Printer recommendation for general use and light photo printing

[mbloof]

Not knowing what exact market your in here's what I use and recommend.

Forgetting for the moment the 'bottom of the line AIO' printer packages as they have limited sized toner cartridges and paper trays.

All the 'big outfits' (Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, etc) have ~$400-800 "office AIO" machines that have 1-2 ream paper trays and 5K-15K capacity toner cartridges.

YES, much like your aging printer many of the "parts" have counters embedded which force ether a 'hack' or replacement at some point in the future.

"photos" - for many years I dropped standard 8.5x11" custom 'picture book' layouts into clear sheets for 3-ring binder as VERY inexpensive "photo books" for friends and family to view. If they requested a copy of a print for hand holding or wall I'd then ether enlist one of my DyeSub printers or Costco/(now Shutterfly) to make the larger print.

 

[Gesture]

Another factor today. My Canon and Epson printers really connect easily and well with WiFi. My older Brother multifunction not so well.

 

[BobKnDP]

A minor question:

What do you mean by "scan to USB"? I suppose that's scanning onto a USB drive, but I haven't seen that previously.

 

[diane143]

Check out that Epson EcoTank I listed earlier, but I also have Brother products and they are pretty good.

You have to be realistic, prices do go up over time.

Personally, even with all its issues, I like inkjet over laser printing from an energy and safety standpoint. Laser printers don't get discussed much here, there may be other companies in the space.

Good luck.

It's on my list - thanks

Yes and no on pricing. I used to be in the computer industry. Printers started very high then came down and stabilized once "personal" printers took off. I have an Xante Accel-a-writer that was $5000 new with 1200x1200 dpi

My HP LaserJet 4xxx series was probably around $1500 new without any accessories and I think that was also 1200x1200 <note I saved both of those from the trash so very lucky there>

They got cheaper in price and quality by the time I bought the Oki. Plastic was pretty flimsy, DPI was down, no more 500 sheet trays. But the price was decent and DPI was good for business printing. It was the first laser I ever bought (my first printer was a dot matrix)

I bought a photo inkjet Epson new in 2004 for $100, I am pretty sure the HPs I bought in the 90s were closer to $500. I had a Canon all in one inkjet that came with a Mac I bought around 2008, I mean that's how cheap they were, it was free with a laptop.

I wasn't really watching pricing since I got the Oki but from what I understand, prices shot up when everyone was working from home and they haven't really come down since. I can't seem to print any test prints at Staples and you used to be able to do that too. So I'm really flying blind here.

 

[diane143]

You got it. And there some thoughts of toxic fumes, I believe. Don't know what the "laser" name really means.

Notice how many EcoTank printers that Epson has developed and are offering in the true business class market space and advertised as superior to laser printers.

I didn't want to jump on the toxic bandwagon but since you brought it up :-|

I can certainly smell the toner when I use the Oki or the small printer. The Oki cartridges drop a lot of loose toner into the printer too. I was researching BPA a few years ago and thought I read that toners were on the list of things that contain BPA. Whether it is or not for sure, I don't know for sure, but I can smell it and I don't know about the toxicity. The longer the print job is, the more I smell it.

And that's all I'm going to say about that!

 

[diane143]

A minor question:

What do you mean by "scan to USB"? I suppose that's scanning onto a USB drive, but I haven't seen that previously.

There is a port for a USB flash drive on the front of the printer. When I select Scan on the printer, I have four options: email (the printer actually handled the email, it never showed up in my own outgoing email list), computer, USB memory and shared drive.

I always used USB memory or email. I plug the stick in, it scans and saves to the drive.

That said, when I talked to Epson they told me their printers use an app to scan. That there isn't a way to do it from the printer. Both laser and inkjet. If that's true - mind blown. I currently do everything from the control panel on the printer. I can select simplex, duplex, DPI, there's actually a bunch of settings in the scanner section.

Connectivity is also an issue. I want to hardwire it to my network but I like the option of AirPrint. I can also plug a computer in via USB. I guess I've been spoiled and had no idea!

 

[diane143]

Another factor today. My Canon and Epson printers really connect easily and well with WiFi. My older Brother multifunction not so well.

I like hardwired printers. I also like a USB option. And AirPrint. Mine does all three and I'm happy to see there are still a number of printers that do. But I'm sure that will be heading to more WiFi as time goes on.

I have a client with Brother printers and I can almost always print to them with my phone.

 

[diane143]

Not knowing what exact market your in here's what I use and recommend.

