Printer Buying Guide (Summer 2016)

I'm looking for some help and solid recommendations for picking up a new printer!

Here are the criteria I’m trying to meet:

1. Budget range around $1,000— $833!

2. It needs to be Black & White (color is fine if it fits, but certainly isn't a requirement)

3. As high a page yield as possible using original toner

(If you could mention roughly how many B/W pages we're talking about)

(And please include a link to an American retailer if possible)

Ideally, let me know the prices for original toners and where you usually grab them—specifically for

the particular printer you might suggest!!!

4. A standalone printer is perfectly fine, though I suppose I am open to suggestions for an All-in-One with a scanner!

5. Paper size: strictly A4/Letter format only!

6. In your opinion, should I go with laser or inkjet?!

P.S. Please throw as many links, suggestions, and personal experiences my way as possible! Thanks!

Thanks in advance for all your answers!

http://www.office.xerox.com/printers...3320/enhr.html
https://www.xerox.com/index/enhr.html
https://www.nabava.net/pisaci__110/x...r-c-b__3842881

https://www.nabava.net/search.php?q=...+ove+kriterije
http://www.toptenreviews.com/compute...phaser-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Xerox-3320-DN.../dp/B0088YPIWU

Go laser. The Xerox 3320 is one of those rare high-end printers you can actually track down here in the States. You might find Brother or OKI stuff occasionally, but their local presence has been pretty much non-existent for years. Most other brands just skip over us because we're too small to care about; they'll send cheap all-in-ones, but nobody's interested in moving a few serious enterprise printers a year. Unfortunately, that’s just how things work in this market. It’s a low-budget, tech-lagging landscape where companies don't see the ROI in investing.

This Xerox handles a monthly volume of 80K pages. One large toner (rated for 10K pages) costs about $333, which puts the cost at roughly $0.03 per page—honestly, that's a solid deal. If you go with compatible toners, it gets even cheaper. It’s got plenty of features, it's high quality, and it's built like a tank. If it fits your budget, grab it.

If for some reason that doesn't work for you, look into OKI or Brother instead. For example, maybe a newer Brother HL-L5100DN. Just a heads up though, you'll actually have to call their reps to see if they even have any in stock...

I'm looking for some recommendations for a home all-in-one printer—my budget is around $233. It absolutely needs Wi-Fi connectivity and at least a one-year warranty.
I’ll be doing the occasional scan or print job for work—print quality isn't my top priority there—though I would love to be able to print out a photo every now and then.
To be honest, I have no idea what I should actually be looking for. I don't know the first thing about printers. Also, when you buy a new printer, does it come with enough ink/toner to actually use, or is it just a tiny starter amount?
Naturally, I need to make sure the ink or toner is easy to find and won't break the bank.

Online shops are preferred—feel free to drop links since I don't even know where to start searching. I'm lost on which retailers have the best deals or which brands are actually reliable in this price range.
General advice is welcome too. I'd be willing to shell out an extra $50 up to $33 if it means a significant jump in quality.

Let's say this one is a pretty decent option:

https://www.staples.com/multifunction-printer-black-100730293

It performs well and has some "advanced" features. As far as ink goes, from what I hear, you can use third-party replacements without any issues. I've used OrInk before; they're easy to find and cheap.

The most important thing is to check which reliable, budget-friendly inks are available at the stores near you... because any ink is going to be expensive if you're ordering them one by one and paying shipping every time. So, pick your printer based on that. Most of them have similar specs; the real difference is just the cost of running it (paper + ink).

With inkjets, you have to watch out so the ink doesn't sit in there too long without being used. If that happens, the print heads clog up, which usually means tossing the whole unit in the trash. 😬 Also, when you get a printer, you only get a "starter" amount of ink—enough for maybe 10-20 pages—so it's smart to just buy a full set of ink right away.

darkowl72 said:So, let's say this one is a pretty decent option:

https://www.staples.com/multifunction-printer-black-100730293

It works fine and actually has a few "advanced" features. As far as ink goes—at least from what I’ve heard—it handles third-party, cheaper ink without much drama. I’ve used OrInk before; you can find it in plenty of places and it’s cheap.

