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Researching printers sucks just as much as working on them, it turns out. I have a client whose HP OfficeJet 6600 refuses to feed anything through the ADF, meaning no faxes and no multi-page scanning. They're wanting a new device, important features are color, wireless connectivity, ADF scanning, and faxing. Oh yeah, of course they want it cheap as poo poo too. They were looking at a ~$150 Brother I sent to them before realizing color was necessary, but I think they realize they'll have to spend a bit more to get what they want. Any suggestions? CloFan fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Jan 19, 2016 |
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Jan 19, 2016 04:13
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We have a few multifunction color laser Brothers. They band really horribly when the color is in large blocks (photos, full page graphic design comps, etc), but are good printers in every other way.
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Jan 19, 2016 11:40
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Please recommend me a printer! I'm a student looking for something that will last me the next 10 years or so, or however long it takes for me to finish my undergrad and grad school. I will also be using it to print off random colour photos for my parents (doesn't need to be highly detailed -- they're old  ). I don't mind spending more on a laser printer, simply because I know I'll probably be to lazy to go change the toner or whatever. Unless SHSC thinks that a color laser printer would be wasted on a pleb like me (which is fair, and likely true) and that I should just suck it up and change some poo poo every few months.Some things that I would like because I'm a lazy POS: -bluetooth/wi-fi/whatever enabled -usb -duplexing?? -SMALL?? (haaaaa) I only needed a few novels for my classes this semester so I am loving loaded with cash and ready to burn it. Also I live in Canada.
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Jan 24, 2016 10:45
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vivisecting posted:Please recommend me a printer! I'm a student looking for something that will last me the next 10 years or so, or however long it takes for me to finish my undergrad and grad school. I will also be using it to print off random colour photos for my parents (doesn't need to be highly detailed -- they're old
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Jan 24, 2016 11:58
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Thanatosian posted:What sort of volume are you going to be printing? Lets say 200 pages a week, give or take.
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Jan 24, 2016 12:04
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How important is the photo quality on the printouts? Are you expecting to use photo paper and get something at least passable as an actual photo print, or does it just need to be an image on regular paper? I've got a Brother HL3040CN, I'm sure there are newer versions of it out there. Works well enough and I think I might still be on the original magenta toner. But you'll never mistake its output for a photo printer when you print an image. If you need proper photos, you might be happier just getting a monochrome laser and paying to print photos at a local store.
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Jan 24, 2016 16:07
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IOwnCalculus posted:How important is the photo quality on the printouts? Are you expecting to use photo paper and get something at least passable as an actual photo print, or does it just need to be an image on regular paper? If I don't buy a colour printer, my parents will nag me: "you just bought a printer, what kind of printer doesn't have colour?? Why won't you print our photos? After everything we've done for you..." Also my niece likes to print off dress up dolls and whatever. Anyway, I found this: http://www.staples.ca/en/Brother-HL-3170CDW-Digital-Colour-Printer-with-Wireless-Networking-and-Duplex/product_190212_2-CA_1_20001 It seems to be a newer model of yours. It's at a Staples just around the corner, and I can price match it for what Amazon/Best Buy has it listed at.
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Jan 24, 2016 22:37
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vivisecting posted:If I don't buy a colour printer, my parents will nag me: "you just bought a printer, what kind of printer doesn't have colour?? Why won't you print our photos? After everything we've done for you..." Also my niece likes to print off dress up dolls and whatever. I was going to say "a printer that costs less than half the price" but wow, that printer (on Amazon US, at least) is about a third less than what I paid for my HL3040CN, which lacks the duplex and wireless. Clearly the color lasers are starting to get down in price.
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Jan 25, 2016 01:30
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IOwnCalculus posted:I was going to say "a printer that costs less than half the price" but wow, that printer (on Amazon US, at least) is about a third less than what I paid for my HL3040CN, which lacks the duplex and wireless. Clearly the color lasers are starting to get down in price. That one lacks scanning/copying features though. About a year ago, this thread recommended me the Brother DCPL2540DW. Is that still considered the most cost-effective model, or has something better since come along?
