"Ethical" Printer?
 

I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that go
to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went onto
paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.

How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

"Ethical" Printer?
 

~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that go
to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went onto
paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.

How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.

The public library prints for $0.05 or %0.10 a sheet :-)

That's a pretty good deal in my book. If your print volume
per year is minuscule and predictable (tax forms for archive),
that might be good enough.

It would take a bit more volume to justify a color laser,
and those probably aren't as saturated as your inkjet
with proper (coated) paper would be.

Paul

"Ethical" Printer?
 

"~misfit~" wrote in message
...
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that
go to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went
onto paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.

How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a
cozy little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

I've been using an HP Photosmart color inkjet for a decade. When I was using
it less frequently, I cursed the cost. Now I use it more frequently it seems
to be cost effective. Over a decade, the driver software may have improved.
Likewise, I use a B/W Samsung Laser/Scanner, even older. It was getting so
decrepit, that I ordered the renewal kit for the take up rollers. Now I've
been using it more, there are no problems. I've had no need to install the
renewal kit.

Maintenance is another issue. Lesson: use it or lose it.

"Ethical" Printer?
 

Once upon a time on usenet Paul wrote:
~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly)
and, as with the last one I see that there is more ink in the
silicone tubes that go to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge
itself than ever went onto paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of
carts. How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very
not-rich and only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually
text-only (but 'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in
the medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if
this post is OT for this group.

The public library prints for $0.05 or %0.10 a sheet :-)

That's a pretty good deal in my book. If your print volume
per year is minuscule and predictable (tax forms for archive),
that might be good enough.

It would take a bit more volume to justify a color laser,
and those probably aren't as saturated as your inkjet
with proper (coated) paper would be.

Paul

Thanks Paul. I'm not close to a public library and last I heard here in New
Zealand they'll only copy, not print. I'll double-check when next I'm near
one.

I print out about 25 pages a year so I suppose I'll carry on buying cheap
inkjets and putting them in landfill after about 18 - 24 months (much as I
hate that). I mean I really hate that but it works out at about $2 a page if
I buy clearace last years model printers with 'starter cartridges'.

Even if I could get prints for $0.05 from a library it would cost me over $5
to go there and I have no other reason to.

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

"Ethical" Printer?
 

Once upon a time on usenet Norm X wrote:
"~misfit~" wrote in message
...
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly)
and, as with the last one I see that there is more ink in the
silicone tubes that go to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge
itself than ever went onto paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of
carts. How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very
not-rich and only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually
text-only (but 'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in
the medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if
this post is OT for this group.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief
has a cozy little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

I've been using an HP Photosmart color inkjet for a decade. When I
was using it less frequently, I cursed the cost. Now I use it more
frequently it seems to be cost effective. Over a decade, the driver
software may have improved. Likewise, I use a B/W Samsung
Laser/Scanner, even older. It was getting so decrepit, that I ordered
the renewal kit for the take up rollers. Now I've been using it more,
there are no problems. I've had no need to install the renewal kit.

Maintenance is another issue. Lesson: use it or lose it.

That seems to be the theme - use it or lose it.

When I was computer naive back in the early 1990s I bought a B&W laser
printer with my first ever PC (I was using an Amiga and dot matrix before
that). However it turned out the printer was a win-printer (Winstar?) and
not only would it only work with Windows (3.1 then) but they stopped
supplying drivers for it after about Win 95. That damn thing cost me close
to a grand in NZ money (maybe US$650) and still had heaps of toner when I
dumped it.

So throw-away inkjets it is then. That last printer got more use than the
next one will as I was pinting the odd document for a housemate (who's no
longer here). I doubt the next one will see out it's starter carts.

Cheers Norm.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

"Ethical" Printer?
 

On 1/2/2018 12:13 AM, ~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that go
to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went onto
paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.

How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.


Spend a bit more and buy a color laser printer for everyday use.

I have a Brother HL-3170CDW which wasn't expensive. It even saves paper by
printing on both sides when I want it to. I'll admit that the color output
is not gallery-quality but it works for almost everything and I still have
an elderly Epson 5-color for when I just must have a glossy photo printout.

"Ethical" Printer?
 

On Tue, 2 Jan 2018 07:09:30 -0500, John McGaw wrote:

On 1/2/2018 12:13 AM, ~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that go
to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went onto
paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.
How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).
Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)
All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.



Spend a bit more and buy a color laser printer for everyday use.

I have a Brother HL-3170CDW which wasn't expensive. It even saves paper by
printing on both sides when I want it to. I'll admit that the color output
is not gallery-quality but it works for almost everything and I still have
an elderly Epson 5-color for when I just must have a glossy photo printout.


