Printer Buying Guide! Ink vs. Laser / Tank vs. Subscription and More!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- Find a printer on Amazon - lon.tv/409wf (compensated affiliate link) - I haven't done a printer buying guide in awhile and there's now many options that bring down your cost of printing dramatically. See more printers: • Printers and MFP's and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Ink Jet vs Laser
02:47 - Cost of Ownership
05:46 - Tank Printers
08:35 - Subscriptions for Ink / Toner
12:58 - Generic Ink Cartridges
15:37 - Conclusion
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I have no need for a printer, but I'm excitedly about to watch a 17 minute long video about printers 😂😂
Yes!
You think you dont need but once you get one. Its a godsend.
Always good to keep yourself updated on tech :D
I switched to a laser printer a few years ago after seeing Lon recommend them a bunch of times (for the casual, not-often printer use cases). He was spot on! The laser printer costs more upfront but you will spend way less money on toner in the long run if you are printing periodically. I ❤my laser printer vs. all the old inkjet ones I had.
I don't like the cartridge based ink jet printers. I have had so many problems with them. Bought them, discarded them, really such a pain. I am looking for a laser printer.
@@ArpitaBhawal Hey Arpita! Cartridge based printers are very inconvenient. I would suggest you to go for an InkTank printer from Canon or Epson. These are essentially InkJet printers, but without the hassles. These printers cost around $100(US) or Rs 12,000(India), and come with 4 bottles of ink required to print absolutely amazing quality colored and BnW prints. I was looking for a laser printer for my office, but a shopkeeper suggested me to go for an ink tank printer, and i couldn't be happier. Firstly you get beautiful color prints, photo prints, and wireless features along with scanner/copier, you also get the benefit of electricity savings. A small laser printer consumes about 1000 watts while starting up, about 400-500 watts while printing documents and about 20-30 watts on standby, whereas the inktank printers consume 1 watt on standby, and 15 watts while printing. You could use the inktank printers even if they were plugged in on a small UPS. :) The only downside of inktank printers is that you have to use them for 4-5 print outs atleast once a week for the nozzles to not get clogged.
I never want a company to be able to remotely brick my printer
Great review on tank vs laser. My cannon ink jet died and I almost went for a mega tank...until I read about the diaper problem...and.... the percentage counter of the diaper ink. Once it hits 100% full..it stops! Printers are a big scam. But like you I don't print very often so it'll be a laser for me. Good job on the info we need more people like you.
Cheers..Ed
I recently got my first laser printer, a mid 2000s HP P3005d, second hand from a local business that was throwing it out because it was "slow." Turns out all it needed was a new pickup roller which was an easy install. That and one $20 generic toner cartridge later, and with 100,000 pages on it, it prints like new. The driver is still compatible with Windows 11 and CUPS, and I plugged it into my Asus router's USB port and set up its built in print server function so I can print to it from any computer on the network. I'm thrilled with it and will never buy an inkjet again.
If you're sick of the crackdown on generic refills, don't sleep on old printers. They're built like tanks, and they don't connect to the Internet so there's no firmware updates to be had!
can you please recommend some types.
I always enjoy your videos Lon - informative, to-the-point, comprehensive yet concise, and entertaining. Keep up the good work.
Still using my Brother laser printer from years ago. Zero issues.
I own a Brother HL4070CDW colour laser. Original purchase price $600 CAD. When I purchased it, I was using Windows XP. That was a long time ago. I'm very pleased with it. Laser printers do need to be cleaned occasionally. Then, they print perfect again. As long as I can get drivers, I will keep using it.
Thanks Lon, Yup for those of us who print infrequently an inexpensive laser is the way to go.
Thanks for the informative video. I was looking at “tank” printers but now am going to get a laser printer. Keep up the great work.
I agree with you regarding laser vs. inkjet printers.
Actually, the prices for color laser printers have been coming way down so I'll be getting one soon. I'm looking at a Canon color laser for about the same price as the Brother you showed. These used to cost three times this much.
