Started by John Gray84 · · 👁 6 views · 84 replies
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Thomas Davis4 said:So what’s the move then? What should I actually be looking for given all that? Basically, I just need something for school—maybe printing up to 1,500 or 2,000 pages a month—and I need the ink refills to not break the bank. I'm not looking for some heavy-duty laser printer for a big corporation or anything; I just need a workhorse for college. You know, presentations, study guides, e-books, and all that junk.
gentlescout41 said:I'm looking for a new printer, but honestly, I don't know the first thing about them... I don't need anything fancy, laser or inkjet, doesn't matter, just something where the ink lasts longer than a week🙄
Budget is around $167. (not expecting miracles at that price point😁)
rustysurfer79 said:You aren't getting anything new at that price point...
gentlescout41 said:So, what’s actually worth getting for that kind of cash?
rustysurfer79 said:You have to look at this from the back end. Specifically, the cost per print. This option is the cheapest. Of course, since downloading instructions directly into your brain isn't an option yet, there are no guarantees here...
Investment Corp roughly $100 for the printer + $33 for the ink refill kit.
After that comes
Canon Pixma with built-in CIIS
Investment $200
Then we have
LaserJet Pro + Colibri kit$167 Investment
Next up, something newer
Expression Home + Colibri kit$133 Investment
+ $50 + $40 + sales tax
Moving on
Canon Pixma + Ecco refill kit
Investment$250 $47 +
And then
Canon Pixma or HP DeskJet + refill kit
$100 investment $33 +
Eventually, you hit a Brother + Ink Refill kit for high volume. Poor print quality. Unknown lifespan...
Investment$233 $23 +
etc...
Basically, all these options have their own pros and cons, laid out on a scale of 1 to 10.
gentlescout41 said:Thanks so much. 🙂
rustysurfer79 said:If you go brand new, look for an HP with a print head featuring plenty of nozzles, continuous ink tanks, and reliable ink. Once you tally everything up, you're looking at about $333. You could get the refurbished version for roughly $267, but you’ll be visiting the "supply closet" half as often. You won't have to refill those tanks nearly as frequently compared to the newer models.
http://adriatix.com/A_PROIZVODI/A_pro...%2B%20CISS.htm
On the other hand, if you're chasing pure price-to-performance, this option simply has no rival. Whether we're talking cost, speed, ease of maintenance, or sheer reliability—it wins. Just today, some guy with a fancy degree dropped off some 110lb cardstock that needed extra printing. This little black devil chewed through it without breaking a sweat. If you don't believe me, just look further down at the request for heavy media... And the ink didn't even smudge on this stock. Quite frankly, I can't find a better printer.
gentlescout41 said:I’m looking for a new printer, but honestly, tech isn't really my thing... I don't need anything fancy—laser or inkjet, doesn't matter—just something where the ink doesn't run out faster than my patience after a week🙄
Budget is around $167. (not like I expect a miracle for that price)😁
Benjamin King2 said:http://www.bestbuy.com/printer-details
Thomas Davis4 said:http://www.verizon.com/details...00-promotion.aspx
Thomas Davis4 said:Just a basic laser printer for home use—printing out scripts and presentations in black and white... That should be fine, right?
Mark Hill90 said:Honestly, no matter which new printer you pick up, just make sure it comes with a solid warranty. If you buy one of those cheap models and it dies right after a year—assuming it even lasts that long—you might as well just toss it in the trash.
rustysurfer79 said:If you try to pop the front cover on that printer using just one hand—good luck, you won't. You’ll honestly feel like the whole thing is about to snap right off. You need both hands for this one. Give it twelve months, once those plasticizers in the casing start to evaporate—or if you happen to live somewhere with a chilly winter—and that cover will just stay in your hand. I’m genuinely curious which of these printers will still have a functioning paper tray after twenty-four months. And if that tray is built like this, then you can bet everything else inside follows the exact same logic.
Basically, do yourself a favor and run this little stress test at a Best Buy before you ever open your wallet. That is, assuming you actually plan on using the thing after the warranty expires.
rustysurfer79 said:If you try to pop that front cover with just one hand, forget about it. You’ll honestly feel like it’s about to snap right off. You need two hands for this one. Once those plasticizers evaporate after about a year—or if the room gets even slightly chilly—that cover is just going to stay in your hand. I’m genuinely curious which of these printers will still have a functional paper tray left after 24 months. And if the tray is built that way, you can bet everything else inside was designed with the exact same philosophy...
So, definitely run this little stress test at the local Target or Best Buy before you pull out your wallet. That is, assuming you actually plan on using the thing once the warranty expires.
Benjamin King2 said:It’s probably some older 16xx model; the 1675 is actually pretty recent. If you just need it for home use, it's worth it. How much are we talking about printing? Like, monthly volume?
rustysurfer79 said:We actually just laid two ML 1510s and 1520s to rest a few days ago because of constant paper jams. One still had its starter toner left, while the other had already burned through three cartridges. These printers were only three years old. That’s what passes for Samsung quality these days. I suspect the newer models are even worse.
Thomas Davis4 said:All my tech gear is just HP & Samsung.. Honestly, I've never had any real issues with either.. I've owned two Samsung printers over the years.. One lasted 3 years, the other 5.. Both still run like they did on day one, except for the older one where they don't even make the ink anymore.. Right now I'm using an Epson SX, but I really want to jump to a laser.. Aside from a ton of guesswork and endless comparisons, I haven't gotten a single solid recommendation.. Just a bunch of vague warnings about "what might break" or "what might jam" with certain models.. Man, it'd be weird if a printer actually worked perfectly.. But whatever..
Anyway, after scouring the web and asking around on other forums to find what fits my needs, I landed on:
1) Epson M1400 Aculaser
2) Canon i-Sensys LBP 6000
rustysurfer79 said:Tell me something. What were the direct predecessors to those two printers you mentioned? How long were they actually on the market? And more importantly, why were they pulled?
You’re basically giving me two possible answers here:
1. They turned out to be junk, so the manufacturer replaced them with better, more reliable, more powerful machines at the exact same price point.
2. Or, the manufacturer could no longer cover production costs while maintaining a profit margin under intense competition, forcing them to offer an adequate product—both in terms of price and quality.
So, go ahead. Which of these two options matches reality?