Andrew Sanders4 said:@ rustysurfer79
Quick question—since we're talking about the HP OfficeJet Pro. I’ve actually had one sitting on my desk for quite a while now. I picked it up right when it first hit the shelves, and I've always stuck to genuine ink, never touched any off-brand stuff. Lately, though, the print quality has gone totally downhill. I'm thinking it's because I let it sit idle for a month or more at a time. I tried running all the standard cleaning and alignment cycles through the maintenance menu, but honestly, nothing seems to be working. Even with the ink levels looking fine, the prints just look terrible.
So, what’s the move here? Should I just bite the bullet and grab something new, or try to keep this old thing on life support? Honestly, maybe someone out there would even buy it off me. I was browsing the aisles at Best Buy today and saw an HP Envy 5000 going for about... $147 They're out there marketing it like it's the absolute best choice on the market right now.
P.S. It’s definitely not beat up from heavy use. Actually, it's the exact opposite—it’s barely been used at all. I've only printed about ten photos and maybe a few hundred pages total.
Look, go check out the Epson website for a second and see how they talk about their inks. It’s nothing but pure hype. They claim everything is perfect. But honestly, you haven't even printed ten photos yet, so don't start acting like it's time to recycle the thing. Besides, rustysurfer79 is offering it in a bundle that comes with something like 88 cartridges.
See, that's exactly where I messed up. I bought the Epson in one of those bundles—you know, the printer plus a whole pack of 88 cartridges—so if I’d done that today, I wouldn't be dealing with all this headache.
Of course, Epson gets that too, which is exactly why they rolled out the L series. But let's be real—those same Epson printers aren't even hitting the $400 mark anymore. $167 Already hit 1600... $667And obviously, you're not gonna drop 1600 bucks on that. $667 For 10 photos.
If you get that, then you totally get why HP still pushes those printers where you end up buying a whole new printhead every single time.
Look, if you actually care about print quality, go with an HP. But if you're just trying to save some cash on ink, the HP OfficeJet Pro is probably your better bet.
There’s actually a middle ground here. You can totally save some cash by refilling those HP cartridges yourself using cheap bulk ink meant for the HP 301. It's basically like getting three 50ml bottles for the price of one.$8.25Just a heads-up: you usually get two cartridges with the printer—one black and one color. But let’s not overcomplicate things right off the bat; honestly, just forget about that black one for now. Just pop that color cartridge into the tray and call it a day. See, with this generation of HP DeskJet printers—it was definitely the case with the HP LaserJet too—they basically run in "safe mode" using just the color cartridge. Plus, when you're printing photos, the printer doesn't even really use the black ink; it just blends colors from the CMYK mix. So, if you just refill the color cartridge, you'll end up with a decent print job without spending much cash. It won't be perfect, but it's not half bad either. Unfortunately, refilling isn't exactly plug & Play like those continuous ink systems from Epson or Hummingbird, but it gets the job done. Once you eventually get tired of the print quality, you can just grab a new color head and start the whole process over again.
Here are a few more posts to add to this thread.
I finally got around to testing out that old HP LaserJet. Honestly, I wasn't sure if it would even hold up, but man, was I wrong. It’s a beast. Even after all this time, it just handles everything you throw at it without breaking a sweat. I spent some time messing around with the settings, trying to see if I could squeeze any more life out of it, and it actually performed better than some of the newer stuff sitting on my desk right now. There’s something about those older, solid machines that modern tech just can't seem to replicate. They feel built to last, you know? Not like the flimsy plastic things we see everywhere today. Anyway, if you've got one of these lying around in a closet somewhere, don't toss it. Give it a shot. You might be surprised.
I can't believe I'm still tinkering with this old junk, but here we go. I’ve been messing around with my setup lately, trying to get everything running smoothly, and honestly, it's been a bit of a headache. So, I was looking at the specs for this HP Envy 5000, and man, things have changed since I first started printing. Back in the day, you just plugged stuff in and hoped for the best. Now? It's a whole different ballgame. I spent way too much time yesterday troubleshooting some weird driver issues that had me pulling my hair out. Anyway, if anyone else is struggling with their home office gear, don't feel bad. We've all been there. Just one step at a time, right?
I can't believe I actually went through this. Honestly, looking back at my experience with the HP LaserJet, I’m just glad it’s over. It was one of those situations where you think you know what you’re getting into, but then reality hits you right in the face. It started out okay, but things went south pretty fast. Dealing with the technical glitches felt like running in circles. You try to fix one thing, and suddenly three other problems pop up out of nowhere. It’s frustrating, especially when you just want to get your work done and move on with your life. I tried a few different workarounds, thinking maybe I was just doing something wrong, but it turns out the issue was deeper than that. At one point, I felt like I was losing my mind staring at the error messages. If you're currently stuck in a similar loop with your gear, trust me—I feel your pain. It's exhausting. Anyway, I finally managed to sort it out, but it took way more effort than it should have. Just wanted to share this so nobody else wastes their weekend fighting with a printer like I did. Stay sane out there.
The issue with the HP OfficeJet Pro and those original ink cartridges is that they use pigment-based, water-resistant inks. The problem is they oxidize when exposed to air, which is what makes them waterproof in the first place. So, if you’ve got some old ink sitting around for a while, all that oxidation happens right inside the printer itself. We see this constantly at our repair shop. Usually, after we give it a deep clean and swap in a Hummingbird ink kit, the customer ends up with a perfectly working machine—one that probably only printed about ten photos before it was headed for the scrap heap.
Since Hummingbird ink isn't even pigmented or waterproof, you don't really run into that issue even if it sits for a while. But honestly, looking at what's attached here, customers are still buying up the latest models like they've lost their minds.