My black and white laser printer is about five years old and I print to it quite rarely. I appreciate the way it prints just fine every time I do use it, something I've never experienced with an inkjet.
My sister has an inkjet she doesn't use very often. If it isn't working, the solution is usually to replace the ink cartridge and then print a couple of pages to clear the print head.
Thanks for doing this. Last time I looked at The Wirecutter for printer recommendations, they led off their article by saying simply that "printers suck!"
My friend has purchased so many of these cheapo Inkjet printers that I've lost count. Meanwhile I've had the same laser printer for well over a decade and it's been rock solid. For photos I'd suggest either using a photo printing service or get a dye sublimation printer. Either way you'll get better photos than you can with an Inkjet.
Very well explained, thank you!!
I do own four Epson Ink Tank printers and I'll tell you why it's advisable to go with ink tank printers if you're someone like me.
I have Epson L15180, Epson L805, Epson M2170, Epson M3170. I do print documents and colour printouts for my students on a daily basis. Sometimes when the demand is high, I print in thousands. Sometimes I don't print at all even for a couple of weeks. What I usually do is I clean the print head and start printing again which is not a big deal.
When it comes to maintenance box, I've replaced three times for my Epson M2170 and I've printed more than 100000 pages. So, there you go.
I only occasionally print as well and use a laser printer for that reason. I had a set of toner cartridges last 5 years.
I switched to a color laser last year and love it. Photos are not very good but I never print them any more. I’m not a high volume user.
This was a great video, thanks. It's so confusing now with all the options for cartridges. I've been thinking of upgrading and having the ability to print photos is appealing. Overall I am a very light user so thanks for breaking down the use cases. BTW I have a Brother laser that probably has a decade old toner cartridge in it and works fine! Laser is the way to go for black and white documents IMO
I've had cartridge based ink-jet printers in the past. Spent $100 on ink, just to use it a couple times and have it clog or dry out due to lack of use. I couldn't justify the chance of forgetting to print, or having to print full pages cyan, yellow, magenta just to clear the jets on new tank printers. Tank based ink-jets do have a use case though, just not for me.
I grabbed a color laser from a big box club a year ago and I couldn't be happier. I also have a 4x6 photo printer that works great. No regrets on either purchase.
I have the cheap HP printer and the $1 per month subscription (15 pages). In over a year I have exceeded the 15 pages only a couple of times. Those overages have been covered by my rollover pages. When you sign up they give you an extensive trial period and those rollover pages carry over to your plan. Last year I spent $12.60 for ink!
This is the best printer video !!! Thank you very much !!!!
0:33 This is why I bought a color laser as soon as they became affordable. You have to basically be using an ink jet every day to keep it in top shape, where the laser could go months between prints and it's fine.
To keep an inkjet(the inktank variety) you have to use to use it once a week or 10 days and print about 4-5 pages. Easy peasy!
as an infrequent printer, buying a laser printer was my best decision.
When I had an inkjet it was a nightmare of errors every time I needed to print.
I'd waste so much ink and paper just trying to clear the errors.
Have no need for a new printer (current one still going strong since 2017) but I still watched as I wanted a comparison to laser printers which I did get from this vid thanks you.
The one I use is an Epson L220 which is an inkjet with an ink tank outside. Aside from having to replace the ink pad and the power supply (darn crappy Chicony power supplies) it still working fine even with non genuine ink.
Prior to the L220 our family had an Epson Stylus T10 my family that served us from 2010-2017 and it was one of the last working ones from the place we bought it. That thing was jank and had a CISS kit installed so that it could work as an ink tank style printer and it broke in a bunch of ways like bad print head, failed CISS kit, failed stepper motors, etc.
As a student having a color printer is pretty valuable as it was pretty common to print stuff for assignments and projects. A while back I had to print a big batches of research papers (720 pages then 606 pages) and printing them myself was way cheaper than having others or print them.