Forgetting for the moment the 'bottom of the line AIO' printer packages as they have limited sized toner cartridges and paper trays.

All the 'big outfits' (Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, etc) have ~$400-800 "office AIO" machines that have 1-2 ream paper trays and 5K-15K capacity toner cartridges.

YES, much like your aging printer many of the "parts" have counters embedded which force ether a 'hack' or replacement at some point in the future.

"photos" - for many years I dropped standard 8.5x11" custom 'picture book' layouts into clear sheets for 3-ring binder as VERY inexpensive "photo books" for friends and family to view. If they requested a copy of a print for hand holding or wall I'd then ether enlist one of my DyeSub printers or Costco/(now Shutterfly) to make the larger print.

Except the $400 end is more likely to have 250 sheet trays.

Toner is the one disappointment I have - my extra capacity ones are 3500 supposedly and I never get that much from them.

I did find where to reset the counter, I think the problem is that I reset it after it shut down. It may have worked if I did it earlier. Lesson learned. It's the printer that counts it in a specific way that's not necessarily print-count based.

Ah, I used Blurb to make my mom a picture book a few years ago. I also used Lightroom? Photos? About 10 years ago. Both books came out great, they were well worth it

 

[mbloof]

Not knowing what exact market your in here's what I use and recommend.

Forgetting for the moment the 'bottom of the line AIO' printer packages as they have limited sized toner cartridges and paper trays.

All the 'big outfits' (Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, etc) have ~$400-800 "office AIO" machines that have 1-2 ream paper trays and 5K-15K capacity toner cartridges.

YES, much like your aging printer many of the "parts" have counters embedded which force ether a 'hack' or replacement at some point in the future.

"photos" - for many years I dropped standard 8.5x11" custom 'picture book' layouts into clear sheets for 3-ring binder as VERY inexpensive "photo books" for friends and family to view. If they requested a copy of a print for hand holding or wall I'd then ether enlist one of my DyeSub printers or Costco/(now Shutterfly) to make the larger print.

Except the $400 end is more likely to have 250 sheet trays.

Toner is the one disappointment I have - my extra capacity ones are 3500 supposedly and I never get that much from them.

I did find where to reset the counter, I think the problem is that I reset it after it shut down. It may have worked if I did it earlier. Lesson learned. It's the printer that counts it in a specific way that's not necessarily print-count based.

Ah, I used Blurb to make my mom a picture book a few years ago. I also used Lightroom? Photos? About 10 years ago. Both books came out great, they were well worth it

Yeah, even my aging MFC94xx the 500sheet tray was an option. (I gladly got it!)

(I have two brothers and a very old Minolta)

My 3 lazers sit on a table in my home office. All are hard wired to my LAN. 'wireless' is a useless gimick for consumer space home users.

YES (as you know) professional quality/duty cycle printers are more expensive then consumer models.

YES the parts will eventually wear out. (the cost of doing business)

Early on I tried my luck with "ink jets" and had horrible experience. With all 3 printers (different companies) it was very expensive due to failing print heads/cartridges & costly replacements and media. (not to mention the 'driver' nightmere)

Frankly with a duty cycle of every few days/weeks/months the entire affair was vastly to costly and unreliable to count on in a pinch. Then came the game of finding ink/heads/replacements I switched over the Lazer and never looked back.

I've been happy with my Brother MFC (my newest one). While 'their' toner sets cost ~$430, I paid ~$120 (shipped). Somewhere I have all the toner colors in bottles where I could refill them manually if I so choose to.

Obviously YMMV.

 

[diane143]

Not knowing what exact market your in here's what I use and recommend.

Forgetting for the moment the 'bottom of the line AIO' printer packages as they have limited sized toner cartridges and paper trays.

All the 'big outfits' (Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, etc) have ~$400-800 "office AIO" machines that have 1-2 ream paper trays and 5K-15K capacity toner cartridges.

YES, much like your aging printer many of the "parts" have counters embedded which force ether a 'hack' or replacement at some point in the future.

"photos" - for many years I dropped standard 8.5x11" custom 'picture book' layouts into clear sheets for 3-ring binder as VERY inexpensive "photo books" for friends and family to view. If they requested a copy of a print for hand holding or wall I'd then ether enlist one of my DyeSub printers or Costco/(now Shutterfly) to make the larger print.

Except the $400 end is more likely to have 250 sheet trays.

Toner is the one disappointment I have - my extra capacity ones are 3500 supposedly and I never get that much from them.

