Decent printer..

[Random Shout 10]

Can anyone recommend a decent printer that is going to last ? I don't print that much but the one that I have now which is a HP 364 I have had problems with the ink. first off I thought that Amazon sold me a duff cartridge the ink on my printer said that there were none in. After a bit I decided to buy just a black cartridge to see if it was the ink. That worked fine. Then I thought I might as well buy a full ink cartridge which only worked for about first 5 times and the ink head keeps drying up. I have cleaned it a few times it is alright for about 3 print offs then after that the same thing keeps happening, and now the Printer keeps saying that the ink cartridges are almost ran out - I have argly used the ink cartridges !

 

I have only had this printer for about 2 years and it's rubbish, the one before was a Lemark (with scanner + copier) and that was great, never had a issue with the ink. The Lexmark printer died after when a paper jam happened.

 

A shop told me that HP are the best and said don't bother getting another Lexmark.

[anywebsite 10]

HP are usually the most reliable if you don't use it much, in my experience. The ink will dry up & block the print head on any printer if you don't use it for months.

 

At least with HP the print head is usually on the cartridge so you can replace the cartridge if it gets blocked up, this makes the ink cartridges more expensive, but it doesn't matter so much if you use it rarely.

 

HP 364 is the model number of your ink cartridges, not your printer. I'm not familiar with these cartridges, but it looks like they may have a separate print head. You may need to replace that print head (about £30).

 

If you're buying a new printer then the cheaper HP models should be more reliable for light use, they have the all in one (one colour, one black) cartridges with a print head built in.

[altus 540]

If you don't print much but want reliable printing without having to waste lots of ink, you might want to look at a laser printer. You can get cheap mono laser printers for about £70 and colour ones from £130.

[Resident 1,193]

Since I bought my first Epson years ago, everyone since has worked faultlessly. In fact I've never bought the next one because the old one was faulty, far from it, every single one was still working when I bought the next, I just fancied a change.

[anywebsite 10]

Epson are good too, but the ones I've used had a separate print head & it suffered from getting blocked if the printer was unused for a while too.

 

Epson & HP are the top brands for inkjet printers. The cheaper low end HP printers are better for low use, they'll still dry up if left for ages & the cartridges cost more, but there's no expensive print head to replace as it's on the cartridge.

 

I think RS just needs a new print head for their printer, but the same thing will happen again if they leave it unused for weeks.

 

A cheap laser printer might be a good solution, I'm not sure if they suffer any problems from not being used enough. The toner is expensive, but it lasts much longer than ink cartridges on an inkjet.

Edited October 31, 2013 by anywebsite

[AlexAtkin 10]

You absolutely need a laser if you don't print often. I made the switch quite some time ago for the same reason.

 

It IS ink after all, all ink dries up over time and I even had one change colour if it goes past its use by date. Toner on the other hand is little plastic and wax pellets, theoretically it still ages but I have never encountered a case myself - it lasts for years.

 

I recently replaced mine and everyone wanted to sell me an inkjet "because its cheaper", but its ONLY cheaper if you print a lot for this very reason. It doesn't really matter if toner is more expensive to replace if its going to last you years before you need to do so.

 

Also if you ever want to print photos, get them done at a proper photo development business. The results will still be better than an inkjet and when you factor in special papers etc there is little difference in price, potentially its cheaper if you have a lot of small prints done all at once.

Edited November 1, 2013 by AlexAtkin

[Random Shout 10]

I argly used the previous Lexmark printer and I never had a problem with the ink and sometimes it would be months before I would print again. The photos from the Lexmark were outstanding when my HP has printed photos they are good but not as good as my previous Lexmark. I prefer to have a 3 in 1 printer which includes a scanner and copier, as they always come in handy for stuff more money though but if I can get a bargain it's not too bad. Both printers were about £80 on sale and should have been £120-£130.

 

The HP printer that I currently have is a photo shop plus.

 

Thanks to everyone who put a comment on. I'll have another look at the printer head on the printer or I will get a laser printer.

[AlexAtkin 10]

There is that, you would be paying two to three times the price to get a good colour laser 3 in 1 compared to an inkjet.

 

Very surprised to hear you had no problems with ink on the Lexmark but I do think there is an element of luck there. Plus there have been times I haven't printed anything for 6 months, so its perhaps a little more extreme than your experience.

 

I did consider trying inkjet again but the other person who uses the printer for address labels did not want to chance it. Even though ink is fairly water resistant these days, toner is 100% water proof so no chance of parcels dropped in puddles getting their address mangled.

 

Overall I am happy with my choice. Photos obviously aren't as good as an inkjet on photo paper, but I find it much better than an inkjet on cheap paper. Inkjets by their nature are only vibrant if the paper itself provides a reflective surface, modern toner is high wax content so an excellent finish even on cheap paper. Maybe I will feel differently once replacing those £50 toner cartridges as no way I am using unofficial/refills.

[CPC464 10]

We got a Samsung laser for about £45 from ebuyer three or four years ago - its fast, decent quality and still running on the original cartridge.

Plugged into both Mac and PC no problems.

[alchresearch 214]

There's a business on Ebay selling the Brother 5380 laser printer for about £60. Get one of these its a brilliant workhorse that will last.

[AlexAtkin 10]

I was using a £25 one off this very forum until I got my new one.

 

The reason I replaced it was the previous owner had used refills which had leaked into the printer. It was fine at first but has gradually gotten worse until it refused to detect the toner cartridges any more.

 

It just reinforced what I have always figured, NEVER use refills ESPECIALLY ones you refill yourself. This is particularly important with toner as its toxic, its not worth the risk to your printer or health.

[tallanddopey 10]

As has been said before, if you only print once in a blue moon then cheaper the better tbh. ive had my £30 brand new epson printer from the shop for 5 years now and still works ok but its just a document printer, photos dont look great. but weve also had expensive printers that only lasted a year or two. always seems a lottery to me how long they last.

 

thankfully kodak dont make printers anymore cos they were the worst piece of rubbish ever created.