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Kind of a general question here: Because of work from home I've been planning to upgrade from the old HP inkjet All-in-one I have kicking around to a laser AIO, with a document feeder as part of it. I've gotten kind of spoiled by the old but functional web interface on the HP, particularly since I spend most of my time in Linux and it makes scanning easy. I can scan a document using the web interface and download it locally regardless of OS or browser I'm using. At work we have Konica/Minolta machines that store scans locally and you can retrieve from a user box by logging into the machine, which accomplishes the same thing but even simpler. You can even print directly from the machine's web interface, which is surprisingly handy. My question is whether any low-priced laser AIOs have similar features or if they pretty much rely on a driver/software interface to accomplish scanning? Searching on this so far has not felt like I get clear answers. What I want is a laser AIO with a document feeder that works well with Windows, Linux, and Android, pretty much in that order. Given my prior experience I lean toward HP being the most likely to play nicely, but I know Brother is highly recommended and I see Canon printers in the same sub-$200 pricepoint I'm looking at, so I thought I'd see if anyone had insights on it. Thanks!
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Jan 2, 2021 02:56
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I'm still debating on what laser multi-function to go with, but Brother is definitely on the list. I just wish it were easier to get a better sense of the capabilities of different printers online - HP manuals cover several different models and don't make it super clear which features belong to which, and Brother's website doesn't give me a clear idea of how they work. The scanning feature is what I am most concerned about, and seems like the hardest thing to get information on.PirateDentist posted:If someone wants to print occasional photos, use a printing service, they'll look better and be worth the savings in $50 cartridges and just pure frustration. Walmart charges almost the same amount to print glossy 4x6 as Lexmark says the average color page costs to print, not even counting the cost of photo paper, and you'll never have to deal with cleaning printheads. Photos are the only place I feel an inkjet belongs, and really only if you're pretty serious about photography as a hobby. I've owned a couple photo printers over the years, and if you are making poster-sized prints then having your own printer is good. My last photo printer was a Canon that easily matched or surpassed the 11x17 prints I had printed by a local camera store. But I spent a lot of time doing photography and almost never printed anything smaller than 8.5x11. One of these days I'm going to get a nice camera again, and at that point might be looking at another photo printer, but certainly not before.
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Jan 13, 2021 09:04
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Peachfart posted:The answer is always: if you need a printer, buy a Brother laser. If you want color... Then still buy a Brother laser, you don't need it that badly. Okay, you really want color? Are you willing to spend at least 500 bucks? Consider buying a color laser but they are big and pricey. Oh, you want to print photos? Buy an inkjet and prepare to spend ungodly amounts of money on ink. I'm not sure I made it clear, but part of what I was trying to get across is that I think of photo printers as entirely separate and distinct from other printers. It's not that you get a printer that can print photos, it's that you get a printer that only prints photos.
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Jan 13, 2021 20:20
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I recently bought an HP M130fw and it's been fine so far except for incredibly bad driver issues on one Windows 10 machine. That particular computer has problems with any printer, though - on other computers the M130fw has been just fine.
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Feb 4, 2021 00:44
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zaepg posted:I have an old HP Inkjet Printer I'm fixing. Why? I mean, if there is a compelling reason or the answer is just "because I want to" that's fine, but non-photo inkjets are more ink-selling vehicles than anything else. If I was working on that thing I'd probably focus on trying to clean out the well where the sponges are - it appears to be where the cartridges park and might insta-clog new cartridges due to all the spilled ink. I would worry it is an exercise in futility - I don't know a lot about the chemicals involved, but I'd be concerned that if the plastic bits in the well marinated in ink long enough the plastic might be permanently altered and will be perpetually sticky.
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Feb 6, 2021 23:47
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Buck Turgidson posted:I ended up going with a more basic Brother laser printer, the HL-L2350DW No issues whatsoever with driverless network printing from an ubuntu machine, android phone etc. Prints fast, print quality seems good (at least for the basic stuff I'm using it for), duplex works. I don't print heaps but I'm happy with it so far. I didn't chime in on your question because I ended up buying an HP laser printer a few months ago, but in my experience printing from Linux has been easier than printing from Windows for a while now.
