Ask Slashdot: Printer Recommendation For Family With Kids?
- Reference: 0178155249
- News link: https://ask.slashdot.org/story/25/06/23/2313202/ask-slashdot-printer-recommendation-for-family-with-kids
- Source link:
> My venerable [2]HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is showing its age and it has become expensive to operate due to the cost of the original cartridges. I tried some alternative cartridges but the printer rejects them.
>
> Now that schools still require kids to print stuff at home (mine are in 2nd and 4th grade), and my wife also needs to use the printer, I think it may be wise to invest in a good-quality printer that has a lower cost per page (maybe laser?).
>
> In that context, I'd love to have unbiased information about brand quality, printing technology, cost efficiency, and other factors that I might have missed. Any thoughts?
[1] https://slashdot.org/~jalvarez13
[2] https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/details/hp-officejet-pro-8600-plus-e-all-in-one-printer-series-n911/4322915
Brother laser printer (Score:2)
It can print from Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Re: (Score:2)
I second this I switched to a Brother MPC 9800 series colour laser 10 years ago and its still running cartridges are cheap and get up to 3500 pages per cartridge still connects to everything iPads iPhone's Mac Windows, Linux, even their friends with android devices find it easy to connect to. I keep a spare set of cartridges for when those assignments are due and duplexing minimises paper It might go months without printing and then like a month ago printed 2000+ sheets for something the older student need
Re: Brother laser printer (Score:2)
They're probably LED, not laser.
Re: yes yes (Score:2)
Makes a difference, LED is not as crisp.
Re: (Score:2)
No, they are laser. I have owned an okidata LED printer in the past and it was okay. But I haven't seen an LED printer in years.
Re: Brother laser printer (Score:2)
I don't know why you state that so confidently, my Brother printer is very obviously a LED printer, and most "laser" printers sneak in the term "laser class" somewhere, since they are not laser.
Re: (Score:2)
According to everything I've read, currently the only LED printers Brother sells are a few color MFC units. I personally have never seen one. And all the brother printers I've ever bought were laser ($100 even).
But like I said I had an LED printer once and the print quality was at the time indistinguishable from laser. dpi was the same.
Re: (Score:2)
I see I missed the OP's model number which was a color mfc unit, so you're right it probably was LED.
Laser FTW (Score:3)
Years ago I worked for a company that made equipment for digital printing. No printers, just other pre-press equipment. A bean counter up the hierarchy figured out that inkjet ink cost $1,000 per litre retail. The company immediately started work on an industrial, wide format inkjet printer for banners and posters and such because the ink was so profitable. Go with a laser printer.
Thrift Shop - and older models (Score:2)
I'm never going to buy a new printer again. I've found two (actually 3, but I can't remember one's model) great bargains: an HP LaserJet P3015 with duplex (front and back) black printing and a HP Color LaserJet MFP M477fnw that does good quality color and has a feeder scanner (similar to your old.) The 3015 came with half of a cartridge full for a total of $15 and the other was $20. Regardless, go office grade+ on your printers - individual cartridges are more, but price per page is much better and reli
Be wary of used inkjets (Score:1)
Inkjets can get clogged if they aren't used often enough. If each color is used every few weeks you should be okay, but if it's been sitting on the thrift store's shelf for 2 months it might be clogging up.
If you are going to buy a used inkjet, either buy it from a friend or some other source where you know it's not clogged, or buy it from a reputable vendor that will give you a few weeks to try it out (but be ready to forfeit the costs of any new inks you buy).
With any printer, new or used, pay attention
Brother works for me, has wifi. (Score:2)
Brother offers several models of Lasers, either only a printer, or a printer with scanner, with built-in wifi. You can print from any phone, tablet, or computer.
There was some noise a month or two ago about Brother firmware updates starting to do DRM (apparently going back to 2023) but I haven't yet encountered that.
Might I suggest.... (Score:2)
20 year old monochrome laser from the thrift store.
You're welcome.
Epson FX80 (Score:2)
It's a classic for a reason.
Brother, going strong for +8 years (Score:2)
My inkjet has been going strong for +8 years now with both original and 3rd party ink.
For volume printing I bought a refurbished Brother laser printer. +23,000 pages printed and still going strong.
Epson was scamming me with 3rd party ink.
Brother laser (Score:2)
I've been using a Brother B&W laser now for eleven years. Cost me $109. Replaced the toner twice. About 5k on the page counter. Still works. No issues. Glad I got rid of my inkjet...spent as much in three years on ink on that thing as I did in toner on my Brother over eleven years.