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Jan 25, 2016 03:24
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literally this big posted:About a year ago, this thread recommended me the Brother DCPL2540DW. Is that still considered the most cost-effective model, or has something better since come along? I have had that printer since Oct 2014 and have had no issues with it. Not sure if there is a better alternative to it, but in my experience it has been a great printer.
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Jan 27, 2016 23:18
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Does anyone have a recommendation for the closest 1:1 replacement for the HP Laserjet m401dne? I see that it's apparently been discontinued? Maybe this is a good opportunity to see if I should be purchasing something completely different. I work in a place where everyone gets their own printer. This is not going to change and I don't have the energy to waste on trying to get it to. The HP Laserjet m401dne had done pretty well for our purposes but I see that I'll have to go with something else now; all it really needs to be able to do is laser, monochrome, duplexing and network-capable (no wireless). Edit: I guess the new version is the 402.
Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Feb 22, 2016 |
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Feb 22, 2016 17:34
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Japanese Dating Sim posted:Does anyone have a recommendation for the closest 1:1 replacement for the HP Laserjet m401dne? I see that it's apparently been discontinued?
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Feb 22, 2016 18:15
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Thanatosian posted:The easiest thing is probably going to be whatever the majority of people in your office have. Sorry, my question wasn't clear. I buy the printers/computers for my building. I inherited the position and when I did, Laserjet m401dne's were the usual printer, and that's not an option anymore. So I'll probably just transition to the m402 for future purchases, but I'd like to do a little research before I commit to that.
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Feb 22, 2016 18:21
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Cross-post between the laptop and printer megathreads: One of my users would like a recommendation for a new personal laptop and printer for his home, with the preference that they are both white. Any suggestions?
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Feb 22, 2016 19:47
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Japanese Dating Sim posted:Sorry, my question wasn't clear. I buy the printers/computers for my building. I inherited the position and when I did, Laserjet m401dne's were the usual printer, and that's not an option anymore. I think all small printers are bad to a point, just pick whatever ones are easiest to get supplies for and have non-poo poo drivers. I hated the plastic panels on the M401 series and it looks like they've fixed that on the M402. Another option could be the Samsung SL-M3320ND but that's not based on a sample size larger than one. If you already use the HP Device Manager with the current machines you have deployed then it makes sense to stick to HP.
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Feb 23, 2016 00:17
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So my 11 year old Brother MFC-465cn finally died the other night and I am not sure what to replace it with. I don't do that much printing really. Mostly my wife wants to be able to print photos now and then and the occasional thing on card stock (such as invitations to our son's second birthday party). I need something that also has a built in scanner and preferably wired ethernet. Cheapish ink is a plus but mostly I want reliability. I would get another MFC-465cn but it looks like they stopped making them ages ago. So far I have found the following printers that seem to be similar to the MFC-465cn: Brother WorkSmart MFC-J880DW Brother MFCJ4620DW Brother MFCJ4510DW Are these reasonable options or is there something else I should be looking at?
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Feb 26, 2016 03:39
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What's the current recommendation for colour photos? My friend is looking at Epson Ecotank L355 or ET-2500. Any feedback on those?
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Mar 14, 2016 16:33
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How about a recommendation for a wired networkable color printer for infrequent document (boarding passes, reports, biggest document printed on a fairly regular basis is about 70 pages. Maybe 100 pages a month, tops?) Bonus points if it will do double sided printing.
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Mar 25, 2016 02:56
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Budget?
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Mar 25, 2016 14:54
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I was trying to leave it open-ended, but ... My last printer was probably $79.99, and it worked fine (except no double sided) for about 4 years, then randomly stopped printing. I'd happily pay $200 or so for something that solved either (or preferably both) of those lacks (meaning, it prints double-sided, and/or is less likely to randomly fail). More would need a good reason but isn't out of the question.
