Printer needed

S

Scott S

Joined
Jul 27, 2021
Messages
1,744
Location
Dover Delaware
I need a printer nothing fancy, once in a blue moon I need to print something.. I don't know nothing about printers, I don't even know how to hook them up. So I need something simple.. bluetooth printer is that possible?? So I can print off my cell phone and my laptop. I don't need something expensive. What are my options?
Thank you..
 
Go with a laser (toner) printer as opposed to an ink jet if you can.

Having suffered with ink jet printers since the 1990s, I tried a Canon ImageCLASS MF232w black/white laser printer a year or two back and I wished I had done it sooner. It has wireless printing. It's flawless. We've printed about 2000 pages with it so far and replacement toner is pretty cheap by mail-order.
 
I don't want to make your job more tedious, but I'd start by looking on the app store for printing apps for the various mfg's and chose the printer model based on reviews of their apps. Just because a printer offers a feature doesn't mean it'll actually work properly.
 
It's in the app store for free from your device.

There's lots more great laser printers out there, not just Canon. Hopefully others will chime in.
 
If you want to print something once in a blue moon as you say than forget the printer. Whatever you want to print just save it to a flash drive and take it to your local library and print it there.
 
jurko said:
If you want to print something once in a blue moon as you say than forget the printer. Whatever you want to print just save it to a flash drive and take it to your local library and print it there.
Click to expand...
Too much of a hassle. Being disabled..
 
I would buy some model of black and white, Hewlett-Packard LaserJet. The parts are easy to find if/when you have a problem and they're workhorses!

I have an HP Laserjet 2300 Printer (https://amzn.to/3M5nj75) and they'll easily pring over 100K, likely without needing anything but a toner cartridge from time to time. This is a black and white printer only, so it won't work if you need color. This printer can be connected to your laptop by USB cable or it also accepts a network card (https://ebay.to/3MbDQqe) if you prefer network printing. HP software drivers are the most universal so setup should be a snap!

Ed
 
AandPDan said:
If you print "once in a blue moon" then go laser. Inkjets dry up if not used regularly.
Click to expand...
I agree. Go laser.

We have a tank type ink jet printer. It works very well and runs reasonably cheap but we have to print an all colour test page regularly (every few weeks) or something (the printer head maybe) dries out and it's a big performance to get it going again.
 
Brother. They last and they work. ALL others (you name them) are G-A-R-B-A-G-E. Period.

Brother is not even expensive.

The new ones that hold a LOT of ink are great. Just print something once a month or so and you will be fine.

Their software/drivers are a bit bloated, but generally work fine.
 
AandPDan said:
If you print "once in a blue moon" then go laser. Inkjets dry up if not used regularly.
Click to expand...

This can't be repeated enough.

I recently witnessed an object lesson in this as a I watched someone fumble for 10 minutes refilling and priming an inkjet that hadn't been used in who knows how long. With a laser it would have been a matter of flipping the power switch, sending the document, and awaiting the output.

A dry toner powder (applied by electrostatic process and heat-fused to the paper) is going to be a lot more shelf stable than a volatile ink that's injected through a tiny nozzle for absorption and drying. Any residual ink left in any tiny orifices has a tendency to dry there is well, and need a repriming cycle to clear, which consumers more ink.

And if you think the price of gas is outrageous, compare it to the cost of printer ink by volume.

A cheap Brother laser printer is as easy a choice as there is. Too bad the printer market hasn't recovered from recent events, so the deals are long gone, but that's true of a lot of things.
 
My latest under $100 HP printer has been wonderful combined with my grandfathered Instant Ink plan has been cheap to keep. 5 painless years so far.
 
JTK said:
Go with a laser (toner) printer as opposed to an ink jet if you can.

Having suffered with ink jet printers since the 1990s, I tried a Canon ImageCLASS MF232w black/white laser printer a year or two back and I wished I had done it sooner. It has wireless printing. It's flawless. We've printed about 2000 pages with it so far and replacement toner is pretty cheap by mail-order.
Click to expand...

Yeah - the biggest problem with inkjet for occasional use is that once the seal is broken, there's only so much time before the ink reservoir dries out. And even if it doesn't completely dry out, it messes with the ink color consistency. I remember buying one for $50, but where the complete color ink set (outside of the starter ink) cost about $40.

With a real toner cartridge, it won't go bad with only occasional use. Also I've found that refills with toner/drum cartridges tends to be better quality than inkjet refills that have weird colors and may sometimes leak or not work at all.
 
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