Home color printer recomendation

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Adam Zucker
Looking for a recommendation for a home color printer. Would also consider an all in one since I do make some single copies from time to time and on rarer occasion I'll scan.

Right now I have a Lexmark Pro 900 series but I think its on its last legs.

My requirements are:

-Ability to replace ink by color. I don't want to replace colors when only back runs out.
-Reasonably priced ink. ESPECIALLY black!
-Wifi
-Reliable
 
Do you want ink or laser? Upfront capital is higher on laser, but toner is cheaper per page than ink. If you do photos, ink is better - but you want a higher end machine for that.
 
you said "reasonably priced ink" so unfortunately I have no idea what to recommend.

I recently bought a cheap epson from walmart of all places, so far it's been pretty reliable. scans well and prints well. was able to replace individual colors but when u do it remember you may have to run the cleaning process multiple times before it starts printing. oh, and wifi works great.
 
I use HP, black and color cartridges separate. I use it for photos and printing out sectional pages to use on my Fly Baby cross country flights (can't open a sectional in the Fly Baby.) It scans and copies, too.

All right, not too enthused. The printer is cheap -- walk into WalMart and buy one -- and the ink isn't. On the other hand, that's true of the other brands, too.
 
I have one of the Brother MFC series laser printers, can’t remember the model. It is WIFI capable, so is wireless on the network. I like laser much better than ink. It can sit idle for a long time and no worries about clogged jets and the toner is more reasonable compared to ink.
 
I no longer buy inkjet printers because after owning many of the things I never found one that I thought was a good printer. I've switched to laser printers only. Really give them a look, there are color laser offerings under $200. They usually are more reliable. Yes, toner costs more than ink but it lasts a LOT longer than ink and unlike ink it won't dry out and clog the heads if not used for a couple months like ink will.

I have a similar model to this one
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-SL-C430W-XAA-Replenishment/dp/B0196HHDV6/

Been going for over 2 years now, I only just replaced the toner that it came with last month.
 
I use the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fnw. It's been completely trouble-free.

It doesn't do pictures all that well, but few laser printers do. It also doesn't do automatic duplexing, but I don't need that. They have a similar model that does. It does have WiFi, but I can't say how well it works because I hate wireless and use Ethernet whenever possible.

Rich
 
I have one of the Canon Image lasers.
 
AdamZ said:
Looking for a recommendation for a home color printer. Would also consider an all in one since I do make some single copies from time to time and on rarer occasion I'll scan.

Right now I have a Lexmark Pro 900 series but I think its on its last legs.

My requirements are:

-Ability to replace ink by color. I don't want to replace colors when only back runs out.
-Reasonably priced ink. ESPECIALLY black!
-Wifi
-Reliable
Click to expand...
I've had an HP All-in-One for about 10 years now. For about half that time it performed flawlessly. In its old age it has developed some quirks.
One is that, now and then, an apparent bad internal relay contact causes it to partly lose power (creaks & groans, display blinking). The cure
is to hit it with my fist (seriously - fixes it every time). The other thing is that it periodically tells me that an ink cartridge has expired. You
can acknowledge the "fault' and continue on. It also sometimes tells me that the ink system has failed. No problem - turn it off then on again
and continue. A couple of years ago I found that I was no longer able to buy the HP cartridges in the usual places - so I switched to refilled
cartridges bought on eBay. These have basically been OK, although one yellow cartridge leaked all over the place. I have been waiting for it to
die for some time - but it just won't. So I would have to say that I got reasonable service out of it. YMMV.

When it does finally die, I will look into Epson inkjet printers. I did have a Canon portable printer at work that worked great for over 10 years.
Wouldn't hesitate to buy a Canon, either.

Dave
 
For business graphics and print, get a laser, for photos, get an inkjet. I have the same laser as Rich and I buy after market toner (about twice a year) and a full set of every color and two blacks runs less than $80. That is good for about 2000 color copies. (Mine might be the older m476dn)
 
I have both an HP Laser/Fax/Scanner (MFP M476) that I use for everything except photos and a Canon Pro9000 ink jet that I use for high quality photos. The Canon uses separate ink cartridges per color; the HP has black plus 3 color toners. Have had good luck with both, and they're well supported. The ink for the Canon is $$$ (and I use Canon ink because I use a photo color calibrator).