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Mar 25, 2016 17:16
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I need to purchase a replacement for a Canon MF6180DW. This is for an office of 30+ people, who need fax and scan bullshit. Budget is ~$300-400. Black and white only needed. The Canon MF6180DW we had previously started showing "PAPER JAM!" errors that you can't loving skip or go around, so I think some sensor is broken-- it prints fine from the diagnostic menu. I tried resetting the printer and everything, but nothing. I'd like to go with another brand due to this, but it looks like all of my price point options are terrible. My boss loves Brothers due to how cheap they are, but I've had a bunch of them fail in small ways that my boss keeps just saying "well, they're cheap!" so I'd rather not drop 350$ on a brother one to replace this. Any options for this price point? Everything I look for seems to be like 3.5/5 stars of tons of people loving each model balanced by tons of people hating them.
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Mar 30, 2016 20:15
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Goons, help me decide if I should drive this Old rear end laser into the ground (Run out of supplies), or fix it up (Replace toners and Drum) I got it for free from a family member that tosses stuff the second its broken without trying to repair their business equipment. This printer needed a $10 feed wheel and it's ready to go. I also got an HP but he drum imoy was like $300 so Tried to sell it cheap and no one wanted it. The Printer: Brother HL-4040CW. What the printer tells me: Drum life 0% PF Kit MP(??) 100% 50k pages left PF KIT 1 75% 75k Pages left? Fuser Unit: 67% 53k pages left Laser unit: 74k pages left So, I need a new drum also could use some Yellow and Cyan, realistically I'll probably need CYMK soon since I have no clue what kind of life is left on the current toners. Do I drop $50-100 on a drum, and then new toner on this printer, or go with a smaller footprint quicker startup more modern printer? This printer takes a good 1-2 min to fire up from sleep to first page, it's also really big and only has a wired network selection. Is it more useful to drop $200 on a new brother consumer level that may actually fit on my desk, or is this thing going to be a workhorse for ages? My printing habits: I like the ability to print color crap for the kids and their schoolwork, I sometimes use it for work related things because printing to a color printer requires a blood sample. I'd say if I printed 1500-2000 color pages in a year that would be a lot, so most of the life left (Fuser, Laser, belt ) all have 5-10 years. I'm assuming the answer is yes, but before I drop $200 on toner and a drum, I want to ensure no one jumps up and down and says NOOOO these printers catch fire randomly and jam paper after 90 pages. tater_salad fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Apr 25, 2016 |
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Apr 25, 2016 18:58
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The drum only needs replaced if its printing badly. On Brother printers this typically manifests as a repeating splotch down the left side of the page. You can safely ignore the drum message. If it bothers you, it can be easily reset. http://support.brother.com/g/b/faqend.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl4070cdw_all&faqid=faq00002837_005
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Apr 25, 2016 19:07
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It needs a new drum. soon, top middle/right is starting to lose quality, especially on first page.. I could prrobably put another 200-500 pages through it before it gets REALLY bad, but for $100 why deal with poo poo quality.
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Apr 25, 2016 19:50
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Anyone have experience with the Epson Ecotank printers yet? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01122JE56 Looks like a $50 printer for $300, because they come with a hell of a lot of ink. The name brand refill ink looks pretty reasonably priced too. Looks like it could be a good deal for folks who don't want a brother B&W laser because they "need" to print color pictures occasionally. You get all the regular features of colour inkjet, but without the need to buy new cartridges every three months when they dry out. If it works as well as they claim, it could be amazing for a grandma who prints like 30 pages a month and doesn't want to fuss with anything.
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Apr 28, 2016 03:11
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I'm looking for a home printer, basically something like 30-40 pages/week and occasional color. All I really care about is not getting hosed in the rear end by long term costs. I haven't kept up with printers at all so I really have no idea what I'm looking for.
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May 2, 2016 16:12
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I have someone asking me to recommend a new color printer. Not sure if it'll be laser or inkjet but that will be second to her space constraints: Needs to be no more than 18" wide and 13" high (which includes being able to open for copying), so looks like scan/copy feature is needed too. Any ideas?
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May 18, 2016 21:37
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So printer or scanner copier printer? Edit: if copier and printer combo, good luck finding one that will open in a 13" enclosure and also include a printer, hell most ink jet printers are going to be in the 10" range alone with no scanner on top. tater_salad fucked around with this message at 01:41 on May 19, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 23:13
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I'll assume combo. I need to find out exactly what model she has at the moment (she's a work-from-home user in a different time zone, can't just walk over and check) and see if it fits those dimensions.
