What to use/do when you don’t print that often?

[iStorm]

I’ve stopped buying ink for my printer many years ago because I know it’ll be dried out the next time I want to print, which could be many months later. I usually wait until I visit my parents a week or two later to print things out, but sometimes I would rather not have to wait.

I’ve basically gotten by without having a printer of my own for about 10 years now, but am considering getting a printer again…maybe a cheap B&W laser printer this time. Would a toner cartridge last me at least a few years before it goes bad? Or would I likely be buying new toner every year or two?

Otherwise, the other option would be going to The UPS Store, which seems to be the only printing service in my area, but also not as convenient.

 

[Analog Kid]

I’ve stopped buying ink for my printer many years ago because I know it’ll be dried out the next time I want to print, which could be many months later. I usually wait until I visit my parents a week or two later to print things out, but sometimes I would rather not have to wait.

I’ve basically gotten by without having a printer of my own for about 10 years now. I’m considering getting a printer again, but a cheap B&W laser printer this time. Would a toner cartridge last me at least a few years before it goes bad? Or would I likely be buying new toner every year or two?

Otherwise, the other option would be going to The UPS Store, which seems to be the only printing service in my area, but also not as convenient.

I'm in the same boat... The main reason I keep a small personal printer though is that often what I do need to print is personal and I don't trust it to a print shop...

The toner cartridge tends to survive for a few years in my case. There can sometimes be problems with the drums getting warped (like if you leave your car in one place without rolling the tires for a long time). I don't seem to see it with my now-discontinued Samsung printer, but I've seen it in office printers.

 

[iStorm]

I'm in the same boat... The main reason I keep a small personal printer though is that often what I do need to print is personal and I don't trust it to a print shop...

The toner cartridge tends to survive for a few years in my case. There can sometimes be problems with the drums getting warped (like if you leave your car in one place without rolling the tires for a long time). I don't seem to see it with my now-discontinued Samsung printer, but I've seen it in office printers.

Exactly.

I did some shopping around the other day and can see why some people just buy a whole new printer when they need ink. I could have gotten a new printer for $40, which is cheaper than getting the two cartridges I would have needed for my old printer. I can’t believe that is still a thing.

That reminds me though… I suppose I should also look into HP’s Instant Ink program. Looks like for $0.99/month I can have ink delivered to my door (when empty or when requested if dried up) and print 10 pages per month. That is more than enough for my needs, and unused pages can roll over to the next month. So essentially ink would cost about $12/year. Of course I would still need a new printer, but at least I wouldn’t be limiting myself to only B&W and could print photos too.

 

[Analog Kid]

Exactly.

I did some shopping around the other day and can see why some people just buy a whole new printer when they need ink. I could have gotten a new printer for $40, which is cheaper than getting the two cartridges I would have needed for my old printer. I can’t believe that is still a thing.

That reminds me though… I suppose I should also look into HP’s Instant Ink program. Looks like for $0.99/month I can have ink delivered to my door (when empty or when requested if dried up) and print 10 pages per month. That is more than enough for my needs, and unused pages can roll over to the next month. So essentially ink would cost about $12/year. Of course I would still need a new printer, but at least I wouldn’t be limiting myself to only B&W and could print photos too.

Subscription ink? I suppose that was inevitable…

 

[TheIntruder]

For light duty, occasional black-and-white only printing, get a laser printer.

Printer ink is volatile, and by volume, extremely costly. It's literally money evaporating into the air, or being flushed through the nozzles laying down useless test patterns if the inkjet needs to run a cleaning cycle.

Toner is a powder, shelf stable, and as long as the printer is in a cool and dry environment, will last for years.

I have an all-in-one laser, and with only light duty printing, it took more than five years before the cartridge needed replacement. On the rare occasion I want color printing, I take it to a shop, where their equipment is better than I'd ever consider spending to buy my own, given my volume of printing overall, never mind color.

The "starter" cartridges that ship with new printers now won't have the same durability, but only because of lower fill volume, not because it evaporates, or goes bad.

Printers have long adopted the razor/blade sales model The handles are cheap, and money is made from the consumable blades. But it's stupid and wasteful when the pricing encourages people to consider new printers instead of new consumables.

 

[myscrnnm]

I just print documents at the library. As long as you're a card holder, prints are free. Haven't owned a printer since I was in middle school.

 

[Bigwaff]

I have HP Instant Ink subscription. Game changer. You can switch between sub levels at anytime, cancel at anytime. You go over your monthly page allowance, it’s like $1/10 pages. For very light printing needs, you can’t beat the price.