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Mar 2, 2021 20:28
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This might be a personal bias, but for professional documents laser feels so much better. Whenever I've had to print something serious or official on inkjets I've had qualms, from smeary ink to the document itself not holding up as well over time. I went with a B&W laser MFP for this reason. A quick search shows what I assume to be decent color laser printers (not MFP) down in the $200 range, so depending on budget (and workflow) it still seems reasonable to go laser.
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Apr 5, 2021 06:41
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C-Euro posted:Oh I didn't notice that they make laserjets that do color. I think I could justify $200 on a printer if we get 15 years out of it like we've gotten from this HP :v I'd price out the consumables against the volume of printing being done, but I can't imagine a Brother laser is going to be less cost-effective than any inkjet.
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Apr 6, 2021 00:55
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Polybrute posted:Throwing my useless take in here to say that Ricoh printers are some of the easiest MFPs I've ever worked with. Find printer driver online. Download driver. Unzip. Find printer on network. Install driver. Done. Not to much setting up network folder scanning takes like 2 seconds it's incredible. Meanwhile HP printers have a network folder scan functionality that has worked exactly 1 out of the at least 50 times I've had to work with them. Instead, you have to download a piece of software which then forces you to make an HP account if you want to use the scan function. Because a basic function of the printer being locked behind a piece of software is a totally brilliant idea and should be applauded. gently caress you HP. I'm guessing you're talking about the "HP Smart" bullshit? I haven't really messed around with it, since I set up a network location for scans to go to and I just use that. My partner has been using HP Smart crap and not complaining, but they have an HP laptop and already had an HP account set up, so it was a slightly different situation. Running the HP all-in-one from Linux has been generally faster and easier than running it from Windows.
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Jul 13, 2021 19:33
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Pablo Bluth posted:Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Laser. Yeah, at this point I only think of inkjet as suitable for high-end photo printers.
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Sep 15, 2021 23:53
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If I had a landline phone I could fax from my HP laser all-in-one. DrThief, when you say "I need to print in colour in good quality" what exactly do you mean? Clear color text, graphics, or photos? You can get laser all-in-ones that do color, but what counts as good quality is really going to depend on what kind of output you need. Lasers are not going to be great for photos, but for color text and basic graphics there are going to be many that are just fine. At this point in time you can get laser printers at a much more reasonable price than in the old days, and it really is a night and day difference in using them for business purposes. They're more cost-effective per page, sure, but the output is also just better - it doesn't smear, or bleed, or have any of the pitfalls of inkjet documents. Like I said above on this page, outside of photo printing I just don't see inkjets as a reasonable option anymore.
