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i hate printers so much i never purchased one!

A

animatedude

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 27, 2010
1,143
88
for the last 13 years i wanted to buy a printer but i never did because every time i go to the market to check out "the latest" models i find out they still look terrible! and they still have DOZENS of models you don't know which one to choose...

do these companies have designers?! i can't ruin my beautiful Apple set up with an ugly HP printer with overpriced ink....

can someone please help me find a printer that actually look good in terms of design, i don't care if it's laser or inkjet i'm just using it for home to print random stuff..

i know Apple made printers in the past but here's hoping Apple make printers again with stylish aluminum design and way way smaller lighter than whatever junk is available in the market right now..
 
I've never seen anyone worry about how a printer looks. It's a box that squirts out paper. Biggest concern is usually OS compatibility and cost per page.

Get a networked printer, Brother makes some good ones and hid it out of site.

Oh yes, Epson has some very expensive ones that look Mac like.
 
I'd be lost without a printer. I really don't care about the style so much. What's important to me is reliability, operational cost, and quality of print. That said, I only buy laser printers, networked models.
 
I have been using Epson printers for years. Their photo printing and CD printing are excellent in their inkjet. I have been using the Artisan 800 (it's an all-in-one) for about 5 years now. Not sure if you are looking for a photo printer, I would imagine you don't need it for much since you haven't own one for at least 13 years, but Epson has a decent all-in-one for $80 and it supports AirPrint.

They also have a small all-in-one that's nice (6 ink system for great photo printing) Or this one.

Or if you want wide printing there is this one.


Just my suggestions, I personally love Epson printers.
 
HP Officejet Pro 8600 Premium is a pretty sweet printer. Is it aluminum? No. But in person it looks pretty nice. Yes - it has a black plastic body but it is all one color - which is much nicer than some of there other printers out there. Besides - the features alone make it worth it.

And no matter what printer you get - whether inkjet or laser, HP or Epson - all of them have overpriced ink. I'm sure printers are like game consoles - their companies sell them at a price just to break even or maybe even lose some money because they know they will make it up in the end by selling ink cartridges.
 
If looks are so important to you and you're unable to find one that looks good and also fits your needs/budget just get one and set it up to be networked and stuff it in a corner somewhere.
 
I understand your issue. I bought a white Cannon Pixmar printer because it complemented the look of my iMac. Great little printer to. I don't do much printing, and I am lucky to be able to print stuff at work. I did use it this weekend though on a difficult photo edit I had been working on.
 
These were pretty good looking. I think they were offered exclusively in Apple Stores.
 

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As blueroom mentioned above, what a printer looks like doesn't really matter.

In most cases, it's probably going to be a squarish/rectangular box that needs to have a 8.5x11" tray of paper somewhere; it's not that printer manufacturers have a wide range of options in industrial design or mucking with form factors.

When I owned a printer, cost per page and reliability were my top concerns, not how purty it looked.

In the old days, printers were loud and you really didn't want them in the same room. Today's laser and inkjet printers are much quieter, but I'm not keen on breathing random particles of printer toner.
 
Yeah, they are all pretty ugly. I'm not sure why people say it doesn't matter. Computers are boxes that used to be pretty ugly too. It's a piece of machinery that takes up space. It would be nice it were decent looking.
 
Networked printers are the way to go. Both of my printer are hidden in other rooms or the basement. That way I can keep different papers and stock in a cabinet out of the way.
 
ChangshaNotes said:
Yeah, they are all pretty ugly. I'm not sure why people say it doesn't matter. Computers are boxes that used to be pretty ugly too. It's a piece of machinery that takes up space. It would be nice it were decent looking.
Click to expand...

exactly!
 
animatedude said:
can someone please help me find a printer that actually look good in terms of design
Click to expand...
Provide examples of what you think looks good. "Looks good" is a highly subjective matter and you can't just assume that your preferences are universal. Most don't use appearance as a primary deciding factor.

animatedude said:
and they still have DOZENS of models you don't know which one to choose...
Click to expand...
It's really like shopping for anything else. You don't go out and look at every possibility. You consider your needs, wants, budget and other criteria to narrow down the options and select from a limited pool.

However, if they're all ugly and that's the primary concern then there's really nothing for you to bother with. If you've managed to get by for 13 years without one then why do you need one now? You could also consider just printing what you need to Fedex Kinko's or similar.

animatedude said:
do these companies have designers?! i can't ruin my beautiful Apple set up with an ugly HP printer with overpriced ink....
Click to expand...
Put the printer in a closet or cabinet. I don't care about the aesthetics of mine and it lives in a closet.

SVT Amateur said:
And no matter what printer you get - whether inkjet or laser, HP or Epson - all of them have overpriced ink.
Click to expand...
To varying degrees. Ink is much more so than toner.

ChangshaNotes said:
I'm not sure why people say it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
Priorities and preferences vary from person to person.
 
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takeshi74 said:
Provide examples of what you think looks good. "Looks good" is a highly subjective matter and you can't just assume that your preferences are universal. Most don't use appearance as a primary deciding factor.


It's really like shopping for anything else. You don't go out and look at every possibility. You consider your needs, wants, budget and other criteria to narrow down the options and select from a limited pool.

However, if they're all ugly and that's the primary concern then there's really nothing for you to bother with. If you've managed to get by for 13 years without one then why do you need one now? You could also consider just printing what you need to Fedex Kinko's or similar.


Put the printer in a closet or cabinet. I don't care about the aesthetics of mine and it lives in a closet.


To varying degrees. Ink is much more so than toner.


Priorities and preferences vary from person to person.
Click to expand...


it's OK, that's your opinion but remember we are discussing this in an Apple-related forum, a company that put aesthetics at the core of everything they do.

I sometimes feel like Apple is the only company in the industry that have designers...just the other day i was taking a look (from far far away i might add lol) @ HP laptops and Printers, my goodness the crap look like the same crap from 1999!
 
I'm pretty happy with my HP 4100 with jet direct and extra tray. It sits on the other side of the room and using printopia I can print from my phone or iPad if needed.
 
If you haven't bought a printer in all the years because you don't like "the way they look", then...

... you don't need a printer.
 
Hate Printers - Designed to suck, always break, ink costs more than the printer. Number 1 complaint from friends? My Printer is not working.

My typical answer? That's what they're designed to do. Not Work! It's working perfectly. Didn't you see the dialog pop up that said "Buy A New Printer"?

Just Kidding
 
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