The most important thing is checking which reliable, budget-friendly inks are available at the stores you actually visit... the ones near your house. Any ink is going to get expensive if you're ordering single cartridges and paying shipping every time. So, pick your printer based on that, because they're all more or less similar in specs; the real difference is just the running cost (paper + ink).

With inkjets, you have to be careful not to let the ink sit in there too long without using it. If it sits, the heads clog, which usually means tossing the whole machine. 😬 Plus, you only get a "demo" amount of ink with the printer—just enough for maybe 10-20 prints—so it's smarter to just buy a full set of ink right away.

Just be smart about transitioning from original cartridges to those with ORIGINAL CHIPS. In practice, it turns out about 5% of third-party chips are sketchy and end up wrecking the print head. Then the head messes up the matrix. Once you put a new head in a printer like that, the repaired matrix ends up wrecking the new head.

Maybe check with a local Canon service center to see how many of these printers they deal with. And ask them if they're even willing to install their own new head into your device.

Their answer will tell you everything you need to know about the problem. And how short the lifespan of one of those Canon devices really is because of it.

What’s the actual lifespan here?
Now this HP has made the shortlist.
If you had to pick between the two—which way would you go?

Chris Mitchell4 said:What’s the actual lifespan here?
Now this HP has made the shortlist too.
Which one of the two would you guys pick?

You have to understand one thing. HP only cares about you until they've successfully taken your money.

To keep that cash flowing indefinitely, they actually have to build a machine that doesn't die immediately. If it breaks too fast, HP loses that steady stream of income. It's simple math.

That's all there is to it. Just a freshly minted, debt-driven slave system.

It’s like taking out a loan from a bank in Switzerland. You don't think the guy working at the local shopping mall would bother explaining where the catch is.

Wake up. It's the same story here.

hollowmarlin27 said:Sure, if you think swapping ORIGINAL chips from the old cartridges is some genius move. In reality, about 5% of those cheap third-party chips are sketchy enough to wreck the printhead. Then the head ruins the board. Once you put a brand-new head into a printer with a fried board, that new head just ends up killing the board right back.

Go check with a Canon service center. See how many printers they get in for stuff like this. Ask them if they’d even be willing to install their own new head into your machine.

Their answer will tell you everything you need to know about the actual problem—and exactly how much life is left in a Canon device when this happens.

Got any actual sources for this besides your own theories?

I've seen plenty of printers where the head died despite using nothing but original ink.

Besides, for a device that costs $233, it doesn't really matter if the head dies after 100 refills or if it lasts two years—as long as it stays within the merchant's replacement warranty, then fine, whatever.
On the flip side, if you barely use it, the lack of use is exactly what's going to kill it.

Chris Mitchell4 said:What’s the actual lifespan here?
Now this HP printer is also in the running.
If you had to pick between those two, which way would you go?

Honestly, just look at which one makes it easier to find compatible ink. That’s the most important factor right out of the gate.
The second thing is the retailer—basically, what kind of customer service are you going to get if things go south? You can't rule out a warranty claim, especially with devices that cost less than $333 (though even the expensive ones break down, regardless of the brand)

wiredotter14 said:Got any actual sources for that besides your own theories?

I've seen printers where the printhead died even though they only ever used genuine ink.

Besides, for a device that costs $233, who cares if the head gives out after 100 refills? If it lasts two years—which is basically the length of the warranty an American retailer is required to honor—then it paid for itself.
On the flip side, if you barely use it, neglect is actually what's going to kill it.

It’s not a theory.

HP machines rarely break down.

Just ask any HP service center how many faulty units they actually get sent.

And when they do come in, it's usually because the scanner is busted.

With the printers themselves, the only things that typically fail are things like the belt tension or maybe a drive gear snapping and slipping. But those are easy enough to fix quickly.

That’s not the issue here.

The issue is that HP only cares about your money. They've hired top-tier experts from every field specifically to design and engineer their devices with that single goal in mind.

You didn't offer any actual advice here.
So, should I buy an HP or what? According to you, it’s like buying a luxury car—runs great, sure, but it drains your bank account dry.