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Sep 22, 2021 08:18
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FlamingLiberal posted:My HP home all-in-one printer seems to have poo poo the bed..does anyone have any recommendations for an all-in-one that is under $200, or at least the ones I should avoid? You can get laser all-in-ones for under $200. I think mine cost me around $170 or so, but it might have been closer to $200. Check BestBuy or Office Depot or Staples or CostCo and see what they run. For general printing laser is just orders of magnitude better than inkjet. Edit: I checked my printer earlier and after like a year the cartridge is showing 50% use, and I don't have to worry about clogged ink or smearing or poo poo. It is just so vastly superior to the similar-looking inkjet all-in-one I used to use. Both my current and former all-in-ones were HP, for what it's worth. I just avoid their proprietary bullshit and subscription scams and they've been fine. CaptainSarcastic fucked around with this message at 08:46 on Oct 1, 2021 |
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Oct 1, 2021 08:43
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FlamingLiberal posted:What model do you have It's an M130fw and has been fine for me, but I'm also used to making HP stuff behave how I want. I mostly print from Linux, but my partner uses all the HP stuff on Windows and is fine with it. I set up a network location for scanning so that's pretty painless, too. https://www.officedepot.com/a/produ...68&gclsrc=3p.ds
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Oct 1, 2021 23:29
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Faux Mulder posted:I need a home printer that's going to see fairly light use - the occasional couple of documents for work, but probably more often stuff for running tabletop RPGs - player handouts, scenario notes and character sheets, etc. Probably about 15-20 sheets per week one average, and very occasionally some bigger jobs if I want to print out sections of PDF rulebooks, etc, but that's a rare edge case. It doesn't necessarily need to be colour but that would be nice to have, 'cause I'm big on presentation with these things, so if it does do colour it needs to be good colour. I don't have a lot of room so I'd like it to be pretty compact, and I don't need a scanner because I can use the one at work or I guess my phone. Because the jobs will be pretty small, I'm not too fussed about ink economy, and I'm looking to stay on the cheaper side - could probably push it to about £150. What's my best option for this? B&W laser is almost certainly going to be your best bang for the buck, and fewest headaches down the road. The thread generally prefers Brother, but they aren't the only game in town.
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Oct 27, 2021 03:22
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Devian666 posted:How often do people print photos anyway? Even then if you want a quality print you can just go somewhere with fancy commercial printers. If you're printing photos you want a dedicated photo printer, which is generally going to be an inkjet. For everything else a laser is superior.
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Oct 28, 2021 05:05
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I've owned a couple photo printers over the years, first an old HP Photosmart that did pretty well on the right paper, and then a Canon that could do up to at least 11x17 and produced results indistinuishable from or better than the prints I had made at a dedicated photo printing shop (again, paper made a difference). I have a hard time picturing a non-inkjet printer capable of this kind of quality, but your statement about it "costs more than a car" probably explains my ignorance on the matter.
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Oct 28, 2021 08:31
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Paul MaudDib posted:ugh, I still am thinking about printers. I keep talking myself in circles. The L2750DW seems obviously worth it considering the cost of a standalone duplex document scanner. Dehumanize yourself and face to HP.
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Dec 7, 2021 03:14
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If I wanted to print photos I'd get a dedicated photo printer. For my light, irregular working from home output the B&W laser all-in-one I got last year is hands-down superior to any inkjet I've ever owned. No messing with cartridges, no smears, no having to replace overpriced ink because I didn't use it for too long and the head clogged. And the clarity of the text is much better overall.
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Jan 10, 2022 20:58
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Internet Savant posted:I am in a similar situation. We paid the $400ish for the brother 3770 color laser about 3 years ago. It's connected to our home network and when we need to print color , it just works and I don't think about it. The not thinking hard whether the printer will work or not is worth it. the wife being happy part and having something that just works is also worth it.  Well, but with B&W. Since going to laser my biggest headache has been that I keep forgetting to buy paper. I think it's been about a year now since I replaced the old inket AIW with a laser AIW, and it has been a much better experience. And I've had to buy zero consumables.
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Jan 23, 2022 06:38
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redreader posted:It's tax time and I find I have to print sensitive stuff a couple of times a year, and also the same for scanning. I COULD take photos of documents instead of scanning but I'd like to have a scanner. I don't have access to an office or anything, but I have a house so I can set up a print/scan station or something. A laser multifunction device is probably the best way to go, at least in my opinion. The quality of life improvement for me has been significant compared to the inkjet multifunction I had.
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Feb 11, 2022 01:04
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:We finally settled on a Brother MFC-L3770CDW and I might as well be trying to buy the horn off of a unicorn right now. Office Depot wants to act like they sell them for $499 but they just don't have them at all anywhere. Have you checked Best Buy?
