Dodgy printers

[localgirlwithdreads]

I've owned a succession of shitty inkjet printers. I need a printer coz I work from home but I hate all the printers I've ever had. When it's time to replace their shitty cartridges it tends to cost ?20 or more for a new cartridge and instead of bothering to buy one I invariably just buy a brand-new printer instead (printers are about ?29 and come with two cartridges) and so the whole shitty cycle starts again.

Do you own a decent inkjet printer or a laser? Is it worth splashing out for a decent printer? What are the benefits? Will the ink costs be stupid high regardless? Is a wireless printer worth getting?

tia

[louisiana]

I feel your pain LGWD.

Over the years I've bought

a) HP multi-function printers (copy, print, scan...). Being able to copy something without running down to the shops or library is often handy. I have found HP printers reliable on the whole (lasting several years). But if you buy the cheapest of the cheap, you shouldn't be surprised if they fail, as component quality will be minimal.

Most recently I've bought laser not inkjet: they are generally cheaper to run and the B&W ones are much cheaper to buy than was the case a few years ago. You can get unbranded cartridges/toner from places like Viking if you have a common printer.

b) portable printers, such as the old Canon Bubblejets. Useful if you have a laptop and are mobile rather than office based, but they tend to be more problematic than bigger desktop printers.

c) other printers e.g. Epson inkjet. I found them mostly too noisy and unreliable.

Before you buy a printer, check how widely available the cartridge or toner is. Get yourself a printer with a cartridge/toner that everybody sells, including the main office supplies firms. Then put in one or two orders a year for both paper and cartridge/toner, and you'll get free delivery as well as a half-decent price.

[LegalEagle-ish]

I refill mine myself. saves me a fortune.

[Horsebox]

LegalEagle-ish Wrote:

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> I refill mine myself. saves me a fortune.

And saves on landfill too.

I'm curious to know what the OP does with her expired printers?

[Shu.Kurimu.Sensei]

Colour laser printers are great, but do check the prices of the colour toners very carefully as the low initial cost of the printer itself is quickly overshadowed. With any laser printer, b/w or colour bear in mind that printer toner is carcinogenic... Unless you really need to print in colour at home on an everyday basis, why not get a decent b/w laser and use one of the many local print shops for your colour needs? Just a thought.

[????]

Oh god, I thought this was gonna be about moody tenners ;-)