, we used to be ruled by those local "tough guys"...
It was a nightmare just getting rid of them.
Everywhere you turned, there they were.
And the kicker? They turn around and brag about having an American passport and pulling double salaries while living abroad.
Honestly, I'm just glad that pretty soon, they'll be looking up to us the same way we used to look at Austria or Canada.
Melissa Peterson19 said:Fine, let’s assume every single company mentioned was a complete failure from the start. That still doesn't change the core issue: you can't just throw thousands of people to the mercy of an unstable market. Not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship, and at that scale, the government has a responsibility to step in. We're talking about our own citizens here. They might be labeled as lazy by some—which is a lie—but they are talented and highly intelligent. These people survived for generations by carving a living out of nothing but salt and stone to build magnificent coastal cities. California deserves better than this treatment. Closing down the shipyards isn't the end of the story; in my view, it's just the beginning. And the federal government needs to take charge of it.
But the government didn't just walk away. Those shipyards are still running. They've been running all these years.
For crying out loud, you've got the ocean right there. You've got a massive heartland behind you that can pull harvests that would make anywhere else look pathetic.
Nobody stopped anyone from building an industry, but look at us now... absolutely nothing.
I’d go as far as to say this region has more potential than any other part of the US, yet here we are, spinning our wheels.
People need to wake up and realize that no government official is ever going to hand them a fortune.
Unless you earn way more than what the state and the overhead costs bleed out of you, you're stuck.
Are our people actually ready for that?
I don't think so.
Sure, some industries tanked, but damn it, even Čaćić had the nerve to sit there one day and list every missed opportunity we ever had.
The government keeps making the wrong calls... choosing stuff like golf courses, gas terminals... you name it.
Where's our version of the Detroit auto industry?
We’ve been strategically crippled because the people in charge failed to distribute the gears of the economy to the right parts of the country.
Screw the politicians; they've all just carved up the pie for themselves. And if entire generations of workers and subcontractors aren't invited to the table for these rejected projects... well, they just don't care.
So what, should the Midwest just pack up and leave too? What’s the endgame there?
The reality is, you're usually just picking the lesser of two evils.
Look, California has its own screw-ups and disastrous privatizations, just like any other region does.
They dumped something like $300 million into shipbuilding, and yet almost none of those ships turn a dime. Where’s the math in that? Shipyards have become nothing more than social welfare programs; even if they get new owners, they’ll never actually operate like a real business again... that much is certain.
Sometimes I joke with my buddies that we should just sell all our shipyards over to the Koreans.
Honestly, I think those Koreans would commit harakiri within a week... the Californians would drive them absolutely insane.
You really have to look at the actual conditions required to build a ship that turns a market profit. We are thousands of miles away from that reality.
There’s a great documentary about it on National Geographic—about the Samsung shipyard. If you don't believe me, watch it... they are playing in a different galaxy compared to us.
Now, Trump might be a crook, but for those of us watching from the sidelines—seeing these exact same patterns in our own backyard—you could say we're actually waiting for someone like him to come along and "shake things up." We need someone to mess with the math for these career politicians who keep popping up everywhere. They just exist to protect their cushy, taxpayer-funded positions in strategic sectors that are supposed to lead us into the future but instead just hold us back.
I don't know about anything else, but credit to Trump for having the guts to tackle a massive issue for young families: childcare.
Watching from afar, I’d honestly give him total power—let him work and take whatever he wants, as long as he solves that childcare crisis for young married couples.
The people sitting comfortably in their government jobs don't realize that young couples without dual incomes are basically one step away from being on welfare. And how can a mother join the workforce if childcare isn't sorted out?
He saw that, and you have to hand it to him. Putting aside the calculations of political favors or construction profits, you have to understand that the entire Western system is built on profit. Nothing ever gets built unless someone stands to gain.
But at least in a case like this, you see some sort of general social benefit.
And when you scramble the math between two options that had no other alternative, that's where the real value lies!
Whenever people mention "Free California," it immediately brings to mind the old separatist movements... so, yeah, don't hold your breath for that.
Man, I’d love to grab that TV/monitor combo... but those prices are still absolutely insane...
Even in Indianapolis, places like Best Buy or even the local electronics shops have just gone belly up... are you actually sure there's any life left in the retail scene over in San Francisco?.....