Looking for a new printer--any recommendations?

[MacInWin]

I am looking for a new printer. Nothing terribly fancy, and a smaller size would be better. Color, either inkjet or laser, no need for scanner, but won't reject one that has a scanner. Nothing Canon (long story there about lousy Canon support). I've done some research and am kind of leaning to Brother, have looked at the Brother HL-3210 CW, but it seems to take some hits on Amazon. I don't have heavy printing requirements, maybe 45-50 pages/month.

So, other than Canon, anybody have a recommendation from personal experience?

 

[Slydude]

I have a Brother model (MFC J985 DW) It's one of the all-in-ones and find it to be very reliable. Brother has some additional software but you may not need it. It's nothing spectacular.

BTW I haven't looked at the Brother site to see where they stand on support for the upcoming Catalina release but the driver seems to be working under the Catalina beta. There are some features I haven't tested yet.

 

[pigoo3]

I also vote for a Brother printer Jake. I have a Brother laser printer model HL-2280dw...have had it probably around 6-7 years...and has always worked great:

- It's a printer, scanner, and copier...and it's worked great for all three functions.
- It's WiFi.
- As far as size...it's not the smallest or largest.

If I was going to purchase another printer today...I would probably go with another Brother. Looking at Brother.com...I would probably consider one of the following models (all under $250...most under $200):

Black & White only:

HL-L2395DW
HL-L2390DW

Color:

HL-L3210CW (the model you mentioned)
HL-L3270CDW

If I was forced to decide on a single model...I would probably go with the HL-L2395DW $169.99. I really don't need color printing (color consumables can be expensive)...and I like the 2.7" color touchscreen display this one has over the other b&w laser printer I mentioned.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[chscag]

I too would recommend a Brother. Right now I'm using an older Epson model for color and a very old HP LaserJet which has been like the energizer bunny - keeps on going.

Keep an eye out for sales from Staples and Office Depot. Both stock a wide variety of Brother printers and frequently put them on sale or issue a 10% or 15% discount coupon. And I agree with you about Canon printers. Canon makes great cameras and ought to stick to doing just that.

 

[MacInWin]

Thanks, guys. I'm going to keep an eye out for sales and also the Amazon Days coming next week. I think I've settled on the Brother.

 

[RavingMac]

I’ll come late to the party, and also recommend Brother.

I’ve owned three of their Laser Printers with zero problems. Every 5 to 8 years I get rid of the old one and buy new (normally because I run into a deal on Amazon that makes it about as cheap as buying replacement cartridges for the old.

My current printer is an HP, but only because I wanted to try an all-in-one Color Laser and it had good reviews

 

[krs]

I'm late to the party as well, but I just want to throw out a cautionary note about Brother printers.

Don't know if all of them are like that, and maybe the problem I ran into is not an issue for the OP, but I found out to my surprise after I had the printer for a while and couldn't return it, that it could not handle heavy paper.
The paper I needed to print on was 60 lb stock and the way the Brother paper feed was designed, with a fairly tight 180 degree turn, the printer just couldn't handle that thickness.
Regular 20 lb or 24 lb pager was fine.

 

[chscag]

60 lb stock is some pretty heavy paper. We print all our booklets on 24 lb and they get quite bulky when we have to carry around 30 or 40 at a time. I've never used a Brother Laser printer so am not familiar with how they handle paper. My older HP LaserJet can handle some pretty thick stock but it has to be fed a few at a time.

 

[pm-r]

I am looking for a new printer.

Do you have any or many consumables for the printer you are currently using as long as that brand has worked for you fairly well.

When shopping for a general printer, I usually head off to the big stores I have access to (locally or on-line) and the hit their "Printers On Sale" option button, and then go thrugh the list of options available. Quite often there are some really good buys I would have not normally considered, but also have soe good reviews and Mac Compatibility — a must to check on!!!.


- Patrick
======

 

[RavingMac]

Do you have any or many consumables for the printer you are currently using as long as that brand has worked for you fairly well.

When shopping for a general printer, I usually head off to the big stores I have access to (locally or on-line) and the hit their "Printers On Sale" option button, and then go thrugh the list of options available. Quite often there are some really good buys I would have not normally considered, but also have soe good reviews and Mac Compatibility — a must to check on!!!.


- Patrick
======

Usually, to handle card stock and other heavy paper, the printers I’ve used have had an additional single-sheet feed slot. I have almost never used stock that heavy, and it would probably vary from model to model, but I believe most if not all of the Brother Lasers I have owned had such a secondary feed slot.

 

[MacInWin]

Patrick, I have no consumables, I know about checking for Mac compatibility. My wife has an identical printer to mine, so my old one will become a backup to hers. She prints much more than I, given that she uses it for her business. I'm looking for something smaller to free up some space I need, as well as to change the way the paper is handled. I also don't need heavy stock. I remember doing heavy stock on an HP that had a manual feed slot for stock that couldn't bend well. Never really used it at all.