Thanx for the video. I have three printers at home . A Canon TS8160 inkjet that only gets used for CD and DVD label printing and a test page once a week and I use 3rd party refills, A Brother HL2150N with 3rd party carts and a new Brother MFC-L3770CDW color lazer. I do have a full set of replacement Brother high capacity carts for it but haven't had to replace any yet. I usually buy all my 3rd party carts and ink from the same place and never had a out of box failure. One thing I do hate about the cheaper inktank printers is that they have a top paper feed rather than bottom feeders.
Thanks for this. I'm looking at printing options for a potential (very small) business, color labels, possibly some custom stickers, and I haven't shopped for a printer in actual decades (flashback to printing off college term papers the night before and praying the printer didn't jam!). I didn't realize ink subscriptions were actually a really competitive way to go
I've recommended my friend to get their color prints done at a office supply store (Staples/Office Depot/Kinkos/etc.). They very rarely print color maybe 5 pages per year, the rest is B&W. The cost difference between a color laser and B&W is probably enough to last them a lifetime of copy center prints.
Exactly. Bring in the USB and they had my run of color fancy paper three page newsletter done in 30 minutes, 300 copies. Cheap. And stapled. Now a step further... I upload it in full color with photos to the organization's website and every month the members get an email notice with a link to the newsletter. They can print it themselves. That was a savings of hundreds of dollars each year.
Fantastic video, thank you
A good old black & white laser printer is the most reliable.
I've considered this issue for a long time. What I find works is having a B&W laser printer, a Brother that I've had for like 18 years. And for photos, using an adhoc print service, like a point of sale kiosk, or by mail online service.
The per instance cost for a service is more per page in theory, but if you consider that there's no maintenance or initial cost of entry, etc - it's cheaper. If I want to have pictures of my family or other stuff on display, I can just setup a monitor or digital picture frame that runs a slide show or something.
Printers only make sense if you do professional prints, and those people are not buying low-to-mid grade consumer printers. They would buy a professional printer, which isn't cheap.
Seems to me that, in the long run, a Color Laser printer (like Brother 3280) is actually much more expensive than an Ink-Tank printer (like Epson 2850 or 3830).
Ink bottles cost far less than toner, and yield far more pages.
Epson 3830 (ink tank) is $370. Includes normal (not starter-size) set of ink bottles, which yields 7500 pages. That’ll last me forever. But if needed, ink set (#502) costs $30-60.
Brother 3280 (color laser) is $270 (today, on sale). Includes starter toner, which yields 500-800 pages. So I’d need to buy a full toner set fairly soon for $250, which only yields 1200-1500 pages.
So for the same 7500 pages, the color-laser would need also 4 toner sets, total ~$1270, vs only $370 for the Ink-Tank.
The main problem with ink-tanks is the need to print at least weekly to prevent clogs.
Thanks Lon!
I'm still using the toner cartridge that came with my Samsung M2020 I bought at Office Depot ages ago. Did have an issue with it not wanting to feed paper through it about a year ago, but it was an easy enough fix.
I have both a Lazer printer and an ink jet. An HP 1100 series and an Epson tank model. 90% of my printing is black and white, so obviously, the HP gets the most use. I make it a point to print at least one color print each week to avoid the problem of clogged print heads.
Just canceled my hp ink program. They shut off the existing ink and require you to install factory ink cartridges. The roll over expires and due to our low volume we were billed anther month to close. Never never again.
I am puzzled by the lack of mention of multi functionality.
Excellent topic. In December I was looking around to get rid of my three printers (laser b&w) downstairs and upstairs along with one nice HP multi function ink jet.
Because of my infrequent use of printing nowadays, I wanted to buy a nice color laser printer. However, what I discovered is the DPI wasn't the same as compared to the inkjet so I moved on to just punting for another year and seeing what might come out in another year or two.