The answer is always Brother Laser (Score:2)
If you don't need a Brother Laser printer you already know why and what class of printer you need so you wouldn't be asking the question.
If you are asking a question about what printer to buy the answer is "Brother Laser Printer".
Some things are just laws of the universe.
Brother Laser. No question. (Score:1)
The brand name cartridges are fine but the generic ones are cheaper and work great. You can pick options for b&w, color, scanner. Mine does double sided. Brother is the only printer brand I trust anymore.
I have an HP MFP M477fdw (Score:2)
I know people rail against HP, some of it for good reasons, but I've had several w/o any problems. I currently have a [1]HP Color LaserJet MFP M477fdw [amazon.com] All-in-One, with high-yield "X" cartridges. I got it in July 2017 on Amazon for $399 and it still works like a champ. This specific model is discontinued, but it's still available and there is a newer model as well as similar models available.
I have a friend with (I think) a [2]Brother Color MFC-L8600CDW [amazon.com] All-in-One, also now discontinued, and he's pretty happ
[1] https://www.amazon.com/HP-Laserjet-Multifunction-Wireless-Replenishment/dp/B014CSKE7E?th=1
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Printer-MFCL8600CDW-Wireless-Replenishment/dp/B00K7CIM38
Re: (Score:2)
Friends don't let friends purchase HP printers.
Re: (Score:2)
Uh, I don't think he's replacing his HP Officejet Pro with a 3D printer. :)
Epson Ink Tank (Score:3)
These printers are hardy and fill from a bottle, so have the best elements of an inkjet without the cretinous more-expensive-than-gold cartridges
[1]https://epson.com/ecotank-ink-... [epson.com]
[1] https://epson.com/ecotank-ink-tank-printers
Re: (Score:2)
Definitely this ^^^!
We've had an EcoTank printer for several years now and it's served us very well. The only issue we've seen is with elderly parents who hardly ever print, the printer can dry out and refuse to print if left alone for extended periods of time. Not an issue if you have a busy family that's printing all the time!
One thing to be aware of with the EcoTank printers: they have a "maintenance box" (that's the actual name!) that requires replacement after 2-8 years depending on usage. This comp
Re: (Score:2)
My wife and I have an Epson EcoTank 8500 that's been great for the last couple years.
It inverts the usual cheap-printer / expensive-ink business model, so while you pay more for the printer, you pay almost nothing for the ink. This aligns the incentives properly. The printer isn't just a cheap POS designed to sell overpriced ink, it's actually a pretty good product.
Brother or Epson inkjet tank printers (Score:3)
No more cartridges and lock in.
Having said that, my main printers are Canon lasers for work and home, and a Canon dye sublimation printer for photographs. Good enough for applying for passports and visas.
Brother (Score:2)
I have an older Brother laser (HL-L2300D) and it's a work horse. STAY AWAY from HP. They lock you into their toner and subscription models. I can't speak for other printer manufacturers but Brother has a very good reputation for quality and fairness (like HP used to). Also, go with a laser. Ink jet will cost you more in the long run.
The Brother-hood has spoken. (Score:2)
The Brother-hood has indeed spoken here. And I agree wholeheartedly. Replaced an 11-year old HP laser. USB and Ethernet options for the security sensitive. NFC and WiFi support. Drivers that talk to damn near everything.
There was a time when every respected geek would pull over and scrape a road-killed laserjet 4P off the road to save for spare parts. Today, HP has become a joke in the personal/small business space. How far they’ve fallen. Sad, but deserved.
My Favorite Printer (Score:2)
For years my favorite printer has been the one at work. Tell your kids it's time to stop slacking and get an office job.
Love my (Score:1)
Brother HL-L3270CDW color laser for family stuff and Canon Pro-100 for the important stuff.
Brother Laser Printer, it's not even close (Score:1)
A basic Brother laser printer will probably be the last printer you will ever need to buy. They are top-rated by Consumer Reports, every year. Toner cartridges, whether OEM or after-market will never go bad and last for years even with heavy use. [1]https://www.theverge.com/23642... [theverge.com] The headline from this article is slightly overblown, but not by much. "The Brother whatever-it-is will print return labels for online shopping, never run out of toner, and generally be a printer instead of the physical instant
[1] https://www.theverge.com/23642073/best-printer-2023-brother-laser-wi-fi-its-fine
Definitely laser (Score:5, Informative)
Inkjets are a thing of the past. They're cheaper up front but the ink dries out, costs too much to replace, and are slow.
