11 replies to this topic

[amenditman]

My old HP All-In-One has finally failed me for the last time. It will now be a copier/scanner only. I am sick of it failing every time I need to print something important.
So, I am looking for a new printer.

What I need:
Linux and Windows compatibility
Black only printing
Durable (I bought the last one at least ten years ago)
Ink/toner that's affordable without a second mortgage (preferably with non-OEM available) based on price per print
Small home office with minimal printing volume

Please let me know what you have and would recommend.

Thanks
amenditman

Edited by amenditman, 28 February 2012 - 11:11 PM.

[Tushman]

What I need:

Ink/toner that's affordable without a second mortgage (preferably with non-OEM available) based on price per print

Okay, good luck w/ that.  It's like searching for big foot.  

Seriously, if you don't want to get soaked for the cost of ink cartridge - just do yourself a favor and don't even bother shopping for a inkjet based printer.  You are going to just waste your time.  A laserjet or a laser printer may cost much more, but the upside is that you get a much higher print yield with the toner cartridge.

If you insist on getting an inkjet for some reason, try Kodak.  Last I heard, Kodak's line of printers have the best value in terms of cost of ink cartridges and print yield.  (Their cartridges are just *slightly* less.....but not by much).  Who know what their print quality is like - but if all you need is black & white - who cares? It's not like you're going to notice a difference with b & w text.

Edited by Tushman, 28 February 2012 - 11:33 PM.

[amenditman]

I did not specify an inkjet printer.  Initial purchase price is not on the list either.

[Tushman]

I did not specify an inkjet printer.  Initial purchase price is not on the list either.

And that is exactly why I started off my post to you recommending a laser printer solution rather than inkjet.

Edited by Tushman, 29 February 2012 - 12:18 AM.

[Urmas]

Please let me know what you have and would recommend.

What I have and what I would recommend are two different things.  

I have an HP all-in-one inkjet. Works fine, but my "printing volume" has increased significantly during the last year or two. I can live with the price, but I feel I am spending too much time on changing black/cyan/yellow/magenta ink cartridges.

Dunno... been looking at this: Samsung CLX-3185  -- .pdf manual HERE

Non-OEM toner cartridges are available, and they seem to be 25-30 % cheaper than "originals" here in Finland (theoretical [very!] yields: black 1500 pages, cyan/yellow/magenta: 1000 pages.)

Should be penguin friendly¹ (see manual). A fellow penguin uses a Samsung CLP-325, and he has been happy with it.

Gotta say this though: colour lasers produce good enough quality for most uses, but don't expect colours to be as "vibrant" as with inkjets.

__________________________________________________________________________

¹Probably smarter to use this instead of stuff from Samsung's pages: The Samsung Unified Linux Driver Repository (.deb)

[amenditman]

What I have and what I would recommend are two different things.  

Exactly why I phrased it that way!
Thanks, I'll check it out.

[mac]

I have a Brother HL-2170W that has been in use for several years (2006 I think), and just replaced the toner cartridge for the first time this past December. I have it hooked up via CAT5 to the switch on my network, and all 3 PCs (2 WIN7 Pro, and an XP Pro) can print to it just fine. The current model HL-2270DW is on sale for $99 at NewEgg - HL-2270DW - and has 83% 4 or 5 egg reviews. One of the newer reviews:

Pros: Simple setup: just plug in the power and Ethernet cables and both my Linux and Windows boxes found it without any problems. Printing is fast and the double-sided printing function works reliably.

So, it sounds like it'll work just fine on Windows or 'Nix.

[amenditman]

I have a Brother HL-2170W that has been in use for several years (2006 I think), and just replaced the toner cartridge for the first time this past December. I have it hooked up via CAT5 to the switch on my network, and all 3 PCs (2 WIN7 Pro, and an XP Pro) can print to it just fine. The current model HL-2270DW is on sale for $99 at NewEgg - HL-2270DW - and has 83% 4 or 5 egg reviews. One of the newer reviews:



So, it sounds like it'll work just fine on Windows or 'Nix.

Thanks Mac, sounds like it would work. Added to the list.
A friend recommended a Brother laser printer also, his small business has had good service from theirs.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Stick w/ HP... good Linux suppport.

Don't worry about color/b&w printing. Just purchase b&w cartridges and set the machine to gray scale printing only.

Speaking of cartridges... check InkSmile.com (I've been using them for years) and see what the prices are on their refurb cartridges.

That's what I would do.

=====

Tush's recommendation of a laserjet is not a bad idea; the print quality is excellent, the PPM is satisfactory, the toner cartridges can be somewhat pricey. However, refurbed toner cartridges are also available from many sources online for MUCH CHEAPER than new ones.

[ross549]

I have an HP LaserJet printer on my network. I have purchased one toner cartridge for it, back in the fall of 2010, and it is still going strong.

I have an HP 2200DN, which is a small office class printer, but the nice thing part of owning this printer is that parts are plentiful for it. I have already replaced the formatter board for it, as well as upgrading the RAM. It had a higher cost of purchase, but it will give me many years of faithful service, and can be repaired if necessary.

Adam

[Temmu]

a lesser hp is the 1320.
it can be had with ethernet too, so all your pcs can print to it.
i've run ~1500 pages so far w/o changing toner.
rebuilt toner available... almost anywhere

lol - no longer made!  looks like p1606dn is the new "lesser" model.  
here's the hp page for personal printers
http://shopping1.hp.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.e...k0AAAEuUck4ORFL

[FuzzButt]

Look at a network laser printer from HP or Lexmark. Even a used one might be a decent choice. See http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=...ed=0CJQBEPMCMAM

I have a Lexmark T632 that is on my network as an IP printer. Works Windows or Linux (Don't own a Mac so I can't test that). It wasn't cheap but the prints are great. I have the duplexer option and print both sides most of the time. I've printed 24685 pages on it and just changed the cartridge back in December (Didn't need to just yet but I have 2 and wanted to swap them early so I can put the original back in later on since I know it still prints great). Paper usage is the only serious $$ concern.

What's great about purchasing a business quality printer and using it at home is they last for ever. Even getting it used you are going to get a better printer for the price. They are designed for some serious page counts. I've worked on Lexmark printers with 1,300,000 page counts. Take care of them and you will get tired of looking at it and want a different printer before the thing actually wears out.