I want a nice color laser jet to replace all three that will last 10 years or so.
Right now, my inkjet can get 1200x1200 versus the laser jets I was seeing were only about 1200x600 for home consumer end. It would get quite pricey if I wanted to get 1200 by 1200 into the enterprise range and that's not within my budget or need.
If I'm going to make this migration, I want to make sure I had the best optical print.
My suggestion for a future episode would be looking at trading in other printers for just one nice laser printer. As you said, just occasional printing here and there but I wanted to work well when I need it.
I have an old Epson NX430 I bought used for $30 like 8 years ago. Once I found some generic cartridges that actually worked consistently I was good to go. Unfortunately I print very seldom (mostly just shipping labels) so I do have to replace cartridges that are barely used every once and a while, but since the machine still works with generics it doesn't cost much. It prints slow, but I barely ever print anything so I don't mind. And Wi-Fi printing surprisingly still works fine after all these years.
I was considering getting a laser printer, but I think I'll stick with old reliable. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Nice. Thanks good info. Didn't know about the subscription models. Doesn't quite seem like the best market to be doing that lol. Bought one of the cheapest canon laser printers the other day. Works pretty good. Sharp image
I still have and use my ancient Canon MP240 color inkjet printer. I got around the ink cartridge price by buying third-party cartridge and now just hand refilling them with generic ink myself. I was looking forward to get a ink tank printer as I still do want to print out photos but reflecting that I print kinda rarely, I might just get a laser printer and if I want down the line, a dedicated portable small format photo printer.
Sadly the tank based printers have become a huge waste of money. While the ink is cheaper per page, the companies charge far more up front but the idea is that it is suppose to save you money in the long run. The problem is that they add a waste tank or waste sponge, where the printer will count it as full after a certain number of page prints, after the limit is reached, there is often no way to reset it, even if you clean the sponge. At that point, the company will charge you a steep service fee.
Due to this issue, many people who purchased eco-tank printers, ended up not really saving anything over the more traditional cartridge based printer.
PS, for the eco tank printers, when the waste sponge is listed as full, often it is only around 2% full in real life since ink loses a lot of its volume as it dries. This is why cartridge based printers do not really bother you about a waste tank/ sponge.
The issue seems to be that pushing the tank based printers are shifting the additional markup of a traditional ink cartridge, to the maintenance cost of the printer. The up front higher cost of an ecotank vs the similarly spec cartridge based printer, already makes it so that before you print enough for the raw ink cost per page gets anywhere near the cost difference of the printer, then it is already time to have the printer serviced. That service cost then acts as a major setback in savings, and unless you trust the printer to last 20 years, odds are that you will not come out ahead in terms of total cost of ownership before the printer fails and you need to buy a new one.
It's worth noting that with HP's instant ink, once you accept the subscription plan, even a trial, the printer will never allow non-HP ink again.
Good video, i mainly been a LaserJet fan since the 90s. For me the laser has the better overall value.
I once had a legendary LaserJet 4 !
@@LonSeidman yes I had one of them. Kept it for many years until about 2015. Only was replaced when I got a Color Laser printer, and having two large printers seemed impractical for the home.
Laser printer is my choice - my brother is 10 years old, and the toner cost nothing (does not need to be original). Small photos is done by a canon spelhy, larger photoprints i better and a lot cheaper to order at a proff. printshop than an ink-printer.
Thanks Lon! I will be looking for a printer for producing watercolor prints. I would love a review/overview of what to look for. Epson is my current frontrunner but your comment, regarding the sponge replacement, has me wondering if that is a point of concern.
I have also found that laser printers are better if they sit idle very much. I don't have an inkjet in the house any more, while I have 3 laser printers, 2 are all in ones with one in color. That color one really does a nice job. All of them are Brother printers. Have you tried any of the 3rd party color toner from Amazon for 1/3 the price?
