Home Printers all suck (1 Viewer)

[ChristopherG]

to borrow a phrase....(thanks Sam).

Seriously the last 3-4 printers I have had all sucked greatly including Hp, Canon and Brother. Can anyone suggest one that might simply suck less? I would be looking at something that prints color, all in one (or not) and don't care if it is laser or ink although I'm leaning towards laser. Would prefer it to be under $500....

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sam Posten]

Laser jet M479 and done:

The Best Laser Printer

The fast, reliable, and easy-to-use HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw is the laser printer we recommend for most home offices.

www.nytimes.com

Anything below business class has cut corners

 

[ChristopherG]

You da man

 

[JohnRice]

I've had an older version of that M255 for about ten years, and it's just fine. At work I also have a M451DW (also about 10 years old) that is a lot more stout, much faster and prints duplex. They just work.

 

[ScottHM]

I've used an HP LaserJet M451dn for several years and have been happy with that. But you might not be able to buy new ones anymore, at a reasonable price.

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[ChristopherG]

so has anyone heard of these guys:

HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw Wireless Laser Printer

It`s built to keep your business moving forward the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw keeps up with how you actually work, collaborate, and get things done. With fast print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, best-in-class security, and automated workflows ...

www.rentproductsonline.com

That price can't be right...

 

[David Norman]

For inkjet -- I lean toward the EPSON for print quality, but only if you use it regularly and it's not the most cost effective option for business volume. I think the EPSON color printing I have is stunning sometimes

The Epson pigment style Ink carts don't handle sitting idle very long and the nozzles are prone to drying/clogging. The ink is pretty expensive though I'm leaning toward getting one of the Eco-Tank refillables if my current Clearance Printer finally bit the dust.

I have considered that specific Laserjet printer as an alternative

 

[JohnRice]

so has anyone heard of these guys:

HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw Wireless Laser Printer

It`s built to keep your business moving forward the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw keeps up with how you actually work, collaborate, and get things done. With fast print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, best-in-class security, and automated workflows ...

www.rentproductsonline.com

That price can't be right...

That's half price. I'd be suspicious.

FWIW, all-in-one scanners are OK, but if you need to do a lot of scanning, you might want a dedicated one. I have to scan documents regularly, and got an Epson document scanner that was well worth the cost. You might not need that, but figured it was worth specifying.

 

[John Dirk]

I'm not saying I don't broadly agree but if you want useful advice you need to be a bit more specific as to the nature of your experiences and your needs. Any product will begin to show its weaknesses if used outside of it's intended scope. Home printers are designed for basic occasional, non-critical use. I currently own a Brother Laser All-In-One [MFC 7860DW] which I've had for about 4 years. I probably print fewer than 10 pages per week on average. If you're doing substantially more than that [especially in the color realm] I would consider a Business model such as this one.

 

[John Dirk]

so has anyone heard of these guys:

HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw Wireless Laser Printer

It`s built to keep your business moving forward the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw keeps up with how you actually work, collaborate, and get things done. With fast print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, best-in-class security, and automated workflows ...

www.rentproductsonline.com

That price can't be right...

Sure it can. The money is in the ink refills not the actual printer. HP is notorious for designing their printers to only work with genuine OEM cartridges too.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm not saying I don't broadly agree but if you want useful advice you need to be a bit more specific as to the nature of your experiences and your needs. Any product will begin to show its weaknesses if used outside of it's intended scope. Home printers are designed for basic occasional, non-critical use. I currently own a Brother Laser All-In-One [MFC 7860DW] which I've had for about 4 years. I probably print fewer than 10 pages per week on average. If you're doing substantially more than that [especially in the color realm] I would consider a Business model such as this one.

I don’t know which model it is, but my wife is looking into a Brother B&W laser printer for basically the same usage, a few pages here and there but don’t want to deal with inkjet cartridges drying up from infrequent usage.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Sure it can. The money is in the ink refills not the actual printer. HP is notorious for designing their printers to only work with genuine OEM cartridges too.