I warn folks against Dell. I have a Dell 2155 carcass in my garage that's going to the dump soon. Not well supported, Dell jerked around when I tried to order toner & parts, lied about delivery, and the scanner got a ton of dust inside. Never Dell again.
 
John221us said:
For business graphics and print, get a laser, for photos, get an inkjet. I have the same laser as Rich and I buy after market toner (about twice a year) and a full set of every color and two blacks runs less than $80. That is good for about 2000 color copies. (Mine might be the older m476dn)
Click to expand...

I find it hard to think of a good reason why most people should look any further than HP for laser printers. In terms of universal support and quality for the money, they're hard to beat. I have another HP printer (CLJ 3600) that's been plugging away for more than 10 years without a hitch. I really needed the network scanner / copier / fax more so than the printer when I bought the MFP M477fnw, but it had great reviews all around and was on sale for $150.00 off, so I bought it. I haven't regretted it.

wsuffa said:
I warn folks against Dell. I have a Dell 2155 carcass in my garage that's going to the dump soon. Not well supported, Dell jerked around when I tried to order toner & parts, lied about delivery, and the scanner got a ton of dust inside. Never Dell again.
Click to expand...

What a mess. They used to made by Lexmark and were, for the most part, cheap winprinters. Lexmark dropped ink / toner and software support for many of them because it wasn't worth the hassle considering the small number in the field. Most of them were also strictly winprinters, so even if they were network printers, they couldn't print from non-Windows devices.

My HP printers, on the other hand, can print from literally anything on the network. I routinely print to them from Windows, Linux, and Android. Guests who have iPhones have also printed to them. I've even printed to them from BlackBerries. In a nutshell, almost any device that can print to anything can print to an HP printer.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I use the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fnw. It's been completely trouble-free.

It doesn't do pictures all that well, but few laser printers do. It also doesn't do automatic duplexing, but I don't need that. They have a similar model that does. It does have WiFi, but I can't say how well it works because I hate wireless and use Ethernet whenever possible.

Rich
Click to expand...

Second that. I use the older version of it - a MFP M277DW. Also completely trouble-free. This is the first printer I've ever owned in my life that if it breaks, I'll be happy to get another identical one. Refurb ones are $208 on eBay.

Won't ever go back to Inkjet. Having a printer that's available and "just works" when you haven't used it for many months is worth so much more than the marginal extra quality you get from inkjet.

I even use it to print out photos to put in frames. Only you will know the difference. Not as good as inkjet, but good enough.
 
RJM62 said:
I find it hard to think of a good reason why most people should look any further than HP for laser printers. In terms of universal support and quality for the money, they're hard to beat. I have another HP printer (CLJ 3600) that's been plugging away for more than 10 years without a hitch. I really needed the network scanner / copier / fax more so than the printer when I bought the MFP M477fnw, but it had great reviews all around and was on sale for $150.00 off, so I bought it. I haven't regretted it.



What a mess. They used to made by Lexmark and were, for the most part, cheap winprinters. Lexmark dropped ink / toner and software support for many of them because it wasn't worth the hassle considering the small number in the field. Most of them were also strictly winprinters, so even if they were network printers, they couldn't print from non-Windows devices.

My HP printers, on the other hand, can print from literally anything on the network. I routinely print to them from Windows, Linux, and Android. Guests who have iPhones have also printed to them. I've even printed to them from BlackBerries. In a nutshell, almost any device that can print to anything can print to an HP printer.

Rich
Click to expand...
It's not colot, but my HP 6mp laser has been going for over 20'years. Only repair was the $8 rubber roller on the output tray. Needs an extra box for ethernet network, but that's trivial for a copier that's still going strong. The older copiers integrated the toner and engine, so every toner change is like getting a new copier.

I agree the cost effective route is laser, even color. HP, Canon or Brother are the best choices.
 
Another vote for HP LaserJet. I hesitated before replying because my printer is a few years old now and works fine, but we all know "past performance is no guarantee of future results". While inkjet printers render photos very well, the cartridges are expensive, and get clogged if not regularly used. More expensive color laser printers are adequate for photographs, but mine is a cheaper one. I replaced the black toner twice, and it is warning me that magenta is getting low (finally).
 
Color laser jets are affordable and work just fine. I’ve always frowned on the all in one deals, if one thing breaks you may have just lost the others. Don’t have recommendation for brands or models, sorry. YThe only thing I’ve noticed is the toners can get a bit spendy.
 