The bottom line when buying a printer is ink availability. It doesn't matter how fancy that HP is if you can't find the ink anywhere.
Also, you really need to check reviews for the specific model. Every brand has its hits and misses.

wiredotter14 said:you didn't actually give any useful advice here
about whether someone should buy an HP or not... according to you, buying an HP is like buying some luxury car—it works great, but it drains your bank account dry...

The real deal when buying a printer is ink availability. It doesn't matter how good that HP is if you can't find the cartridges anywhere.
Also, it's worth checking reviews for specific models. Every brand has its winners and its losers.

1. You aren't going to get straight answers here unless it serves the interests of some lobby.

2. Following up on point one: just ask yourself, does HP really want to sell you a high-quality, long-lasting printer if you're just going to go buy your ink somewhere else?

3. Which means HP has to roll out a new series every year, or maybe every six months, through those same lobbies mentioned in point one, just to satisfy the logic in point two.

And yet, you keep banging your head against the wall asking questions that don't serve points 1, 2, or 3.

Seriously, guys, get real for once.

It’s the exact same story with Epson and Canon. Eventually, those players in group one will miss a beat with a certain device. But they'll fix it pretty quickly to satisfy point one by leaning into cheap third-party cartridges—because someone else has already sourced those identical cartridges even cheaper. Everyone ends up playing the same game because those identical, cheap replacement cartridges offered by ten different resellers can't cover the overhead with their margins and volume.

And then "you" show up here to buy a brand new printer.

Rembrandt is trying to say, even if he's struggling to put it into words, that HP makes quality printers. And they do. The whole business model for printer manufacturers is to sell you cheap hardware—way cheaper than what it actually costs to develop the printing tech and the ink—just so they can bleed you dry through consumables over time. Third-party ink makers throw a wrench in that math by providing competition, preventing them from choking us with insane markups. In response, manufacturers come up with all sorts of "compatibility" excuses and run campaigns claiming that only "original" ink works and anything else will wreck your machine. Honestly, some companies even make it a condition that if you want to sell their printers, you aren't allowed to carry third-party ink. I don't know if that's still the case, but that’s how it used to be at Staples.

HP is the leader when it comes to tricks to force us back to original ink, making it a pain to find compatible alternatives. That’s their whole genius plan. They sell a solid, non-cheap printer along with their overpriced ink. A total win-win. Real geniuses. Since they're industry pioneers with deep roots in massive corporations and government agencies that buy hundreds or thousands of units at a time (not just here in the US, but pretty much everywhere), they can afford this strategy. For those big clients, it's easier to just have an open standing order for ink from one reliable source. Price isn't really the deciding factor for them. Meanwhile, small-time individual buyers usually skip HP because the operating costs end up being way too high—though, like I said, those big players couldn't care less about the cost; they can afford it.

darkowl72 (No input provided to rewrite.)
Rembrandt is trying to say—even if he’s struggling to put it into words—that HP actually makes solid printers. And they do. It’s just that the whole business model relies on selling hardware at a loss. They price these machines way below what it actually costs to develop the printing tech and the ink, then they make their real money by bleeding you dry with overpriced refills later. The only thing saving us from those ridiculous markups is the third-party ink market. That competition keeps them from squeezing us too hard. Naturally, the manufacturers fight back by inventing all sorts of "compatibility issues" and running smear campaigns claiming that anything other than "original" ink will basically brick your machine. Some companies even go as far as telling retailers they can't carry their printers unless they stop selling third-party alternatives. I don't know if that's still the standard practice, but I definitely saw it happening over at Best Buy.

HP is basically a masterclass in trickery when it comes to forcing you to stick with their overpriced original inks. It’s pretty much their whole playbook: make it a nightmare to find any decent third-party alternatives that actually work. So, they sell you a solid, high-end printer at a decent price, then bleed you dry with the ink costs later. A total win-win. Real geniuses at work there. The thing is, since they’re industry pioneers with deep ties to massive corporations and government agencies—places that buy printers by the thousands, not just here in the States but all over the world—they can afford to play this game. For those big players, having a reliable, steady supply of quality ink is worth more than saving a few bucks, and they just set up standing orders to keep things running. Price isn't really their main concern. Meanwhile, the casual home user usually avoids HP altogether because the long-term cost of ownership is just ridiculous. But hey, it doesn't bother them. They can afford it. Like I said...