 

[iStorm]

I have HP Instant Ink subscription. Game changer. You can switch between sub levels at anytime, cancel at anytime. You go over your monthly page allowance, it’s like $1/10 pages. For very light printing needs, you can’t beat the price.

That's what I'm leaning towards now. I know people hate subscriptions, but in this case it doesn't seem half bad at all.

The cheapest plan is $1 for 10 pages a month, unused pages roll over to the next month (up to 45 pages with this plan), which is more than enough for me. I could use my unused/expiring pages to print out large/full sheet of photos or other things heavy on ink and not have to worry about "wasting" it. Replacement ink would be shipped at no additional cost, all for $12 year.

 

[NoBoMac]

Instant Ink sounds great, until they brick your printer.

'My Printer Is Extorting Me', Complains Subscriber to HP's 'Instant Ink' Program - Slashdot

A writer for the Atlantic complains that their HP printer is shaking them down like a loan shark. I discovered an error message on my computer indicating that my HP OfficeJet Pro had been remotely disabled by the company. When I logged on to HP's website, I learned why: The credit card I had...

hardware.slashdot.org

 

[iStorm]

Instant Ink sounds great, until they brick your printer.

'My Printer Is Extorting Me', Complains Subscriber to HP's 'Instant Ink' Program - Slashdot

A writer for the Atlantic complains that their HP printer is shaking them down like a loan shark. I discovered an error message on my computer indicating that my HP OfficeJet Pro had been remotely disabled by the company. When I logged on to HP's website, I learned why: The credit card I had...

hardware.slashdot.org

I guess I already expected that the ink cartridges would no longer work if I cancelled or they didn't receive my payment due to an expired credit card. Not sure why the people in the article did. I mean, no way are they going to give you ink cartridges for a few bucks and then let you continue using them after cancelling.

I don't think they are bricking the printer itself. Should be able to buy retail ink and continue using the printer as normal if you cancel. (Or resubscribe if you somehow miss a payment.)

 

[xraydoc]

I use a laser printer. I print so infrequently that inkjets dry out on me, so I gave up on them.
Didn't really care about cost. But when you need to print something at 2am and don't have any fresh inkjet cartridges because the ones in the printer are dry and clogged, you'll pay anything to have a printer who's "ink" doesn't expire.

 

[orionquest]

Staples has self service copy machines, insert USB, Credit card, then print. Owning a printer is a waste of money for infrequent use.

 

[Bigwaff]

Instant Ink sounds great, until they brick your printer.

'My Printer Is Extorting Me', Complains Subscriber to HP's 'Instant Ink' Program - Slashdot

A writer for the Atlantic complains that their HP printer is shaking them down like a loan shark. I discovered an error message on my computer indicating that my HP OfficeJet Pro had been remotely disabled by the company. When I logged on to HP's website, I learned why: The credit card I had...

hardware.slashdot.org

You can deregister your printer and cancel from the service but you have to remove the Instant Ink cartridges. I’ve been using the service for over a year now without any issues. It is really convenient to have cartridges show up automatically.

 

[tstafford]

Laser.

 

[Dochartaigh]

What size, and what type of stuff do you need to print? High definition? Color?

Anymore I literally need to print two categories of things: shipping labels for eBay/forum sales, and every 6 months a new car insurance card for the 2x cars + yearly car registration. Literally nothing else I can think of (for a random project I went to the local Office Depot... think I've been there twice in the last 8 years or so lol)...

So since I really only need shipping labels (even the 2nd page of an amazon return, the sheet with the barcode I need to put inside the box, I'll print on those little 4x6 label stickers too, just leave the backing on), I splurged on a nice Rollo 4x6" thermal printer. NO INK needed, and prints labels in literally 1 second (NEVER had a faster printer lol). Print the car stuff on it too. TOTALLY unique user-case with me... but just in case this works for anybody else I haven't regretted it and have been perfectly happy.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I purchased my inexpensive Brother b&w laser printer in Nov 2014 and still haven’t needed a new toner cartridge.

I’m pretty sure I’m still on the same 500 sheet package of paper.

 

[jagolden]

Couldn’t live without a printer, and the scanner is very useful as is the copy function.
Utilizing library/UPS/Staples is wasted time.
I’m running an Eason WF7520, prints sizes from postcard to 13” x 19” . I usu $110 worth of Eason ink per year. It will sit for 4-5 weeks without being used then there’s a flurry of docs, photos, etc. to be printed.