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Sep 9, 2022 22:31
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Pablo Bluth posted:https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/epson-quitting-laser-printers-doesnt-address-its-bigger-sustainability-issue/ Wow, that is some utter bullshit. Having been using a laser all-in-one since starting work-from-home there is no way I would go back to an inkjet for normal purposes (photo printing being the one exception). CaptainSarcastic fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Nov 30, 2022 |
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Nov 30, 2022 09:24
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I replaced an inkjet all-in-one with a laser all-in-one near the start of the pandemic, and holy hell it was a quality of life improvement. I don't have to print all that often, so the percentage of times I needed to print but the inkjet had clogged nozzles, or wouldn't print text without a color ink cartridge installed, or had misaligned cartridges, or various other stupid reasons it wouldn't print or wouldn't print well worked out pretty high. The laser has been wonderfully uneventful, and I have yet to need to replace consumables (although I think it is getting close to needing it). The worst I have to do with the laser is occasionally power cycle it because it loses the network/the router forgets about it.
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Dec 1, 2022 07:10
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Gynovore posted:I bought a Brother printer 35 years ago for my Commodore 64. (I'm very old). It was very solid and dependable. You're going to a premium for a color laser printer, but they still aren't that much anymore. If you want to keep cost and hassle low then a cheap B&W laser printer is probably your best option. The lack of hassle I've had since switching to laser instead of inkjet is really remarkable. If I need to print I print, as opposed to needing to clean print heads, hope the ink cartridge is still working, go buy another ink cartridge if it isn't, and all that crap.
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Dec 19, 2022 04:40
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Serperoth posted:Are there any fixes for an inkjet that doesn't clean up any more? There's segments of lines missing at regular intervals, especially with black, with our Epson BX305, and even large amounts of the Head Cleaning option aren't making a dent in the problem. Can't tell if it's the nozzle, or if it's not even getting ink from the cartridge for the full duration of the head movement. The same thing happens when doing photocopies so it definitely seems head-related rather than software, but that's as far as I've been able to find out. I'd suggest setting it to print only in black and white and see if the problem persists. Inkjets will often use color even on a text document that looks plain black and white, so it would be worth seeing if forcing black ink only makes a difference. That said, after going from an inkjet to a laser all-in-one early in the pandemic has made me see inkjets as only viable as photo printers. I print infrequently, and at this point I have yet to have to replace the consumables my printer came with, and it prints reliably despite that infrequent use. Brother has a good reputation, and I'd avoid going with an unknown brand because I'd be concerned about long-term support.
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Mar 6, 2023 09:23
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DicktheCat posted:Ok, I've got some weird and kind of specific needs. It sounds like you want a dedicated photo printer, and they tend to be less reliant on Internet crap that stuff aimed at general consumer use. I haven't dug into it recently, but back when I did a lot of photography I had a Canon photo printer that held its own against photographic enlargements up to 11x14", and often looked better than stuff I got from the photographic place I used.
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Aug 14, 2023 06:59
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I didn't even realize Lexmark was still around. Didn't they make the Dell-branded printers that were out for a brief period?
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Sep 30, 2023 07:52
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Thanks Ants posted:Printing should be avoided if at all possible 
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Dec 8, 2023 20:02
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Pablo Bluth posted:Unless you're running a professional print shop, only buy an inkjet if you hate yourself. Or you're getting a dedicated photo printer. That's about the only use I see for inkjets at this point.
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Jan 12, 2024 06:08
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Ineptitude posted:Both of these are available where i live. The prograf1000 is well beyond what i need though. The price is high but manageable, but i only need A4 and it can print as large as A2 Take this with a grain of salt, but in my experience with inkjet photo printers the paper used did make a big difference. Each of them did push the manufacturer's own paper, and did give good results on it, but they weren't the only game in town. It did require some trial and error to figure out which paper worked well with a given printer, and some of them definitely did not work well, but I eventually got it dialed in. The caveat being this was dedicated photo paper and some years ago when I did a lot of digital darkroom stuff. And when I say "some years" I realize it was like loving 20 years ago. But I would imagine the base mechanics remain the same.
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Jan 18, 2024 09:12
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