I avoid HP inkjet printers for this very reason. I've been using Canon inkjet printers, and have options for either genuine Canon or third party cartridges -- and even the genuine Canon cartridges are more reasonably priced than what HP charges.

Personally, I have two separate printers -- a black & white Brother laser printer and a Canon photo inkjet printer. I rarely need to print documents in color, so I saw no need to spend the money on a color laser printer. I always liked HP laser printers, but bought a Brother model for about $50 when I needed to replace my old HP printer that only had a parallel interface (plus, I didn't like it's vertical paper feed). I can get third party replacement toner cartridges for about $10, and one cartridge will last me for a couple of years.

 

[NorgeRunner]

Hands down the best all in one I've owned is the Epson eco tank Workforce printer. Ink lasts for many months with normal use. Ours lasted a year before we refilled. Prints look great. Scanner works great. Ink is way cheaper than any of the other brands.

 

[ChristopherG]

Sure it can. The money is in the ink refills not the actual printer. HP is notorious for designing their printers to only work with genuine OEM cartridges too.

Well, first off its a laser printer not ink and everywhere else on the planet it goes for $450-600. I'm sure that the HP toner cartridges are no different than their ink cartridges in that regard. I did include HP on my list of previously owned home printers that suck though...

 

[MatthewA]

I have had two HPs basically die on me. The replacement didn't last as long as the thing it replaced, the software is a travesty that can't even print a simple TextEdit file, and their customer service is a sick joke. I can't even print off the MacBook on which I'm typing this post on wirelessly or with a USB cord! Needless to say, I will be switching to a different brand.

 

[John Dirk]

Well, first off its a laser printer not ink and everywhere else on the planet it goes for $450-600. I'm sure that the HP toner cartridges are no different than their ink cartridges in that regard. I did include HP on my list of previously owned home printers that suck though...

My mistake with "ink" but the principal remains the same.

 

[ChrisOC]

Laser jet M479 and done:

The Best Laser Printer

The fast, reliable, and easy-to-use HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw is the laser printer we recommend for most home offices.

www.nytimes.com

Anything below business class has cut corners

Agreed. Several years ago I bought an HP LaserJet (monochrome, I forget the model number) which turned out to be terrible, producing pages that were weak and uneven. When I contacted HP, one rep said I could adjust it with LaserJet software; the only problem was that it didn't exist yet. The next rep said I had to give the printer time, that it would would work better after a few hundred pages.

I returned that printer and bought a refurbished LaserJet 4100 from a well-rated third party. I knew that model from the office to be a reliable workhorse, and it hasn't disappointed me. It cost just a little more than the one I returned, and while it doesn't get the same kind of workout those office printers got, it hasn't given me the least bit of trouble in more than ten years.

 

[Scott Voth]

I've had a HP color laser jet MFP M277 that I've been happy with with little to no problems other than HP can't seem to get their driver to stop flashing a "“hpPostScriptPDE.plugin” will damage your computer" on my Mac every time I use it. I just ignore the message - it's caused because HP can't seem to update their verification that it is a legit driver. I won't buy another inkjet - particularly HP because the expensive cartridges always dry out before they are used up. Lasers are just a lot more trouble free plus the cost per page printed is a lot cheaper than inkjet as well.

 

[JediFonger]

I've used an HP LaserJet M451dn for several years and have been happy with that. But you might not be able to buy new ones anymore, at a reasonable price.

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m281fdw for me. like original poster i’ve had many inkjet brands over the years and my wife and i just got fed up so we bought this and it’s flawless thus far! knock on wood of course.

as someone who works in IT hp and laserjet is the golden standard. also for refill buy genuine hp you wont regret it

 

[Bartman]

I understand your frustration. The cartridges for my very old HP inkjet had become very expensive. I investigated low cost printers but they tended to be multi function and therefore, a compromise, and all I need is a printer. I tried replacement cartridges from HouseOfToner at Amazon, the first and second did not work. When I returned the second I asked them to test the cartridge before sending. That cartridge worked and has been in my printer three years! I bought more cartridges recently, as my wife is working from home now, but that third cartridge refuses to die. So perseverance and a responsive supplier is often the trick with printers!!