Looking for printer recommendations

[Marrk]

I need a new printer/scanner. Care to recommend one here?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

No specific recommendation, but the first thing you need to answer is whether you want laser or inkjet, second is color or B&W. Beyond that, figure out your budget and then start doing your research with known brands (Brother, Canon, HP to name a few).

I have a really old Canon multi-function laser color printer that works for our household needs.

 

[pm-r]

Beyond that, figure out your budget and then start doing your research with known brands (Brother, Canon, HP to name a few).

And don't forget to check out your normal local suppliers that carry computer printers and see what they have on sale. The last printer I bought just happened to be a highly-rated Canon MX922 that was on a super sale discount at our local Best Buy or Staples store, the extra bonus was it used the same color ink cartridges as my old kaput Canon printer had used, and I had a decent supply of them.

The super sale reduced price made my printer decision choice pretty obvious.




- Patrick
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[Marrk]

@pm-r Indeed. That's how I got my current printer, a Canon MF212w. Paid $89.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

@Raz0rEdge I need a new printer/scanner. Care to recommend one here,

So...in my no so humble opinion, Canon makes the best color inkjet printers, and Brother makes the best black and white laser printers.

If you want an all-in-one (printer/scanner/copier) that is based on a color inkjet, I recommend this one (which is the successor to the wildly popular MX922):

Canon PIXMA TR8620a

$150 direct from Canon:
https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/pixma-tr8620a?color=Black&type=New

$149
https://www.amazon.com/Canon-TR8620a-Document-Printing-Airprint/dp/B09TRZLPXP/

Macintosh downloadable drivers and manual:
https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/...-tr8620/pixma-tr8620?subtab=downloads-drivers

Note that there is a TR8620 and a TR8620a model. They are identical, except the “TR8620” (no “a”) has Bluetooth as well as AirPrint. The "a" model only has AirPrint. If you have an iPhone and a Mac, you only need AirPrint. But you need Bluetooth if you have an android phone (e.g. Samsung).
So…if you have a Macintosh and an iPhone, EITHER model will be fine. The "a" model will be cheaper.

If you want an all-in-one based on a black and white laser printer, I recommend:

Brother Monochrome Laser Printer, Compact Multifunction Printer and Copier, DCPL2550DW
$200
https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Monochrome-Multifunction-DCPL2550DW-Replenishment/dp/B0764P8F5J/

Here is a third party source for high quality replacement toner cartridges at a huge discount:

TN760 high capacity toner cartridge
$30
https://www.swiftink.com/product/co...-yield-black-toner-cartridge-3000-page-yield/

 

[Marrk]

@Randy B. Singer Wow! That's incredibly helpful, Randy. You have helped me a lot. Thank you.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

@Randy B. Singer Wow! That's incredibly helpful, Randy. You have helped me a lot. Thank you.

I'm glad that I could be of assistance! There are actually long-winded explanations for my printer recommendations. I thought that I would spare you if all that you wanted was a bare recommendation. But I can be more specific about the "why" if you like.

 

[Marrk]

I'm glad that I could be of assistance! There are actually long-winded explanations for my printer recommendations. I thought that I would spare you if all that you wanted was a bare recommendation. But I can be more specific about the "why" if you like.

More information would be great. I haven't owned an inkjet or color printer in a long time. I'm wondering about the crispness of the output when printing text. I'm leaning toward the Canon that you recommended.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

More information would be great. I haven't owned an inkjet or color printer in a long time. I'm wondering about the crispness of the output when printing text. I'm leaning toward the Canon that you recommended.

I'm a big fan of Canon color inkjet printers. However they only make a few models that I would recommend.

I recommend their models that use the 5 separate ink cartridge system. (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black-dye based, Black-pigment based). The five cartridge system allows you to replace only the colors that are running out, and it gives you a pigment-based true black for printing sharp text documents, and a dye-based true black for printing photos and artwork. This setup avoids a lot of problems that other inkjets have, including the cheaper Canons, and is the best of all worlds. It also prints stunning photographs on cheap Canon coated photo paper.

I should warn you that ANY inkjet printer that's not used regularly is going to clog its print heads. Canons, in my experience, are the most resistant brand to clogging, but they will still clog. If you will only be printing infrequently, you should consider getting a laser printer instead, or sending your color photographs out to someplace like Walmart to be printed. The model of Canon that I recommended has the advantage that the printheads can be easily removed and soaked overnight in printhead cleaner.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

By the way, the biggest problem with inkjet printers is the price of replacement ink cartridges. Inkjet printers drink ink prodigiously. Here is a source for high quality replacement extra high capacity ink cartridges for the Canon PIXMA TR8620a for less than a third the price of OEM cartridges:

$32 for a set of all 5 cartridges:
https://www.carrotink.com/canon-280xxl-281xxl-small-combo.html

 

[Randy B. Singer]

By the way, the biggest problem with inkjet printers is the price of replacement ink cartridges. Inkjet printers drink ink prodigiously. Here is a source for high quality replacement extra high capacity ink cartridges for the Canon PIXMA TR8620a for less than a third the price of OEM cartridges:

$32 for a set of all 5 cartridges:
Canon PGI-280XXL & CLI-281XXL Super High-Yield Compatible Ink Cartridge 5-Pack Combo

Caveat: Don't go on Amazon and search for replacement cartridges and say "OH, these cartridges on Amazon are even less expensive than the ones Randy recommended. Let's go for these!" The third party ink cartridges on Amazon, in my experience, tend to be garbage!!