+ 1
I got the cheaper Brother 3140 colour laser, 2-3 years ago -
~ $ 300. Canadian. I'm quite happy with it.
I just replaced the starter black toner with aftermarket ~ $ 25.
I expect the 3 colour starter toners will last another couple years
: zero photo quality printing
: a few small document colour jobs per month - google map eg.
: a few small mono print jobs per week sudoku eg.
My previous inkjet printers suffered the common problems -
expensive new ink cart. ; poor refilled units ; low use issues ..
John T.

"Ethical" Printer?
 

On 01/01/2018 11:13 PM, ~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly) and, as
with the last one I see that there is more ink in the silicone tubes that go
to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge itself than ever went onto
paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of carts.

How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very not-rich and
only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually text-only (but
'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in the
medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if this post
is OT for this group.



My wife and I have a good quality Epson that is used ONLY for printing
photos.


All text is done on a Samsung ML-2851ND


It cost $99 and has worked flawlessly for five or six years now.

I did not even realize when I bought it that it has network
capabilities, so all the computers in our house can easily print to it.


The original OEM ink is expensive, so I just use the generic stuff from
eBay.

One cartridge lasts about a year and costs $13...works just fine


Can't beat that.

"Ethical" Printer?
 

Once upon a time on usenet John McGaw wrote:
On 1/2/2018 12:13 AM, ~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly)
and, as with the last one I see that there is more ink in the
silicone tubes that go to the waste sponge and dried into the sponge
itself than ever went onto paper during the ~2 years and ~3 sets of
carts. How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very
not-rich and only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually
text-only (but 'documents' often have colour borders etc.).

Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good in
the medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in obsolescence.)

All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if
this post is OT for this group.


Spend a bit more and buy a color laser printer for everyday use.

I'll look into it but I'm an invalid on welfare and I don't need everyday
use, more like every month.

I have a Brother HL-3170CDW which wasn't expensive. It even saves
paper by printing on both sides when I want it to. I'll admit that
the color output is not gallery-quality but it works for almost
everything and I still have an elderly Epson 5-color for when I just
must have a glossy photo printout.

Oddly photo printing is the one thing that I don't need. There's a local
appliance and computer store that prints photos off USB, memory card or CD
very very cheaply. You sit at a booth, insert your media, select the files
you want printed and what size and finish etc. Then it spits out a docket
which you take to the counter and pay. About 5 minutes later they call your
name. A 'standard' photo print is ony $0.15 or so. This removes the need for
photo-quality printing.

All I print is a calendar once a year (plain, just day and date, one page
per month so I can write appointments, prescription pick-up dates etc on
it), a letter or two, the odd receipt or 'proof of purchase' when needed and
maybe a map or two. Say 25 pages a year tops. It seems the low output is
working against me. :-/

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

"Ethical" Printer?
 

Once upon a time on usenet wrote:
On Tue, 2 Jan 2018 07:09:30 -0500, John McGaw wrote:

On 1/2/2018 12:13 AM, ~misfit~ wrote:
I've just junked yet another inkjet printer for parts (PSU mainly)
and, as with the last one I see that there is more ink in the
silicone tubes that go to the waste sponge and dried into the
sponge itself than ever went onto paper during the ~2 years and ~3
sets of carts.
How do they get away with this? It was a Canon FWIW. I'm very
not-rich and only need to print maybe once a month or so, usually
text-only (but 'documents' often have colour borders etc.).
Any suggestions for something affordable that will likely be good
in the medium / long term? (I strongly dislike built-in
obsolescence.)
All the best for 2018 to the people reading this group. Sorry if
this post is OT for this group.



Spend a bit more and buy a color laser printer for everyday use.

I have a Brother HL-3170CDW which wasn't expensive. It even saves
paper by printing on both sides when I want it to. I'll admit that
the color output is not gallery-quality but it works for almost
everything and I still have an elderly Epson 5-color for when I just
must have a glossy photo printout.


+ 1
I got the cheaper Brother 3140 colour laser, 2-3 years ago -
~ $ 300. Canadian. I'm quite happy with it.
I just replaced the starter black toner with aftermarket ~ $ 25.
I expect the 3 colour starter toners will last another couple years
: zero photo quality printing
: a few small document colour jobs per month - google map eg.
: a few small mono print jobs per week sudoku eg.
My previous inkjet printers suffered the common problems -
expensive new ink cart. ; poor refilled units ; low use issues ..
John T.

Thanks John. I guess I should have started this thread *before* the holiday
season discounts. Then again I didn't know that my previously 'fine' printer
was going to turn on dead then....
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)