I did find where to reset the counter, I think the problem is that I reset it after it shut down. It may have worked if I did it earlier. Lesson learned. It's the printer that counts it in a specific way that's not necessarily print-count based.

Ah, I used Blurb to make my mom a picture book a few years ago. I also used Lightroom? Photos? About 10 years ago. Both books came out great, they were well worth it

Yeah, even my aging MFC94xx the 500sheet tray was an option. (I gladly got it!)

(I have two brothers and a very old Minolta)

My 3 lazers sit on a table in my home office. All are hard wired to my LAN. 'wireless' is a useless gimick for consumer space home users.

YES (as you know) professional quality/duty cycle printers are more expensive then consumer models.

YES the parts will eventually wear out. (the cost of doing business)

Early on I tried my luck with "ink jets" and had horrible experience. With all 3 printers (different companies) it was very expensive due to failing print heads/cartridges & costly replacements and media. (not to mention the 'driver' nightmere)

Frankly with a duty cycle of every few days/weeks/months the entire affair was vastly to costly and unreliable to count on in a pinch. Then came the game of finding ink/heads/replacements I switched over the Lazer and never looked back.

I've been happy with my Brother MFC (my newest one). While 'their' toner sets cost ~$430, I paid ~$120 (shipped). Somewhere I have all the toner colors in bottles where I could refill them manually if I so choose to.

Obviously YMMV.

I added a network port, duplexer and an extra 500 sheet tray to my 4350 - that thing was a tank! But I was able to find all that stuff on ebay cheap. Toner lasted forever. I bought one internal part for it over the years.

My issues with inkjets were clogging, especially once I had the laser too because I printed on that more. And I felt like I was always replacing ink cartridges.

Did you mention which Brother you have?

My Oki toner set is over $400 if I bought OEM. I always tried to get the black OEM but would often get aftermarket on the color.

 

[BobKnDP]

A minor question:

What do you mean by "scan to USB"? I suppose that's scanning onto a USB drive, but I haven't seen that previously.

There is a port for a USB flash drive on the front of the printer. When I select Scan on the printer, I have four options: email (the printer actually handled the email, it never showed up in my own outgoing email list), computer, USB memory and shared drive.

I always used USB memory or email. I plug the stick in, it scans and saves to the drive.

That said, when I talked to Epson they told me their printers use an app to scan. That there isn't a way to do it from the printer. Both laser and inkjet. If that's true - mind blown. I currently do everything from the control panel on the printer. I can select simplex, duplex, DPI, there's actually a bunch of settings in the scanner section.

Connectivity is also an issue. I want to hardwire it to my network but I like the option of AirPrint. I can also plug a computer in via USB. I guess I've been spoiled and had no idea!

I doubt that I've ever had a printer with all those capabilities.

In my ignorance, I've never missed some of them. With the exception of copying on the MFD, every function was done from a PC.

 

[diane143]

A minor question:

What do you mean by "scan to USB"? I suppose that's scanning onto a USB drive, but I haven't seen that previously.

There is a port for a USB flash drive on the front of the printer. When I select Scan on the printer, I have four options: email (the printer actually handled the email, it never showed up in my own outgoing email list), computer, USB memory and shared drive.

I always used USB memory or email. I plug the stick in, it scans and saves to the drive.

That said, when I talked to Epson they told me their printers use an app to scan. That there isn't a way to do it from the printer. Both laser and inkjet. If that's true - mind blown. I currently do everything from the control panel on the printer. I can select simplex, duplex, DPI, there's actually a bunch of settings in the scanner section.

Connectivity is also an issue. I want to hardwire it to my network but I like the option of AirPrint. I can also plug a computer in via USB. I guess I've been spoiled and had no idea!

I doubt that I've ever had a printer with all those capabilities.

In my ignorance, I've never missed some of them. With the exception of copying on the MFD, every function was done from a PC.

To be honest, I wasn't looking for all that when I first bought it. But now that I have it, it's so convenient. My laptop can be closed downstairs and I can still scan. I guess I'd call my printer more of a small business unit. I am betting there are older lasers from other brands that are similar.

I have seen the Brother app at a couple of clients and it just seemed convoluted to me. I use Macs and they still seem to be an afterthought when it comes to apps and connectivity

I have a friend with a simple HP AIO. It loses wifi and they can't do anything on it. They don't have a computer. I always thought it was user error but after reading all this in the past week, I'm beginning to think it's just how the printer works.

All that said, I have reached out to the supplier I got my last drum from. I just may want to keep this thing working for awhile longer.

