I have an HP printer that is about ten years old. It still works, but the last time I bought ink cartridges for it, they cost $70.00. So I am thinking about a new printer. We mostly print coupons or receipts. Maybe an occasional recipe. Very seldom something in color. But changing the ink a couple of times a year is adding up and I am not sure how long the printer will last. I have been looking around some. It looks like I can get another printer that uses cartridges or one that uses ink bottles or one that uses some kind of laser cartridge. I am wondering which is better and cheaper per page. The kid at Best Buy did not know. I have looked at the internet and am having a hard time figuring it out. If any one has any experience with this, I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

I also got tired of the cartridges, so bought an Epson EcoTank. Zero complaints.

I have been using an Epson Ecotank ET-4810 inkjet that is filled via bottles, with sight glasses so you can easily monitor the levels. If your ink cartridges are $70, it costs roughly the same as four of those. The ink bottles (there are four: black, cyan, magenta and yellow) cost far less than cartridges and last far longer. I haven't tried any of them yet, but Amazon sells "generic" bottle ink for about a third of the Epsons. It does a really good job on the color pictures that I like.

If your print jobs are mostly black & white, I am told the laser works better.

Of all the years I've used a printer at home, which is all of the years since printers for home use were available (think dot matrix and impact head printers, followed by laser printers, and now ink jet printers), the best (and cheap) printers I've had are Canon ink jet printers, hands down. If you pick one up anywhere at any brick and mortar, or from an internet retailer, you will like the result. You will be surprised how easy they are to set up and run, relatively speaking. And reliable and long-lasting. They won't last 10 years, but you;ll get half that, and you're talking maybe 100 bucks. You can't beat that with a stick. For occasional home use less is more, you don't need an expensive printer, and the more expensive the printer, the more complicated they can be to set up and use. In any case cheaper and simpler is better in my book since I used them for simple purposes like many of us.

If black/white only, Brother makes a good laser printer & the toner isn't terrible <$100 replacement & probably 2-3x more pages per toner compared to an ink jet.

Over 2 years ago I switched to a B&W laser printer after tiring of waiting for the cleaning cycles and replacing expired ink jet cartridges that hadn't had very much use. I've not done a thing to it, when I want to print or copy just turn it on and it's ready.

The next one I buy will also be a Epson Ecotank, Cartridges are getting pricey and becoming stupid at this point. I think about how many cartridges I have bought for my inexpensive printer and I could have easily bought the Emerson.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
If black/white only, Brother makes a good laser printer & the toner isn't terrible <$100 replacement & probably 2-3x more pages per toner compared to an ink jet.

Definitely not a bad choice, Iv'e had mine a long time. Would buy another. I don't use it all the time and it has no problem sitting idle for a few days. It would work well for what you would be using it for.

Picked up an HP Smart Tank last year (Amazon return) for 150. no problems so far. Before that I hadn't had a printer in over a decade. I suddenly need it for lots of things. You can just hit print in color or B/W.

https://a.co/d/7mg3Nau

I ran an Epson ink jet for a long time. It gave excellent service. The ink was little pricy but easy to find. I finally replaced it with a Brother laser print that was NIB for only $20. I’ve gone through one toner cartridge and it’s been great. I do occasionally miss having color printing but the laser makes a superior print.

I bought a Brother INKvestment printer (MFCJ4353DW) a year and a half ago - amd I love it. My last 2 Canons didnt even last 3 years and I was replacing ink cartridges every 6 mos. The Brother still uses replaceable ink cartridges, but they are big. The ones that came with it have lasted a year and a half. I just replaced the 1st one today. The Brother ink tanks are about the same cost as the Canons were, but they last 3 times as long.

It is fast, print quality is decent and it's easy to setup and use.

We gave up on all inkjets. We print so little that cleaning the print head/ink delivery system became impossible. Switched over to a Brother laserjet and have never looked back.

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Switched over to a Brother laserjet and have never looked back

This!
Do not buy cheap toner. I ruined a laser printer with cheap chinese shit toner.

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Originally posted by Anush:

quote:

Switched over to a Brother laserjet and have never looked back

This!
Do not buy cheap toner. I ruined a laser printer with cheap chinese shit toner.

Get a cheap brother laser,
any bubble jet will get dried up ink and wont work right.

Your not printing enough to keep the heads flowing so they clog and jam and you have to buy new ones too soon, you're essentially throwing away ink because you can't get it out of the bottle, think ketchup spout when you leave it in the fridge for 3 months, the gunk clogs you from getting to the ketchup.

with a laser you wont have that problem.
Brother is the cheapest, easy to set up, runs like a tank.

I have it in my moms condo she is 80 and only uses it about 9 times a year with 6 months of non-use because she isn't there.

A few coupons or an amazon return label here and there, seems like about the same for you.

Epson . HP got too expensive.

Epson Eco Tank, ET-2800 series. Switched from a Brother MFC

For what you need, definitely go with a Brother laser printer.

I was in the same boat, had an aging inkjet constantly cleaning and clogging and needing cartridges.

Was hesitant due to the black and white as well, but have not missed color printing one bit.

Hit print and you get instant perfect printing, no fooling around with clogged inkjets and cleaning cycles.



.

I have been through a lot printer troubles recently. For many years I used a mono-chrome HP Enterprise laser printer. It was damaged in a move so I decided to buy a highly related Canon All in One. Mistake. Complicated; I could never get it to work properly (much heartache). I returned the Canon and bought another HP. My advice; stick with single function machines. Black and white laser printer, whatever scanner you might use, and a copier.

Your life will be infinitely more simple. It takes up a bit more room but it is worth it in my experience.

Like others here, I went from an Epson color ink jet to a Brother black and white laser, and haven't looked back.

No more clogged ink heads, cleaning cycles, dried out cartridges, or frequent pricey ink replacement.

The laser printer just works, whether it's been a day, a week, a month, or 6 months since my last print.

The 1 time every couple years I need to print something in color, I go to the public library and pay the 10 cents to print it off in color there.

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Originally posted by rizzle:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
If black/white only, Brother makes a good laser printer & the toner isn't terrible <$100 replacement & probably 2-3x more pages per toner compared to an ink jet.

Definitely not a bad choice, Iv'e had mine a long time. Would buy another. I don't use it all the time and it has no problem sitting idle for a few days. It would work well for what you would be using it for.

What they said. If you don't need color the Brother B&W laser is a good one.