There are plenty of inexpensive laser or inkjets to suit your needs. If you have a mobile or tablet being able to print when you want is quite niffty.

 

[roflc0pter]

I purchased my inexpensive Brother b&w laser printer in Nov 2014 and still haven’t needed a new toner cartridge.

I’m pretty sure I’m still on the same 500 sheet package of paper.

I strongly recommend a Brother laser printer as well. The cost of the actual printer and 3rd party toner is relatively cheap

 

[Aggedor]

Wireless b&w laser is the answer. Find a cupboard for it, leave it on, and you can print whenever you (rarely) want to. Brother or HP are my picks (I’ve had both).

 

[imlovinit]

Same boat, I don't print a ton but print enough throughout the year to buy a small inkjet wireless printer. I once had the HP subscription and it definitely was not for me as I found myself spending more than needed. For myself, I'm better off buying ink when needed and that maybe happens once or twice a year maybe.

 

[enc0re]

Inkjet is never worth it. Get a laser. B&W is fine. Rarely is color needed.

I've had both monochrome and color laser printers. B&W is nice in that you only have the one toner cartridge to keep track of and it lasts forever. I've been happy with the Brother models, especially with how well they implement AirPrint. No need for drivers, any iOS or macOS device can just print directly.

Final pro tip, don't get a regular color printer for photos. It doesn't look good. Either print photos at a convenience store or get a separate dye sublimation printer. I recommend the Canon Selphy.

tl;dr: never buy inkjet.

 

[TheIntruder]

Instant Ink sounds great, until they brick your printer.

'My Printer Is Extorting Me', Complains Subscriber to HP's 'Instant Ink' Program - Slashdot

A writer for the Atlantic complains that their HP printer is shaking them down like a loan shark. I discovered an error message on my computer indicating that my HP OfficeJet Pro had been remotely disabled by the company. When I logged on to HP's website, I learned why: The credit card I had...

hardware.slashdot.org

Not only that, but to provide the "service," HP needs to monitor the ink levels and such, which to be fair, is a legitimate purpose.

However, like for "telemetry" and "analytics," it does open another conduit (or what some would call a vector) that is ripe for abuse, and in these days when a lot of companies will take a mile when given an inch, that should make people uncomfortable, or at least those who have any inclination of being privacy-minded.

I've been in that blogger's shoes, helping to set up or diagnose issues with printers for relatives who have an affinity for HPs. Even if one doesn't subscribe to their ink service, the amount of bloatware shoveled during the setup orocess to support it and simply get things up and running would give me pause.

That's a lot of info collected, that goes far beyond determining ink levels, and even if their promises can be taken at face value, the lack of intent does not preclude unintentional mishaps, or exploits.

That's when these companies and their PR reps trot out the worthless "We highly value blab, blah, blah, and strive to blah, blah, blah, and will continue to commit to blah blah blah, now and in the future" type of statements. No remorse, no consequences, and we hope people will forget. And they do.

On a practical level, it's hard to avoid such practices and still be able to function in a modern world, and most people are going to be pragmatic and submit. For me personally, I try not to play that game, especially when it's pushed and sold in such a slimy manner.

 

[Aggedor]

Inkjet is never worth it. Get a laser. B&W is fine. Rarely is color needed.

I've had both monochrome and color laser printers. B&W is nice in that you only have the one toner cartridge to keep track of and it lasts forever. I've been happy with the Brother models, especially with how well they implement AirPrint. No need for drivers, any iOS or macOS device can just print directly.

Final pro tip, don't get a regular color printer for photos. It doesn't look good. Either print photos at a convenience store or get a separate dye sublimation printer. I recommend the Canon Selphy.

tl;dr: never buy inkjet.

Agree 100%.

 

[Fishrrman]

Buy a low-cost laser printer.
You can leave one off for a month or two, and it will still print fine.

Of course, you don't get color, but this is a choice you have to make for yourself.

I like Brother. Quality printing and a long lifespan.

 

[3Rock]

My ink jet printer ink dry it out on me twice now, and I'm sick and tired of having to fix that, so I am now getting a laser printer from Canon since I don't print color anymore. Laser printers are the way to go if you want, longevity, and longer lasting toner

These are the two that I'm thinking about. Dunedin, good deal of research and they have air print for my Mac and iOS devices so I shouldn't have issues connecting.