 

[n057]

Hi,

There exists an old Canon Model that might fit almost all your requirements. The Maxima MB2720 is still listed as available on the Canon Canada site, and on the Canon USA site I only see the support information. Amazon does sell the MB2720 in Canada, but in the US they advertise the MB2110, which only has a single paper tray. The price is also very acceptable. I find the original cartridges somewhat expensive, but there are many compatibles available.

I bought one a few months ago because my (old) MG7500 died, I replaced it with an iP8720 but since it is mostly used for photo, I needed another multifunction printer for daily use, and the MB2720 wason sale.

Here is PC Mag's review:

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/canon-maxify-mb2720-wireless-home-office-all-in-one-printer

Here is the Canon Canada page:

Canon MAXIFY MB2720 | Small Office & Home Office Printer

Specifically designed to meet the needs of home-based businesses with one to four users, the MAXIFY MB2720 printer produces bold, colourful prints of your business documents.

www.canon.ca

Here is the Canon USA page:

https://www.usa.canon.com/support/p/maxify-mb2720?srsltid=AfmBOopdmYGSHmio_0D3b0qbjvjdxiAG9I-QDA8jND-6did9NrhxVDNO

Here is the Amazon Canada page:

https://www.amazon.ca/Canon-MB2720-Wireless-Printer-Scanner/dp/B01LVTS5KY?th=1

Here is the Amazon USA page:

https://www.amazon.ca/Canon-MB2720-Wireless-Printer-Scanner/dp/B01LVTS5KY?th=1

 

[mbloof]

Yeah, even my aging MFC94xx the 500sheet tray was an option. (I gladly got it!)

(I have two brothers and a very old Minolta)

My 3 lazers sit on a table in my home office. All are hard wired to my LAN. 'wireless' is a useless gimick for consumer space home users.

YES (as you know) professional quality/duty cycle printers are more expensive then consumer models.

YES the parts will eventually wear out. (the cost of doing business)

Early on I tried my luck with "ink jets" and had horrible experience. With all 3 printers (different companies) it was very expensive due to failing print heads/cartridges & costly replacements and media. (not to mention the 'driver' nightmere)

Frankly with a duty cycle of every few days/weeks/months the entire affair was vastly to costly and unreliable to count on in a pinch. Then came the game of finding ink/heads/replacements I switched over the Lazer and never looked back.

I've been happy with my Brother MFC (my newest one). While 'their' toner sets cost ~$430, I paid ~$120 (shipped). Somewhere I have all the toner colors in bottles where I could refill them manually if I so choose to.

Obviously YMMV.

I added a network port, duplexer and an extra 500 sheet tray to my 4350 - that thing was a tank! But I was able to find all that stuff on ebay cheap. Toner lasted forever. I bought one internal part for it over the years.

My issues with inkjets were clogging, especially once I had the laser too because I printed on that more. And I felt like I was always replacing ink cartridges.

Did you mention which Brother you have?

My Oki toner set is over $400 if I bought OEM. I always tried to get the black OEM but would often get aftermarket on the color.

I have a color Brother MFC and a dual sided B&W. I suppose it really does not matter which ones they are as they both are VERY old at this point. (still work like champs!!)

Both were wired networking only. Both are well supported on the 'alternate market' in toner and parts. Both had full ream tray options you could add.

I guess nether were intended for the home market. Much like my (TANK!) Minolta 2300, they just keep going and going.

Funny how things progress. I started with a Brother single sided B&W but then wanted the option of Color so got the Minolta. As time went on I was printing entire manuals at home and so I gave away the single sided B&W with the addition of the dual sided B&W. Of course eventually I wanted dual sided color and at the time a MFC was not much more (there were not many dual sided color laser printers on the market back then anyway) so now I have 3. The B&W & Minolta rarely get used anymore however they are worth nothing and only take up space.

IDK I think over the years I've gone though 3 Costco cases of paper between them. I don't print much any more but anyone of them could be at the ready at a moments notice with the flip of a power switch.

 

[diane143]

Hi everyone - thank you all so much for your replies! I made the "painful" decision to replace the drum, because it was less painful than buying a new printer. The devil you know..... haha

My supplier feels he will be able to get parts for quite some time so that's a bit of a worry off my mind. Now that I've found the setting to reset when the consumables need to be replaced, I'll do some research and tweak those for a bit more life.

I do think though, that I will look into an inkjet photo printer again. I take so many pix and never display them.

I'm also going to keep my eyes open for some older models that still have the features I want. Just a quick look on craigslist and marketplace bring up a number of them cheap, some with errors for sure, but many are business closed or bought for a project or needs ink. They're out there!