Exactly. There's one catch, though. You can't find any third-party ink for these newer HP printers. If we're assuming that "compatible" ink is just someone else's attempt at recreating the original HP cartridges, then we're stuck.

Sure, there are third-party options out there, but let’s be real—they aren't actually new ink. It's just nothing more than refilled cartridges.

So, here’s how the scam works: someone collects the latest HP cartridges, taking a cut along the way. Then, they ship those exact same cartridges off to China, Bulgaria, or Mexico to get them refilled, all while pocketing a commission. After that, they pay the shipping fees to import them back into the States, grabbing another slice of the pie. Finally, some local dealer takes those old, refilled cartridges and sells them to you as brand-new replacements—and wouldn't you know it, they take a commission on that, too.

Of course these kinds of cartridges would show up for the newer printers. Someone had to go and burn through all those latest disposable HP cartridges first. Just think about how many printers have to be sold before you even find enough of that junk in the trash to make it worth the shipping costs to send them all the way to China for recycling.

Of course. As soon as it becomes profitable, HP just tweaks the printer's internal counter. Suddenly, that same cartridge that used to yield 350 pages is "officially" only good for 361. And surprise, surprise—it’s designed to fit exclusively in their latest generation of printers. When you crunch the numbers, once all those big-box retailers get their cut over the next two years, the price difference is barely 20 or 30%. It’s a classic move. HP is basically killing off the third-party ink market before it even gets a chance to breathe.

Look, here’s how it goes: everyone who buys one of those shiny new HP machines eventually hits their breaking point. If they actually need to print a decent amount of work, they end up tossing a perfectly functional device straight into the recycling bin. They were sold this little fantasy that they could just run cheap third-party ink through these things and be fine. Honestly? They got played. Whether it was intentional or just plain stupidity, they were misled.

So, what's the move here? You basically need to dig through the archives and figure out which HP printers were actually being manufactured three, four, or even more years ago. If you actually wrapped your head around that recycling cycle mentioned above, then you'll know there should be plenty of cartridges sitting at collection points for those older models. Basically, there are third-party replacements out there everywhere—varying prices, varying capacities, whatever you're looking for.

And even when you spot those kinds of cassettes in someone's inventory, you just hop on Craigslist and find them for like 50 bucks. $33 You get an HP printer that actually lets you use those cheap third-party cartridges

But those lobbyists sitting at the top? They don't make a dime from that. In fact, they’ll do just about anything to kill that idea before it even starts, using every marketing trick or shady tactic in the book to shut it down.

So, when someone shows up pushing that kind of agenda, you already know exactly who's pulling the strings.

You just wrote an entire essay just to reach the same relevant point: when you're buying a printer, check if there's actually any third-party ink available. 🙏🙏🙏

All this conspiracy talk—even if it’s spot on—doesn't matter to the user. Canon, Epson, whatever... they're all fine printers for the average person, and within 24 months, nobody's going to give a damn whether the thing finally kicks the bucket or not.

wiredotter14 said:You basically just wrote an entire essay just to reach the same relevant conclusion: when you buy a printer, check if third-party ink is actually available. 🙏🙏🙏

All this conspiracy talk, even if it’s technically true, doesn't matter to the user. Canon, Epson, etc., are fine printers for the average person, and within 24 months, nobody really cares if the thing finally bites the dust anyway.

There’s no conspiracy here.
It’s just basic consumer economics.

HP builds durable printers that can handle 20,000 to 30,000 prints without breaking a sweat, because their real money is made selling cartridges.

Canon and Epson have the exact same incentive. With every new printer, they bundle a set of original cartridges—which they wouldn't bother selling otherwise—with a market value of 4 or 5 times $70. $30 Basically, every time you buy a new printer, you're already paying $350 $133 for ink you wouldn't dream of buying separately. And of course, both Canon and Epson know you'll probably try to use some cheap third-party stuff after that. So, their goal is to get you back into the loop of buying those same original ink sets through a new machine at $70 $30 a pop.