I have both a HP ink squirter and a Dell laser printer. Both are 3-in-1 units. The HP is my last shot at HP. If it holds up I'll get another, but for a while they were having some serious quality issues. 3 printers, 2 of the same model, that quit working properly. The 310 quit feeding paper. The other two (same model, don't remember what, they're at home, I'm in Stockholm) quit feeding ink from one of the cartridges. Black, IIRM. The current one (8715) is working fine. Keeping my fingers crossed. The FAX function works fine for sending, I've never needed to test receive.

The Dell (e525w) works fine, but I wouldn't give you 2 cents for the software that comes with it. Sometimes I can get it to scan, sometimes I can't. So I just run upstairs and scan on the HP. For printing it works fine and I've had no trouble ordering new toner cartridges from Dell. I wish it did two sided printing automatically, like the HP, instead of printing all pages on one side and then having me reload them into the paper hopper to print the other side. That is annoying.

I've got over 2 years on the Dell and probably that on the current HP, if this helps.
 
My experience is all with models no longer made, I'm sure, so of limited relevance...

But I did have two all-in-one inkjets that were so infuriating that I gave them away while they were still functional. The first was an Epson, that blew through so much ink in periodic, automatic cleaning cycles that i'd have to replace cartridges every 6 months whether I'd printed anything or not. The second was a highly-rated HP, that was so noisy and possessed of a sheet feeder that had a mind of it's own, that it had to go.
Ever since I've had a Brother MFC-J870DW, that's been flawless. I can't say the ink is cheap, but you can at least replace the cartridges independently.
 
I went through 2 inkjet printer/copiers and got tired of the "No printer found" problem where you have to delete and reinstall the printer driver every time you want to print something, then only to find that the ink jets have clogged to the point that they could not be cleaned. Then, I bought an Epson EcoTank 4750. This thing promises to never clog and there's no expensive ink "cartridges" to buy. It came with more ink than I'll probably use in 2 years. And, you buy inexpensive ink in a bottle. Also, Epson seems to not have the problem with forgetting itself once installed.
 
I've been using Brother for home and office for a couple of decades. No complaints. Numerous third party ink vendors.
 
I've been extremely pleased with Brother laser printers. Got sick of clogged inkjet cartridges, bought a b&w brother about 12 years ago. Gave it to my wife after a couple years and bought a Samsung color laser for my office. Wore it out in about 4 years, replaced with a brother all in one. Meanwhile the original b&w unit is still kicking out school papers and coloring sheets.
 
How did we dredge this one up from the bottom of the loch?

Canon IP 7200 here, by the way. WiFi, works with Apple stuff, duplex printing, dirt cheap aftermarket ink that works fine. The last two have been Canon. The iP4500 printed over 12K pages before I gave it away. Still worked just fine, but I needed WiFi.
 
cessna182b said:
I've had an HP All-in-One for about 10 years now. For about half that time it performed flawlessly. In its old age it has developed some quirks.
One is that, now and then, an apparent bad internal relay contact causes it to partly lose power (creaks & groans, display blinking). The cure
is to hit it with my fist (seriously - fixes it every time). The other thing is that it periodically tells me that an ink cartridge has expired. You
can acknowledge the "fault' and continue on. It also sometimes tells me that the ink system has failed. No problem - turn it off then on again
and continue. A couple of years ago I found that I was no longer able to buy the HP cartridges in the usual places - so I switched to refilled
cartridges bought on eBay. These have basically been OK, although one yellow cartridge leaked all over the place. I have been waiting for it to
die for some time - but it just won't. So I would have to say that I got reasonable service out of it. YMMV.

When it does finally die, I will look into Epson inkjet printers. I did have a Canon portable printer at work that worked great for over 10 years.
Wouldn't hesitate to buy a Canon, either.

Dave
Click to expand...
This is an update to my earlier post about my HP All In One Inkjet Printer. Well, the old HP did finally die - it came down with a case of "Ink System Failure" that I could not resolve.
After giving the matter some thought, I decided to try a laser printer. While I would print something in color on occasion (mostly photos, which the HP did a good job with), 99% or
more of my printing is black and white. So a monochrome laser would answer most of my needs. I spotted a used HP Laser on CL for $35 - and picked it up following a demo by the
seller. Of course it needed a toner cartridge - which cost about the same. End result - it works great and has been trouble free (save the occasional paper jam). So no regrets.
For the rare color print job, Kodak has self serve kiosks in some drug stores that do a fine job for a reasonable fee.