 

[krs]

Usually, to handle card stock and other heavy paper, the printers I’ve used have had an additional single-sheet feed slot. I have almost never used stock that heavy, and it would probably vary from model to model, but I believe most if not all of the Brother Lasers I have owned had such a secondary feed slot.

The Brother printer where I had the problem was an inkjet. The paper tray was at the front which was quite handy.
Printers I had before that had the feed tray at the back angled upwards.
Newer printers now, not necessarily Brother, tend to have a secondary feed slot which I think comes in handy - not just for heavier paper but also to print a sheet or two using specialty paper that may not be in the main paper trays.
I posted the problem I ran into just as a general 'heads-up', the OP is looking for just a basic printer, so this is probably not an issue.

However, one thing I like to point out, last time I looked at colour laser printers, they were not suitable to print colour images.
They were OK to print colour text or line drawings but not to print a colour photograph.
Don't know if that has changed but I doubt it.

 

[krs]

I'm looking for something smaller to free up some space I need, as well as to change the way the paper is handled.

What do you mean by the bolded part in your post?
Change the way....from what to what?

 

[MacInWin]

What do you mean by the bolded part in your post?
Change the way....from what to what?

Right now the paper is in a tray, feeds through the printer and emerges onto a flat surface just above that tray. The surface extends in front of the printer about 7-8 inches. Where I have to put the printer, that entire assembly is threatened by my chair, either to break it off (not happened, yet), or to twist the entire printer sideways a little bit (happens all the time). So I'm looking for something where the paper comes out on top of the printer--nothing stuck out from the sides at all.

 

[pigoo3]

Regarding Brother Printers & heavier paper stock...I'm sure not all are equal in their abilities...I'm sure the less expensive models are not as capable.

The Brother printer I've had for the last 8 years (mentioned above) and probably both the newer Brother models I mentioned (also above)...have "straight thru" paper feeding abilities....thus should be able to handle much heavier paper stock...since the paper goes straight thru (no tight turns or bends).

Check out this video:

YouTube

- Nick

 

[RavingMac]

. . . However, one thing I like to point out, last time I looked at colour laser printers, they were not suitable to print colour images.
They were OK to print colour text or line drawings but not to print a colour photograph.
Don't know if that has changed but I doubt it.

Honestly, the last time I looked at inkjet printers, unless you popped for a high dollar model, they weren’t really suitable for printing color photos either. For my usage the color laser is fine. If I want photo quality prints, I order them online.

BTW, not saying you can’t get decent prints from an inkjet, just that my usage doesn’t warrant the cost in consumables (dried up or wasted ink) or equipment, since I seldom print photos. But, when I do I want the best I can get

 

[chscag]

If I want photo quality prints, I order them online.

That's what I do also. I can order online to Walgreens and pick up my order in an hour or so. And the cost per print comes out to a lot less than buying a photo quality printer and then the paper to go along with it. Ink refills for a photo quality printer will send you to the poor house.

 

[pm-r]

BTW, not saying you can’t get decent prints from an inkjet, just that my usage doesn’t warrant the cost in consumables

Heck, we have a fairly decent Canon PIXMA photo printing printer, MX 922, and use good but cheap third party inks, but there's no way we could buy the photo paper and get any quality output even close to the cheap price of what COSTCO, Staples or our London Drugs copy centers etc. can supply good quality color prints for.

BTW: I bought the MX 922 on sale for $79.00cdn to replace the PIXMA MG5620 ($69.00 on sale) that started to go goofy.

So far so good for the small amount it get's used.

PS: They both used the same ink cartridges types of which I had spares. That save some more money. ;-)


- Patrick
======

 

[krs]

I buy Epson non-OEM cartridges for just over $1.00 each from an ebayer in BC.
It's a two-part cartridge where the outer frame contains the chip and the inner plastic insert the ink.
One reuses the outer frame, the expensive part and just replaces the inner portion with the ink at just over $1.00 each, so consumables are pretty cheap in my case.

But for me, the thing that limits the printers I can use is that I need both large format printing and large format scanning - sizes like 13 x 19 inches.
Thd only reasonably priced printers I have found are Epson and HP, both ink jets.

 

[pm-r]

But for me, the thing that limits the printers I can use is that I need both large format printing and large format scanning - sizes like 13 x 19 inches.
Thd only reasonably priced printers I have found are Epson and HP, both ink jets.

I don't know how many similar large format scan/print jobs you have to do each day/month, but if it's not very many, that sounds like a job to be left for the local scanning/printing shops. Then just dive over and pickup the completed product. The expenses to do so may also be elegible for some tax write-off or expense reduction.

PS: Don't forget to include the costs for stopping by the local Pub and a pint or so and maybe a Pub snack!!!



- Patrick
======