From there, it’s easy to rig the game so the hardware dies after maybe 3,000 to 5,000 prints. You’re happy enough, and you head right back to them to buy a new printer—or just a new set of ink at full price.

They just ran the numbers to see what's more profitable: selling someone a new printer and fresh ink every 12 to 24 months, or not selling anything at all. Everyone wins.
business as usual.

I've read through everything, chewed it over, and I think I get it—even if I'm still processing some of the finer details.
When you mention that people buying a Canon printer are essentially signing up for expensive ink (stuff they'd never dream of paying full price for otherwise), I assume that means the Canon comes with a set of fully charged cartridges right out of the box. Or am I missing something?

Let’s look at an online retailer from this link. This is that Canon printer. I picked this specific shop because they seem to have a massive selection of ink. Now, can someone tell me which of these inks would actually be compatible with this specific model?
The printer description mentions "ChromaLife100 ink," and according to the official website
PGI-570PGBK (pigment black)
CLI-571BK (black)
CLI-571C (cyan)
CLI-571M (magenta)
CLI-571Y (yellow).

Are these the only part numbers I need to watch out for when I'm shopping for ink?

If my math is right, this is the genuine ink for that printer—and let's just say the price is anything but reasonable. I haven't been able to find any generic replacements yet.
The original colors for that HP model are $83, and I suspect they'd probably last me a good year. So, in my estimation, the HP ends up being the more budget-friendly option. 🤷

To be honest, I was totally dismissing HP after reading about those expensive original inks and how hard it is to track down "compatible" refills.
I'm not sure if my logic holds up, but it seems like Canon is perfectly fine with you using third-party ink—in fact, they almost present it as a standard option.

To wrap this up: could someone please send me links for both the original and the compatible inks for that Canon? I really need to run a side-by-side price comparison against the original HP inks.

Rembrante, we already figured out after your second post that HP makes printers where finding replacement ink is a nightmare (and they supposedly have high-quality print heads). I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at here; people come to this forum for actual printer advice, not long-winded essays on the printing industry.

on topic:

That Canon deal isn't exactly great regarding ink availability either. Generally speaking, some models just make it way easier to find ink than others.

This all-in-one has excellent ink availability, and if you're planning on printing a lot like you said, you won't have to worry about running through its lifespan too quickly.
(those numbers Rembrante keeps throwing around—20k to 30k pages on an HP—don't mean a thing to someone looking at a printer under $100)

http://moj-toner.com/printeri-shop/prodaja/epson-xp-225

ink is cheap and easy to find
http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=0&q=xp-225
They're even cheaper abroad (around $1 per unit), but if you aren't buying in bulk, about $0.40 per cartridge is the best price you'll find in the US.

Anyway, for the $100-$$500 range, I'd suggest Brother, but for anything under $333, Epson has some practical devices.

1. With Canon, you get those starter cartridges included. They also offer an XL version if you need more volume.

2. The Epson XP isn't a bad pick, honestly. But I just got a call from a guy earlier today who's having a rough time. He’s running an Epson XP225, just finished installing the latest Firmware, and now—surprise, surprise—it won't recognize any third-party cartridges. We're going to take a look at it tomorrow.

There is actually a much smarter way to handle this, but it touches on that whole "number 1 on lobbying" topic, so it’s probably better if I just keep my mouth shut. Unless, of course, you're looking for trouble.

Sorry, I can't help you much more than that. That's just how the world works.

hollowmarlin27 said:1. With Canon, you get starter cartridges. There’s an XL version too.

2. Epson XP isn't a bad choice. Someone actually called me today saying: "I have an Epson XP225, I just installed new Firmware and now it won't work with third-party cartridges." We're looking at it tomorrow.

There's another solution for him—a much smarter one—but it falls under that whole No. 1 on lobbying nonsense, so it's better to just keep my mouth shut. Unless you want to get banned.

Sorry, this is all I can offer. That's just how life works.

1) For Epson, just buy the cheap third-party ones right away.

2) You'll know immediately if the replacements work. They either do or they don't. If they work, great—you've got cheap printing. If they don't, return the printer. At worst, you only lose $17 on the replacement ink.

You didn't give any actual suggestions, and I have no idea why people think bananas are healthy just because they're high in potassium; don't overdo it.