Throughout my life i have set up a multitude of different printers. None of them have been a pleasant experience. Why is this, and is there a printer that is actually good?
Order of priorities:
Free/open software and hardware
Available ink/toner and spares
No connectivity “dumb as a rock”
Print quality really doesent matter unless it is really bad. Of course, im willing to make sacrifices on all of these points, but you get the gist.
Any suggestions for models that comes even close to any of these requirements?
I would NEVER recommend a modern HP printer, but…I have a HP Laserjet 4000 (Circa 1997) that I ‘acquired’ from the company I worked for that went bankrupt.
This thing refuses to die. current impression count is over 500,000 prints. All its patents expired over a decade ago, and it’s still easy to find parts and toner (originals, and now even 3rd party knockoffs). It’s old enough now that modern generic drivers have built in support for it. The only parts I’ve ever had to replace are the rubber sheet feeder rollers which dry out and stop working correctly after 12-15 years.
So, I guess the point here is that some really solid printers were made a couple decades ago, back when manufacturers still took pride in their products, and they are old enough that the hardware is no longer protected by patents (so practically open) and robust driver support without all the bullshit. Picking up something from this era and cleaning it up would come close to satisfying a lot of your requirements.
I note that in the comments you acknowledge that point #1 doesn’t exist.
I had a similar set of criteria to you. I settled on the Epson Ecotank. No complaints so far. It has wifi but I never turned that on, I connect it to my (linux) laptop with a USB cable.
Some printers are programmed to stop working after a certain number of prints. I hope this isn’t one of them.
I bought an Epson Ecotank. It was a nightmare to setup the WiFi connection, and when we finally had it connected it was unstable and printed out text when we tried to print images. Returned it the next day.
Ended up buying a Canon Pixma 600 series and I’m happy so far. Use it to print photos, and the result isn’t too bad either. It has tanks similar to the Ecotank
I share your frustration with printer hell. I don’t use the wifi on the Epson Ecotank.
Previously I owned a Canon Pixma, a pre tank version. It worked great for several years, then one day it stopped working. I eventually established that the problem was that the machine was programmed to fail after a finite number of prints. It’s criminal that they prevent you from maintaining their hardware.
It’s hard to find a good printer when it seems all the companies that produces them are all about making money and screwing the buyers.
Fortunately for me, in my country (Norway) we have really good consumer protection laws, so if my printer fails before it should I will get it repaired or replaced. But I really hope this one lasts.
The ink bottles are cheaper than cartridges and it’s basically “dumb”. There’s no DRM that prevents you from squirting any generic type of ink in there.
I did not test it on older hardware but mine is WiFi enabled and it works seamlessly on every device.
It’s not a perfect solution but it’s a good middle ground for me.
I gave up years ago. The best printer is pay by the page at your local office or FedEx ofc. Unless your printing and scanning constantly, every printer ends up being more expensive or frustrating.
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Point 1 doesn’t exist.
Yeah, im aware. Mostly mentioned to set the tone.
I see what you did there!
I would NEVER recommend a modern HP printer, but…I have a HP Laserjet 4000 (Circa 1997) that I ‘acquired’ from the company I worked for that went bankrupt.
This thing refuses to die. current impression count is over 500,000 prints. All its patents expired over a decade ago, and it’s still easy to find parts and toner (originals, and now even 3rd party knockoffs). It’s old enough now that modern generic drivers have built in support for it. The only parts I’ve ever had to replace are the rubber sheet feeder rollers which dry out and stop working correctly after 12-15 years.
So, I guess the point here is that some really solid printers were made a couple decades ago, back when manufacturers still took pride in their products, and they are old enough that the hardware is no longer protected by patents (so practically open) and robust driver support without all the bullshit. Picking up something from this era and cleaning it up would come close to satisfying a lot of your requirements.
I note that in the comments you acknowledge that point #1 doesn’t exist.
I had a similar set of criteria to you. I settled on the Epson Ecotank. No complaints so far. It has wifi but I never turned that on, I connect it to my (linux) laptop with a USB cable.
Some printers are programmed to stop working after a certain number of prints. I hope this isn’t one of them.
I bought an Epson Ecotank. It was a nightmare to setup the WiFi connection, and when we finally had it connected it was unstable and printed out text when we tried to print images. Returned it the next day.
Ended up buying a Canon Pixma 600 series and I’m happy so far. Use it to print photos, and the result isn’t too bad either. It has tanks similar to the Ecotank
I share your frustration with printer hell. I don’t use the wifi on the Epson Ecotank.
Previously I owned a Canon Pixma, a pre tank version. It worked great for several years, then one day it stopped working. I eventually established that the problem was that the machine was programmed to fail after a finite number of prints. It’s criminal that they prevent you from maintaining their hardware.
It’s hard to find a good printer when it seems all the companies that produces them are all about making money and screwing the buyers.
Fortunately for me, in my country (Norway) we have really good consumer protection laws, so if my printer fails before it should I will get it repaired or replaced. But I really hope this one lasts.
+1 for the Epson Ecotank.
The ink bottles are cheaper than cartridges and it’s basically “dumb”. There’s no DRM that prevents you from squirting any generic type of ink in there.
I did not test it on older hardware but mine is WiFi enabled and it works seamlessly on every device.
It’s not a perfect solution but it’s a good middle ground for me.
I gave up years ago. The best printer is pay by the page at your local office or FedEx ofc. Unless your printing and scanning constantly, every printer ends up being more expensive or frustrating.
removed by mod
Over the past 30 years, technology has taken extensive leaps forward. Except for printers and printer drivers. Still stuck in 1990.
Like others have mentioned, black & white Brother laser printers are the way to go. No bloated software, lasts forever, no fussy ink situations, etc.