Thank you, Lon. This was quite informative about the current state of both Inkjet and Laser printers. I did have one question not directly related to this video and that is, are there printer manufacturers that us solvent based inks vs. water based. My understanding for printing pictures, solvent base is far superior and long lasting whereas, the water-based pictures fade over time.
During the beginning of the pandemic I was able to buy a color laser printer. Today, the same printer cost almost twice as much. For some reason the laser printers are way more expensive now.
I had same experience with inkjets and will never buy another again. I have 2 lasers printers. One multi function hp color and a black and white brother.
In my experience, about 90% of users can do just fine with a black and white laser printer (or laser all-in-one). People inflate in their mind how much they think they print and love the idea of printing their own photos, but in reality they rarely print and the last time they printed a photo was years ago. A simple black and white laser printer and 1-2 trips to the local office supply store for the occasional color print job can save a lot of people a bunch of money and frustration.
Let's not overlook the drivers.
HP's driver/app is very annoying. It requires you to create an account to use it.
Canon's driver download website is a mess.
I've found that Epson and Brother are the best when it comes to drivers.
I personally have a Brother b+w laser printer/scanner/copier.
I've had it for at least 8 years at this point and it still works great.
My parents got a new hp printer scanner combo for Christmas. I being my family's IT they had me set it up on the Wi-Fi for them. The frustrating thing I found about that is the scanner portion of it requires an HP account because when I tried to test it with the Windows scanning app from the Windows store it would just are out the printer and I would have to unplug and plug it back in to reset it
Used to buy many Epsons and Canon printers for myself and family.
The first and last color laser printer I brought was from Brother. The 4 color Toner genuine set was about $150. I went for a generic set for like $50. It first printed good and then a few months later I started noticing the print quality is not as good. Then I started thinking back on my other Epson inkjet printers where the prints used to be good where I print in photo glossy papers. Then when I started using the generic inks after a while the prints don't look correct. I tried cleaning the heads and running diagnostics and same thing.
Not sure if anyone have similar issues.
Nice video on the printers, thanks. On the new Epson EcoTank printers, the user can easily replace the sponge you are talking about. The sponge comes built into a "maintenance box," which can easily be replaced from outside the printer without ever touching the sponge itself. The printer will let you know when it is time to replace it, and the one for my printer only cost me $16 at Staples. There would be no need to return the printer for this routine maintenance.
I thought that Canon was doing the same now but can't find a link to it.
@@paulwarner5395 I see some Canon "maintenance boxes" with the built-in sponge available for certain Canon printers at B&H Photo. Hopefully, they have one that will work with your printer. From what I am seeing, some other Canon printers don't make it as easy as replacing the "maintenance box," one would have to do some DIY cleaning of the sponge and hope the printer would recognize the clean sponge and continue to operate. Good luck with your printer.
Had an HP PhotoSmart 6520 for 11 years but killed it last year by not using. Replaced with an Epson Et-4850 two years ago. No it isn’t as accurate as the old HP but it doesn’t cost an arm and leg for cartridges. I have used 1/4 of the ink and printed a heck of a bunch of photos. I like ink jet for best photos . Having only three colors CYMK is maybe not the best but calibrated screen and ICC print profiles it’s very good for home, plus I have used the scanner. Prints from iOS and MS wirelessly no problems. While I do like the feel of laser b/w text melted on top of the paper but I don’t own one.
The soon mini is a new battery powered mini PC that just hit the market. like to see you test it out.
I have both, I only use the scanner on the cheap ink jet and print with the laser. It's now running low on toner, so I am looking to replace it with a generic toner. I hate that the inkjet asks for a user and password every now and again to use the scanner.
Yup how do find a printer, or adapt one, to print from windows, mac, and chrome.
PS Lon you are my fave tech guru 🙂
Looking for an economical laser printer WITH scanner. I know I can use my phone to scan but I just find scanning on a flatbed better and easier.