Thanks again - have a great day

 

[n057]

Hi everyone - thank you all so much for your replies! I made the "painful" decision to replace the drum, because it was less painful than buying a new printer. The devil you know..... haha

My supplier feels he will be able to get parts for quite some time so that's a bit of a worry off my mind. Now that I've found the setting to reset when the consumables need to be replaced, I'll do some research and tweak those for a bit more life.

I do think though, that I will look into an inkjet photo printer again. I take so many pix and never display them.

I'm also going to keep my eyes open for some older models that still have the features I want. Just a quick look on craigslist and marketplace bring up a number of them cheap, some with errors for sure, but many are business closed or bought for a project or needs ink. They're out there!

Thanks again - have a great day

The difficult part in buying used is to be sure the printer works. Ensure you have seen the printer in use. Or at the very leats, if a Canon printer, insist on a Nozzle Check, which will give you an idea of the condition of the print head and also gives you the print count to the nearest 50 pages. But still,a used inkjet is risky.

 

[Philip Eihuyar]

Hi everyone - thank you all so much for your replies! I made the "painful" decision to replace the drum, because it was less painful than buying a new printer. The devil you know..... haha

My supplier feels he will be able to get parts for quite some time so that's a bit of a worry off my mind. Now that I've found the setting to reset when the consumables need to be replaced, I'll do some research and tweak those for a bit more life.

I do think though, that I will look into an inkjet photo printer again. I take so many pix and never display them.

I'm also going to keep my eyes open for some older models that still have the features I want. Just a quick look on craigslist and marketplace bring up a number of them cheap, some with errors for sure, but many are business closed or bought for a project or needs ink. They're out there!

Thanks again - have a great day

Throughout this thread I was thinking you should do exactly what you now decided, a two printer solution, Laser printer for all the 'office' type needs, but an inkjet for your photos. So, which inexpensive (relatively) but good photo-quality injet? The Epson tank printer 8550 has consistantly good reviews. Only one IMPORTANT thing you need to keep in mind is to not let any inkjet printer sit idle for too long.

 

[diane143]

Hi everyone - thank you all so much for your replies! I made the "painful" decision to replace the drum, because it was less painful than buying a new printer. The devil you know..... haha

My supplier feels he will be able to get parts for quite some time so that's a bit of a worry off my mind. Now that I've found the setting to reset when the consumables need to be replaced, I'll do some research and tweak those for a bit more life.

I do think though, that I will look into an inkjet photo printer again. I take so many pix and never display them.

I'm also going to keep my eyes open for some older models that still have the features I want. Just a quick look on craigslist and marketplace bring up a number of them cheap, some with errors for sure, but many are business closed or bought for a project or needs ink. They're out there!

Thanks again - have a great day

The difficult part in buying used is to be sure the printer works. Ensure you have seen the printer in use. Or at the very leats, if a Canon printer, insist on a Nozzle Check, which will give you an idea of the condition of the print head and also gives you the print count to the nearest 50 pages. But still,a used inkjet is risky.

Any used printer is risky! One would think the people asking $100+ for a random printer would do something logical (to me) like print a status page. But half the time you're lucky to even see the model number in the ad. Oh well, it's not a rush so I'll see if something turns up

 

[diane143]

Hi everyone - thank you all so much for your replies! I made the "painful" decision to replace the drum, because it was less painful than buying a new printer. The devil you know..... haha

My supplier feels he will be able to get parts for quite some time so that's a bit of a worry off my mind. Now that I've found the setting to reset when the consumables need to be replaced, I'll do some research and tweak those for a bit more life.

I do think though, that I will look into an inkjet photo printer again. I take so many pix and never display them.

I'm also going to keep my eyes open for some older models that still have the features I want. Just a quick look on craigslist and marketplace bring up a number of them cheap, some with errors for sure, but many are business closed or bought for a project or needs ink. They're out there!

Thanks again - have a great day

Throughout this thread I was thinking you should do exactly what you now decided, a two printer solution, Laser printer for all the 'office' type needs, but an inkjet for your photos. So, which inexpensive (relatively) but good photo-quality injet? The Epson tank printer 8550 has consistantly good reviews. Only one IMPORTANT thing you need to keep in mind is to not let any inkjet printer sit idle for too long.

hah! I really really really like having one printer. But last night I fell asleep thinking that I could stick a little table next to my desk out of the way..... :-O

That's a nice looking printer, thanks for the recommendation!