Is it time for a new printer?

Lestratcaster

Emp_Fab said:

Sporky said:

By "bin it", I'm sure Emp means "recycle it responsibly".

15 years is a good run. 

Indeed I did.  

I would definitely go down the laser printer route if you can.  As has already been said, unless you have a particular need for colour, they are a fuss-free, more reliable, better quality option.

Inkjet printers that aren't used regularly are just a huge pain in the arse.  I have a mono laser and a colour inkjet and I hardly use either.  However, when I do, the laser turns on, smells a bit of dust for a moment, and prints.  The inkjet needs multiple sheets of paper and umpteen cleaning cycles, using half the bloody ink before it might churn out a page of what I asked for.

Yeah I think I'll do this, didn't consider the differences between ink/laserjet before so thanks. Just want a simple wired fussy-free one that's not too big in size.

I also think covid played a part in the death of the printer as I was mostly working online using PDF documents I didn't need to print anything for months. Have done a few cleaning cycles but its not really making much difference so far.

boogieman

Smellyfingers said:

I don’t know how often you need to use your home printer. 

But being an infrequent printer, I dispensed with the whole notion of printers some time ago( changing the ink cartridges, worrying about paper getting stuck etc, tripping over leads etc)

Now I just save work to a dongle and go to my local print shop, who charge about 10p per A4 sheet. One less thing..

That’s fine if you’ve got print place nearby but not if you live in the arse end of nowhere like me (by choice, I should add). 

Laser FTW. Like Emp says, turn it on, it works. Unless you use an inkjet regularly they’re a complete waste of time and money. 

Sporky

Lestratcaster said:

I also think covid played a part in the death of the printer as I was mostly working online using PDF documents I didn't need to print anything for months.

For me it was when a colleague pointed out that Acrobat Reader DC had a measure function, so I didn't need to print floor plans and use a scale rule on them any more. 

Kittyfrisk

Lestratcaster said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Short answer, possibly... 
I'd suggest going & asking the manufacturer's support groups for the particular printer that you are considering of getting.
As with here, the communities are usually a good source of information.

Good call, need to look for some kind of HP/Brother forum somewhere.

Don't know if this will help?  https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_2825606-2452995-16

Lestratcaster

Kittyfrisk said:

Lestratcaster said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Short answer, possibly... 
I'd suggest going & asking the manufacturer's support groups for the particular printer that you are considering of getting.
As with here, the communities are usually a good source of information.

Good call, need to look for some kind of HP/Brother forum somewhere.

Don't know if this will help?  https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_2825606-2452995-16

Hmm..looks like a lot of choice but some of those laser jets date back to 2006!

Lestratcaster

boogieman said:

Smellyfingers said:

I don’t know how often you need to use your home printer. 

But being an infrequent printer, I dispensed with the whole notion of printers some time ago( changing the ink cartridges, worrying about paper getting stuck etc, tripping over leads etc)

Now I just save work to a dongle and go to my local print shop, who charge about 10p per A4 sheet. One less thing..

That’s fine if you’ve got print place nearby but not if you live in the arse end of nowhere like me (by choice, I should add). 

Laser FTW. Like Emp says, turn it on, it works. Unless you use an inkjet regularly they’re a complete waste of time and money. 

I kinda use my inkjet regularly, but its probably cos its so old now its packing up and had its day. 

I think my best bet might be the HP M110w

HP LaserJet M110w Wireless Printer - HP Store UK

Does USB connection and compatible with Windows 10.

Emp_Fab

Looks fine to me.  I read all the negative reviews but they're stupid ones like "it doesn't do duplex" (what, at that price level?!

Kittyfrisk

Emp_Fab said:

Looks fine to me.  I read all the negative reviews but they're stupid ones like "it doesn't do duplex" (what, at that price level?!

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/brother-ecopro-hll2400dwe-monochrome-wireless-laser-printer-black-10256130.html
  

guyinlyon

If you only need B&&W get yourself a Brother laser printer. Price per printed page is dramatically lower than inkjet, and the printers don't seem to care if you use generic (non-Brother) cartridges.I bought one six years ago for €150 and it's been a champ ever since. It's also got a flat-bed scanner built in.

guyinlyon

Lestratcaster said:

Hmmm they cost considerably alot more than an inkjet, nothing I can see out there less than £100. Also they are bigger in size than an inkjet.

