Soliciting SIMPLE printer suggestions

[David Mason]

Thanks to planned obsolescence, "market forces" (ahem) my po' old Window XP dinosaur is hitting the trails.

I'm already setting up the new computer, but it occurred to me there's not much point in redrivering it for my excellent, reliable, perfectly-adequate HP932 printer. It's about 3 cycles old, they haven't made the "HP45" cartridges for years.... I really only plan to load the black ink cartridge, speed is irrelevant, the primary thrust is inexpensive ink cartridges.

The reloading ink thing hasn't worked for me at least to this point, because by the time I need the reloaded new/old cartridge, the head is hopelessly dried-out. I hear good things about "Brother" cartridges? All ideas welcome.

[Dave Potter]

I totally agree about re-inking cartridges. The hype is tempting, and easy to buy into, but it's legerdemain.

I've looked for the best cost/performance value in printing for years, and I've settled on laser printers and OEM cartridges. The reality is that quality printing just can't be had otherwise.

Oh ... And "Brother" products? IMO, junk. My current printer is HP.

[Jim Kennedy]

Since you print primarily in black you might consider a laser printer. The price of toner has gone up over the last few years, but is still cheaper than ink. I've been using a refurbished Brother Laser printer that I bought at Fry's for 90 bucks about 14 years ago. I replaced the toner cartridge that cost me around $70.00 about 4 years ago. I'm talking over 10k pages of printing with no problems other than a couple of jams. Can't get that kind of value from any ink jet printer. And, it works with windows seven.

[Scott Duckworth]

No matter what you get, look at ink or toner prices for the machine before buying.

[Walter Killam]

sorry, I couldnt' resist:

[Jim Cooley]

David,

I use an ink jet office machine daily at work, and have one at home. While I always replaced the cartridges in my work printer with OEMs, my wife and I refilled ink cartridges on our home printer to save money. I finally convinced her it's not worth the trouble. I'm about to replace my HP (abbreviation for "piece of junk") home printer. Assuming I stay with an ink jet, I'll buy one with four replaceable ink cartridges and use OEMs when it's time to change them. It doesn't sound like you print in color very often, if at all. In that case, like someone else suggested, looking into a laser printer might be a good idea. Even an economical inkjet non-color printer might be a good idea.

I certainly agree with others here that it is important to compare costs. They vary significantly, whether it's ink or toner cartridges. Most reseller websites (Staples, Best Buy, Wally World...) list the manufacturer's specs for each cartridge's expected life cycles. Look at how many pages the manufacturer claims the cartridge supposed to be able to print. Take the claims with a grain of salt, but it's a good place to start. Most cartridges come available in XL or larger versions than the ones that are installed when you buy a printer. I usually buy them for replacements, since they usually print more pages per dollar then the originals.

I used HP printers at work for years because that's what our IT department ordered for me. After a long line of failures and atrocious customer service in a warranty situation, I went rogue and I replaced my HP at work with an Epson. I've had good results from it. I'm sure others have great results with HPs, Brothers, and others. Like we say about steel guitars, amps, effects, etc., YMMV.

[Earnest Bovine]

..

Oh ... And "Brother" products?

This Brother printer MFC-295CN cost $69.95 new and has worked great for 5 years now. It does fax, scanner feed, & flatbed scanner. Ink carts are about $4.

[Dave Potter]

This Brother printer MFC-295CN cost $69.95 new and has worked great for 5 years now. It does fax, scanner feed, & flatbed scanner. Ink carts are about $4.

Meh - I can't get out of my local grocery store for $69.95. "Worked great" is subjective; depends on what one's expectations are. As is true with most things, you get what you pay for.

The reviews on this page are sufficient reason I wouldn't consider that printer - almost as many 1-star reviews as it has 5-star reviews. YMMV