I've tended to favour Brother printers because the HPs have some sort of lockout of 3rd party toner, and Brother is inexpensive. Just my 2c.
If you want to print photos (Score:2)
Aren't you still stuck with inkjet? I don't have very good color vision but from people who do I've generally heard that you want to avoid laser for photos.
But yeah I would highly recommend a brother printer. I have a old black and white brother that has been running for 20 years now. The only Thing that doesn't work is the automatic feeder on the scanner because after 20 years the rubber rollers have given out and I don't use it enough to be bothered replacing them.
And brother printers are usually
Re: (Score:2)
For your edification: laser printer can't reproduce the same gamut of color as an inkjet, and they are generally lower resolution than a quality color inkjet printer. Laser prints tend to have poorer quality in the darker, more saturated parts of a photo, and this is compounded by a tendency towards slight reflectivity off the surface where the toner has landed.
Furthermore, an inkjet intended for high quality photo reproduction can have extra inks that produce even more colors than your typical inkjet - for
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I always use inkjet for photos. LIke you said, the toner just doesn't pop. I believe it's more because the ink "sits" on the paper, but with toner, it is melted into the paper during fusing. But I have seen the higher end production Xerox boxes (V-280's) produce pretty good photo quality on the right paper, but LOL, those machines when configured are up to 20 feet long with all the add on do-dads, plus requiring 220 V along with 4-5 or more 110 V depending on the add on options. It's one of the benefits t
eh (Score:1)
You're really underselling the quality of modern color lasers. No, if you're a photographer (the kind of person who has 9-color inkjet) a color laser is not an acceptable substitute. And if you're making photos to send out to your relatives you'll want to go to Walgreens to get those printed instead of trying to make do with the color laser. However the Brother 8905 on good paper (Hammermill 24 lb color laser print) is shockingly good. Like, people will be confused by the good print quality when they see th
Re: (Score:2)
> For your edification: laser printer can't reproduce the same gamut of color as an inkjet,
Some of the [1]really high-end [printweek.com] laser printers are getting pretty amazing these days. Even my 15-year-old 7450 II grafx is rather remarkable. No, it can't quite reproduce the gamut of an inkjet printer, but it is more than good enough for most purposes. I used it for proofing color hardcover book wraps (cover slips), and use it for photos all the time.
> and they are generally lower resolution than a quality color inkjet printer.
Theoretically 9600 x 600 dpi on the aforementioned printer, first manufactured in 2008. It's way more than adequate, IMO. Don't go cheap on the printer, and
[1] https://www.printweek.com/content/product-news/konica-minolta-adds-new-model-to-extended-gamut-offering/
Re: (Score:1)
> [If you want to print photos] Aren't you still stuck with inkjet?
Only if you don't live near a Staples, CVS, Walgreens, etc. You'll get even better results because (at least CVS but probably everyone) has dye sublimation printers, which are vastly better for photographs than color printers.
For other color prints, Color laser printers are not that expensive, but I haven't had much success. I'd recommend stick with B&W, and outsource color stuff to office supply / pharmacy type stores.
B&W laser is so vastly cheaper and lower maintenance, particularly in a sporadic
Re: (Score:2)
I have an old HP LaserJet 6P that I inherited from my grandmother about 15 years ago. I stuck a USB to centronics parallel port adapter on it since nothing I have uses parallel ports anymore. I'm sure she changed the toner cartridge once or twice when she had the printer, but in the years I've had it I've not once changed the toner for the little amount of printing I do. The image drum is starting to have problems (leaving streaks and smudges on the page now), so It's probably time to get a new toner car
Brother (Score:1)
We sell HP, Brother, Xerox, Toshiba, Epson (along with KIP wide format) Stay AWAY from the smaller Xerox C-405's if you find one. The 415's are better. But the one's we seem to have the LEAST amount of trouble are the Brothers. I don't know what your price range is, but these are great! MFCL3780CDW Full color, also single scan duplex, 31ppm. Gigabit Ethernet, dual band wireless. I try to get people to shy away from inkjet in a home environment unless they use them daily. The ink heads just plug up too o
I'll second Laser and Brother (Score:2)
I'm running a Brother HL-L2375DW.
Mono laser, networking, double sided printing, wireless, USB. Up to 34 pages a minute. Windows 7 up. Very happy am I. The old HP Lasers are now heading for the bin.
With the right Brother you can even print from Windows 98SE. But you need to carefully do research before thinking any Brother can do this. I was lucky in my purchase.