But I do take your point because I never print photos.

But the cost per page is a LOT cheaper than with an inkjet.

Lestratcaster

Kittyfrisk said:

Emp_Fab said:

Looks fine to me.  I read all the negative reviews but they're stupid ones like "it doesn't do duplex" (what, at that price level?!

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/brother-ecopro-hll2400dwe-monochrome-wireless-laser-printer-black-10256130.html
  

I was going to get this one but it needs Windows 11 or later (or so it says)

Lestratcaster

guyinlyon said:

Lestratcaster said:

Hmmm they cost considerably alot more than an inkjet, nothing I can see out there less than £100. Also they are bigger in size than an inkjet.

But I do take your point because I never print photos.

But the cost per page is a LOT cheaper than with an inkjet.

I will be getting a laserjet, hardly ever need colour prints (only my brand logo really but that can be sent electronically via pdf)

Sporky

guyinlyon said:

If you only need B&&W get yourself a Brother laser printer. Price per printed page is dramatically lower than inkjet, and the printers don't seem to care if you use generic (non-Brother) cartridges.I bought one six years ago for €150 and it's been a champ ever since. It's also got a flat-bed scanner built in.

My Brother colour laser doesn't complain about third-party toner, but the results aren't nearly as good as with the proper ones. 

Bod

I switched to laser years ago and haven't looked back.  I shudder when I think how much ink and cartridges I've wasted over the years.  We have a cheap Brother colour printer in my wife's office and a Samsung mono in the house for general use.  The rare time anything photo quality is needed, I use an online company or Tesco.

Danny1969

Lestratcaster said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Emp_Fab said:

Looks fine to me.  I read all the negative reviews but they're stupid ones like "it doesn't do duplex" (what, at that price level?!

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/brother-ecopro-hll2400dwe-monochrome-wireless-laser-printer-black-10256130.html
  

I was going to get this one but it needs Windows 11 or later (or so it says)

There's Win 10 drivers for it so it will be fine

Lestratcaster

Danny1969 said:

Lestratcaster said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Emp_Fab said:

Looks fine to me.  I read all the negative reviews but they're stupid ones like "it doesn't do duplex" (what, at that price level?!

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/brother-ecopro-hll2400dwe-monochrome-wireless-laser-printer-black-10256130.html
  

I was going to get this one but it needs Windows 11 or later (or so it says)

There's Win 10 drivers for it so it will be fine

Ah, well in that case I may as well save myself a tenner (only £10 difference between the two) and I think in 2025 Windows 10 will be defunct anyway, or security updates and stuff won't be available anymore.

Emp_Fab

A word about using cheap toner - If you're only using the printer lightly you might get away with it, but as an ex-Brother-trained service engineer (among many other jobs), I would not recommend using non-OEM toner.  Every week I would be replacing fuser units that had been destroyed by the customers using non-Brother toner.  There's something about the chemical composition of the cheap stuff that ruins the pressure rollers.  Never had the issue with genuine OEM toner.  The crafty sods would often use the cheap shit and then when it broke the printer, they'd slap the one genuine toner cartridge they had in it so we couldn't charge them for the repair.  Once I'd gone, they'd stick the cheap stuff in again.

Unless you're churning out reams a day, the price difference isn't worth buggering up your printer for.

Lestratcaster

Why doesn't a laser jet use a cartridge as opposed to a toner? What does OEM stand for anyway? I would say my max printouts per week is probably about 20 pages perhaps? Nothing overly bulky.

Kittyfrisk

Lestratcaster said:

Why doesn't a laser jet use a cartridge as opposed to a toner? What does OEM stand for anyway? I would say my max printouts per week is probably about 20 pages perhaps? Nothing overly bulky.

Original Equipment Manufacturer. Some lasers use loose toner powder for refills, some have replaceable cartridges.

Lestratcaster

Kittyfrisk said:

Lestratcaster said:

Why doesn't a laser jet use a cartridge as opposed to a toner? What does OEM stand for anyway? I would say my max printouts per week is probably about 20 pages perhaps? Nothing overly bulky.

Original Equipment Manufacturer. Some lasers use loose toner powder for refills, some have replaceable cartridges.

Oh ok. Looks like that Brother Eco Pro one uses a toner called TN2510 Standard Yield Toner and TN2510XL High Yield Toner