I had a Canon with the ink tanks…lasted about a year before it stopped working - too clogged to fix. Got a Canon all in one laser with awesome reviews….it was DOA but I got it working….lasted three months. Went to the old standby Brother and it is flawless, cheaper, and faster…plus it doesn’t throw errors when I use third party toner cartridges.
Which brother printer would you say is the best? I just returned my HP 9125e after only having it for 5 days. What a headache that thing was.
@@Rez629 I'm using the Brother MFC-L2750DW. So far, it's pretty awesome. It even shuts itself down after a few hours to save power. Scanning is kind slow at high resolution, but not unbearable. I have no complaints except toner that came with it didn't last very long. It does work fine with third party toner though.
@@RynoDBones Thanks. My HP was a headache to try and print with a phone, I just want something that'll just work and won't try to argue with my devices constantly.
@@RynoDBones That one is kinda pricey. Looks like the 2710dw is a bit cheaper.
@@Rez629 I think I got mine on sale for $199 at Staples. Of course tax brought it up again. Ha
I had an hp 8600 officejet for a long time. Last time I needed new cartridges I ordered from HP and they didn't work. Hp was of no help, so I ended up with a Canon MF753cdw color laser for $300.00. Funny thing. I've only printed black and white pages for the last 2 months. My black cartridge is still 100% but the other 3 C, M Y are at 90%. Am I missing something??
In a future video on printers, it would be good to hear about driver and software quality. Printing from ipad or iphone, etc.
I would be cautious with the subscription models. HP for example alledgedly locks down your printer if you cancel the sub, even if you still have ink in your printer...wich is insane!
the HP print heads cost around $60 for both print heads together. I tried hp ink option subscription and i didn't like it, so i recommend just buying the ink if you have a tank printer as the ink last atleast 2 years and i am a student and i print alot. Cost around $66 for the full ink set
I’m a crafter and I print images on card stock. Would a color Laser printer work for this, if so what would be a good one? Thanks
It is worth pointing out that with HP, once you enable Instant Ink, that printer can never use a generic cartridge again. The printer's firmware is permanently altered to require genuine HP cartridges the instant you agree to try Instant Ink.
Also, as you pointed out, turning off your subscription disables the cartridge in the printer even if it was the cartridge that came with the printer. You must purchase a set of replacement genuine cartridges to use that printer again.
This practice is very wasteful IMHO.
It's worse than that. I had the Instant Ink subscription, but then the printer stopped connecting to the internet for some reason I was never able to figure out. This particular printer had the ability to connect to a computer with a USB cable, and when I did that, it would not print with the Instant Ink cartridges. It kept giving me an error message telling me to connect to the internet, but the printer would not connect, as I said,.
I canceled Instant Ink and returned their cartridges, as instructed, and purchased retail ink. It still gave a bunch of annoying error messages at first, but I finally got it to work. However, I had to go through a lot of crap every time I wanted to print. I finally bought a cheap Canon ink jet, without even an option to subscribe to anything, and I still have it, The only reason I went for Instant Ink in the first place was because my late husband was one of those people who liked to print out the entire internet, and I figured this might be cheaper. It was, until it stopped working.
I don't print much myself, yet somehow, this Canon ink jet is still holding up after four years, no clogging or anything. In any case, I will never do another subscription for ink again.
I’ve found the generic cartridges for my Canon AIO last longer than the official ones. As long as they continue to work, I will continue to buy them.
I have a Pantum mono all in one laser printer and the instructions tell you how to refill the cartridge with toner. This is why I bought the Pantum printer as 100ml of toner powder is just over $15
I agree on the longevity of laser, have an HP 1102W many years old and it is very reliable. I was discussing printing/print cartridges with someone in their early 30s and their attitude was like "What? Why is this a thing, I don't even own a printer"... I am older than that and print so rarely I am not interested in subscriptions, cartridge DRM, or any type of ongoing games these printer companies are trying to play. (For example, a printer/scanner combo where the scanner doesn't work unless ink cartridges are installed.) Recently found a new-in-box Epson inkjet for 1/3 the price on an auction site to replace my 2006 inkjet that died last month.