Dave
 
When you buy a new inkjet printer, the FIRST thing to do is make sure you can get economical cartridges for it.

$16.75 for 30 with free delivery

s-l1600.jpg


https://www.ebay.com/itm/30-Pack-PG...694950?hash=item232ac95ce6:g:7zMAAOxyZqhRiXdi
 
Brother InkVestment MFC-J models. I recommend the larger oner not the 995. The print is great and refills not expensive.

As the model name implies, these printers use ink instead toner. The quality is high, the print speed is pretty reasonable. I’ve had mine for 2 years and just replaced the last of the starter inks, this with a teenager printing all kinds of full color stuff.
 
bflynn said:
Brother InkVestment MFC-J models. I recommend the larger oner not the 995. The print is great and refills not expensive.

As the model name implies, these printers use ink instead toner. The quality is high, the print speed is pretty reasonable. I’ve had mine for 2 years and just replaced the last of the starter inks, this with a teenager printing all kinds of full color stuff.
Click to expand...

Seems we're comitting to this necrothread, so I'll +1 this, I've been really impressed with the inkvestment stuff from Brother.

Been using Brother laser stuff for two decades. So far, they've seemed the least reluctant to play pricing games and shake nickels out of their customers.
 
I have had a Canon Pixma MX922 for several years now and could not be happier. I order cartridges from Inkjetcom and can order either individual colors or complete sets.
 
I don't know if @AdamZ still needs the printer he needed 2 years ago, but this thread was resurrected by a spammer this afternoon. The post was deleted. Unfortunately, legitimate members responded before we were able to delete the spam post so now the thread is active again.
 
Hey, why not? At least it’s not stupid or political. Let it roll. :)
 
Everskyward said:
I don't know if @AdamZ still needs the printer he needed 2 years ago, but this thread was resurrected by a spammer this afternoon. The post was deleted. Unfortunately, legitimate members responded before we were able to delete the spam post so now the thread is active again.
Click to expand...
Thanks for clarifying, since I'm the one who apparently resurrected a long dead thread. I was certain I had responded to a new post, but when I went back to check, it was gone. Glad to know I hadn't misremembered.
 
Ghery said:
I have both a HP ink squirter and a Dell laser printer. Both are 3-in-1 units. The HP is my last shot at HP. If it holds up I'll get another, but for a while they were having some serious quality issues. 3 printers, 2 of the same model, that quit working properly. The 310 quit feeding paper. The other two (same model, don't remember what, they're at home, I'm in Stockholm) quit feeding ink from one of the cartridges. Black, IIRM. The current one (8715) is working fine. Keeping my fingers crossed. The FAX function works fine for sending, I've never needed to test receive.

The Dell (e525w) works fine, but I wouldn't give you 2 cents for the software that comes with it. Sometimes I can get it to scan, sometimes I can't. So I just run upstairs and scan on the HP. For printing it works fine and I've had no trouble ordering new toner cartridges from Dell. I wish it did two sided printing automatically, like the HP, instead of printing all pages on one side and then having me reload them into the paper hopper to print the other side. That is annoying.

I've got over 2 years on the Dell and probably that on the current HP, if this helps.
Click to expand...

Just to add my 2 cents to this resurrected thread - I'm still using the two printers noted above. I guess HP will get other shot the next time I need an ink squirter. I have a colleague who used to work for HP in their printer group and he freely admitted that HP doesn't make money selling printers, they make it selling ink. Given what I pay for ink cartridges, I know he is right.

My other complaint about the Dell printer is that my computer will come up with an error saying the printer is offline. Really? Too bad there isn't a button on the printer to put it back on-line. Cycling the power switch and waiting a few minutes seems to be the only fix. And I still don't like their software and I still go up to the HP for most scan jobs.
 
Canon or Brother. That’s my two cents.

Xerox if you’re okay with driver weirdness and can swing the cost.

Other big names are too entrenched in using tech to penalize customers who buy refills from anywhere other than them. Razors and razor blades. They have no other business model to pay back the essentially throw away hardware prices.

Canon MFC series are essentially small copy machines of older design internally and built like tanks but usually laser.
 
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