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May 19, 2016 06:29
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Cannon and brother both make a relatively thin mfp, I thought they were taller but I was wrong, at about 7 inches that's about as thin as you'll get, they should also fit in the 18" wide hole as well
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May 19, 2016 12:41
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I have a Brother HL-2170W and I think the drum is hosed up. I've cleaned the hell out of it several times and the pages have splotchy spots all over them. I've been looking around at replacement drums and there seem to be a lot of knock-offs. And the official Brother replacements cost almost as much as a new printer from them. Are there cheaper replacement drums/cartridges available that are also dependable? Or should I look at a new printer? If so, which model? I liked the HL-2170W well enough until it started acting lovely.
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May 24, 2016 17:25
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I have that exact printer, I've used a reman drum and 3rd party toner with no issue. How many pages did you get out of it before the drum took a crap?
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May 25, 2016 13:15
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I don't recall exactly, but I went through a few reams over several years. So probably between 1000 and 2000.
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May 25, 2016 14:19
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I had that same printer, and probably went through six or 7 toner cartridges so 10,000-15,000 pages with no drum problems (replaced it with an MFP because I needed a scanner, not because it stopped working).
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May 25, 2016 16:32
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I can try a third party replacement and roll the dice I guess. But I don't know what else to say, the existing drum is hosed.
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May 25, 2016 16:42
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The Ferret King posted:I can try a third party replacement and roll the dice Its a printer; you are always rolling the dice... Take a look at the drum roller. It has a coating that should be brownish or green in color. The color should be uniform across the entire width with no splotches or spots on it. If one end is fading in color, there are spots of toner on it, or missing spots of coating, it's most definitely wore out. Don't touch the drum or try to clean it, the coating is easily damaged. If the drum is in good shape, a failed fuser can also cause splotches or streaks since the fuser is not melting the toner properly. To check the fuser look in the back of the printer, you should see a tan colored roller, it should be smooth with no spots on it. Particularly check either end of the roller, if the ends are crumpled up or damaged, there are lots of toner spots, or the roller is crinkled up,then your fuser is done for. I've had lots of problems with Brother fusers failing prematurely. So much so that I stopped buying Brother brand printers entirely at work. stevewm fucked around with this message at 17:09 on May 25, 2016 |
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May 25, 2016 17:02
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At a glance, the fuser looked ok, but when I got up close and personal I saw what I would describe as a "pitting" pattern along the surface. The drum roller is nasty looking also. I'll attach some pictures and maybe you could confirm what I'm thinking, that both drum and fuser are a loss? I appreciate everyone's help so far. The fuser:  The drum roller: 
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May 25, 2016 17:24
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For the fuser, you want to look at that tan roller at the bottom of the first picture. From what little I can see of it, it looks to be in good shape. Check the extreme left and right ends of it. It shouldn't appear to be torn or crumpled. As for the pitted orange colored roller, it is just a pressure roller. It looks to be in good shape. The pitting is nothing to worry about. The drum however does not look so good. It should be shiny and clean across the entire length, yours obviously is not . It appears worn and has leftover toner on it. The defects on a printed page likely line up with the marks on the drum roller. Definitely time to replace it!
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May 25, 2016 19:53
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Thanks for the help everyone.stevewm posted:For the fuser, you want to look at that tan roller at the bottom of the first picture. From what little I can see of it, it looks to be in good shape. Check the extreme left and right ends of it. It shouldn't appear to be torn or crumpled. As for the pitted orange colored roller, it is just a pressure roller. It looks to be in good shape. The pitting is nothing to worry about. Ah, of course. I don't know my colors. The fuser looks like it is in good shape so I'm going to try a drum replacement. tater_salad posted:I have that exact printer, I've used a reman drum and 3rd party toner with no issue. Your replacement drum was a re-manufactured one from Brother themselves? Or from a third party?
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May 26, 2016 21:02
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The Ferret King posted:Thanks for the help everyone. Just get a re-manufactured one.
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May 26, 2016 21:27
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