Question - I need simple - Just a b&w printer (2-3 times a year) connects to computer only (no cell phone crap) to print b&w. Can you recommend one please.
I think the HP single black and single color cartridge system is a good system for inkjet plus you can use it with just one cartridge be it black or color cartridge
Hp wanted to remote into my computer when I tried to get some ink cartridges replaced that stopped working on their subscription thing, so I threw the printer away and got a Brother B&W laser printer and have never looked back.
Substructions are good if you print at the rate you signed up for. For us it's maddening, since we can go for months with printing at the expected rate but then sporadically print a lot. Rollover pages are only for the last 3 months so don't bank for the year. So, if you print 100 pages after in 3 months without rollover you get hit with large fees. I'd like to see any annual or semi-annual plan.
Thanks for the video! What your opinion on Thermal Printers? I have seen a few reviews but none go as in depth as your reviews. Cheers!
Thermal printers are the best if you don't mind 4x6 maximum paper size output.
My old InkJet and my current OfficeJet jams on card stock and photo paper even when I select the correct paper type. HP doesn’t make replacement rollers for their Ink printers so when they wear out, it’s time to buy a new printer.
When my HP inkjet printer "choked" 10 years ago, I purchased a laser printer and never looked back.
I’ve basically been spoiled at work. I’ve usually worn many hats. So until very recently I was only person with ay sort of graphic design knowledge around. That meant that I’ve had a large format, Canon, pro-ish level printer in my office. It prints photos beautifully, and unlike the cheaper inkjets I can print only once in a while and not have any major issues. Meanwhile at home, we have an HP that is now useless. Last time I tried to print anything on it, i was completely clogged up and no amount of cleaning fixed it.
We don’t have to print very often at home, and I can usually print things out on the general copier/printers at work. But every once in a while, on a weekend, I get in trouble… I’ve been biding my time, thinking about getting a B/W laser printer on clearance at some point, but every time I even mention my hatred for the old one, my spouse rolls her eyes so hard. And points out how infrequently it’s needed.
Just curious which color laser printers are capable of printing on standard business ENVELOPES. This is a specification that's usually impossible to find while shopping for a color laser....also which color lasers do NOT have individual toner cartridges to replace only the colors that get depleted more often.
I do not print a lot of pages per month on my ink jet. I had problems with clogs as you pointed out in your video. I used both HP and non HP cartridges and both would clog because of my low volume. HP did work better than the no name brands. Several years ago I subscribed to the HP ink program and I am a very happy customer. First the cartridges seem to contain more ink than the over the counter ones and I have not had any problems with clogs at all using these subscription cartridges. It seems to me that the cartridges and or ink are of a better quality than they sell retail. I am very happy with my HP subscription and will use it as long as HP offers this high quality of service and product in the years to come.
Would like to hear your thoughts on which printers give you the best photo print quality. Maybe break it down by brand and model and price ranges?
The issue I have is, the inside of my printer drys up. I have to inject cleaning solution inside the printer and let it set for sometime for it to work.
I have a solution to my problem, once my black ink is used up. I will drill a hole in the cartridge and fill it with cleaning solution, plug the hole with something.
This convinced me to buy the laser printer because my inkjet cartridges got dried up after 6 months of not using it.
Lon been watching your reviews for years your making us both old lol. Anyway i have an HP Officejet Pro 9025 and i am on HP ink program no complaints here just an observation. I have never seen ink cartridges that i bought from a store last as long as what is sent to me on HP ink program. The cartridges must be jammed with ink from HP program where their store bought is just half full. I have not been able to find any info to prove this but trust me my printing is very consistent on a yearly basis they are filling those cartridges up lol . Any knowledge on this is much appreciated. David
you're only as old as you feel! :). So HP does in fact state in their FAQ that the carts hold more ink - they definitely have a greater capacity vs. retail carts: www.hp.com/gb-en/printers/instant-ink/faq.html
DAMNIT! just bought my new printer 5 days ago go….sir, please consult me before posting videos so I can time my purchases accordingly 😂
Nowadays you can buy lease turn in commercial multi function copiers/printers for cheap. They usually come tuned up with full ink and you will likely never have to buy ink again.
Where from?
My advice is buy a Brother laser black and white or color printer. It will still be working in 10 years, has a low cost per page, and Brother doesn’t do the HP shenanigans of bricking your printer or cartridges after a certain amount of time. I’d never sign up for a printer subscription service.
Does the high end tank printers like Epson Workforce Pro have the same problem of ink getting stuck if not used? Are the prints sharper like laser?
Only problem I have with color laser is its size. They are usually too big.
Yes they’ll clog up just like regular ink jet printers
My laser died. I got a $70 HP laser at Walmart. It was on clearance. I don't like the fact that I need to be connected to the internet to print. Normally that would be a deal breaker. But at $70, it's cool. The scanner is also a great thing to have at home.
Still printing with the HP D4360 last cartridge I bought was Meijer branded noticed the HP 74 was $29 now for a few bucks more I could buy that cheep printer when my ink runs out
I table conventions and markets and I've been trying to figure out a kind of printer that can sit for a while and not clog up, as well as have a decent ink cost for the amount I print for these events. I was thinking I'd go for a tank printer because of the lower ink cost and how much ink you get, but the maintenance alone seems like more of hassle I'd like to deal with especially if I'm on a deadline to print things off. Laserjet seems the way to go if it can sit for a while, but I heard there more for text documents than images so I'm worried that my image quality will suffer and I'd be paying even more for toner than I would if I stick with my inkjet printer
It really depends what you're printing out. If you're doing a lot of photos an inkjet is better but for most other types of documents a laser is just fine.
@@LonSeidman It's mostly regular paper, matte sticker paper and cardstock
Lon what kind of buying guide is this? How about comparing and contrasting different models? etc...
This video was an overview of market choices, you can see individual reviews in the playlist.
Laser multi-function printers all the way. I only need to print if I need to. Sometimes I print none per year and sometimes I only print one or two papers per year.
I’ll never buy an ink based printer ever again.
I didn't have much choice, laser printers are € 150+ non multifunctional and monochrome only, tanks printers cost around €250 and none of them even have automatic duplex, finally bought a 4-in-one Brother inkjet with 4 cartridges that are expensive af, I hope that would do it because i've had enough with HP printers scams, I can' afford a multifunctional color laser
How soon before a subscription is required for groceries, or gasoline, or chewing gum?
Or a required subscription for a cemetery plot, along with Big Funeral lobbying Congress to ban cremations.
It’s almost always cheaper to buy a new inkjet printer than to replace the ink cartridges. Thrown out so many perfectly fine printers…
I use both as I do arts and crafts. Like laser for fabric better
back in they day, printer drivers were some of the hardest problems to crack, if you could get up on like 12 of the most popular apps and their print drivers, you could make a decent living :)
I'm done with the Epson Ecotank printers, on printer number two and can only print black/white. Once the black tank gets clogged I'm going laser.
What about printers on Linux machines? I am pretty new to Linux. Of my 2 printers, one worked with Linux fine. My Epson XP-850, no love. I am shopping printers lately, to use on Linux. A bit of a research project.
From experience, I would personally just stick with laser printers that understand PCL or even PostScript. They "just work." Many inkjets seem to use a proprietary "language." I don't know if any inkjets exist that actually understand PCL or PS. Some manufacturers might offer Linux drivers (or printer definition files) on some inkjet models, but you're usually totally on your own installing them.
I think laser is more reliable if you don't need photo quality
I have one sitting at home for few years
I’m hearing a lot about the tank printers drying out.