 

[pm-r]

Note that there is a TR8620 and a TR8620a model. They are identical, except the “TR8620” (no “a”) has Bluetooth as well as AirPrint.

@Randy B. Singer
Congratulations on your ability to discover the features of various different printer models, as I found such information was almost like pulling teeth without freezing at the various printer Manufacturing sites when I was looking for a placement printer and trying to decipher the differences in the various models.

Canon is not alone in this problem either. It would be nice if they had a comparison of features that was easy to translate and discover what each model had or didn't have, with suggested retail price included.

It's interesting the one seems to have to rely on various forums such as this one and others to often find and discover what the actual differences are.

I haven't looked recently so maybe things have improved a bit better but here's another bit about two different Canon model printers from their own forums:

Difference between TR8620 and TR8622

Mechanically, they are identical. Their features are exactly the same. The software and drivers they use is also the same. The only difference is the models ending in 22 were manufactured specifically for sale through Walmart. ...

Difference between TR8620 and TR8622

What is the difference between these two printers?

community.usa.canon.com

EDIT:
Randy said:

Caveat: Don't go on Amazon and search for replacement cartridges

I recently switched from one Canadian firm for my inkjet replacement cartridges to another firm that has a Canadian and American Outlets that are an even better deal and good quality inks but I have had no problems with them so far.

An excellent deal I found: smartink.pro

Shop - Smart Ink Cartridges Official Shop | Canada

WHAT IS INSIDE? • 2 х Black (TN760) - 3000 pagesWe will carefully pack and ship your Brother TN760 and 730 replacement toner from the warehouse closest to you in Canada.

smartink.pro

- Patrick
=======

 

[Marrk]

I recommend their models that use the 5 separate ink cartridge system. (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black-dye based, Black-pigment based). The five cartridge system allows you to replace only the colors that are running out, and it gives you a pigment-based true black for printing sharp text documents, and a dye-based true black for printing photos and artwork. This setup avoids a lot of problems that other inkjets have, including the cheaper Canons, and is the best of all worlds. It also prints stunning photographs on cheap Canon coated photo paper.

I should warn you that ANY inkjet printer that's not used regularly is going to clog its print heads. Canons, in my experience, are the most resistant brand to clogging, but they will still clog. If you will only be printing infrequently, you should consider getting a laser printer instead, or sending your color photographs out to someplace like Walmart to be printed. The model of Canon that I recommended has the advantage that the printheads can be easily removed and soaked overnight in printhead cleaner.

The last color inkjet printer I had was a Canon with the five separate ink cartridge system. My recollection is that the cartridge and the print head were one unit, so that when you replaced the cartridge, you also replaced the print head. As you noted, the cartridges can be expensive, and that was a motivation to try something else. My current printer, the Canon MF212w, is a black-only laser printer. The toner cartridge is $80, but lasts a good while. The problem is that the print quality is poor — too faint.

 

[pm-r]

Canon is not alone in this problem either. It would be nice if they had a comparison of features that was easy to translate and discover what each model had or didn't have, with suggested retail price included.

Here's a page from Cannon's own forums that outlines the problems of their printer's features and comparisons pretty well:

Can anyone clearly summarize the different printer series -- MG, MX, TS, TR?

What are the key differences between the four series? How does one decide which series is best for them? In Canon's Inkjet Multifunction line of printers, I see there are currently four different series -- MG, MX, TS, TR. I didn't find a page on their website that describes each series and...

community.usa.canon.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[pm-r]

The toner cartridge is $80, but lasts a good while. The problem is that the print quality is poor — too faint.

Have you done any sleuthing into the problem to see if any of the other suggestions help such as this one:

Printing Is Faint/Faded

Canon Knowledge Base - Printing Is Faint/Faded

Also, try removing the toner cartridge from the printer and rocking it back and forth a few times to distribute the toner inside the cartridge properly.

And make sure your printer isn't set for Draft printing as a Default setting.

Also:

the Canon MF212w, is a black-only laser printer The problem is that the print quality is poor — too faint. - Google Search

- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The last color inkjet printer I had was a Canon with the five separate ink cartridge system. My recollection is that the cartridge and the print head were one unit

That hasn't been the case with the Canon units that have been most popular with Macintosh users for many years. Here are the instructions that I used to pop out the printhead from my MX922 the last time that I needed to clean it:

Canon Knowledge Base - Reseat or Replace the Print Head on a PIXMA MX722, MX922

Popping out the printhead was easy. It took less than a minute. I soaked it overnight in a solution of Windex and high concentration rubbing alcohol, rinsed it, and it came out like new.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

@Randy B. Singer
Congratulations on your ability to discover the features of various different printer models, as I found such information was almost like pulling teeth ...

Much earlier in my life I was in retail sales. I can tell you that a huge company like Canon, that sells their products through several different channels, DOES NOT WANT you to know the differences between all of its models. That's because a big company makes different models, all slightly different (the differences may be only cosmetic, or they may be very important, but invisible), for different channels, so that they aren't competing against each other.

So, Walmart has its own dedicated model that no one else has, built to a (low) price point. Since no one else has the same model, Walmart can both advertise that they have a genuine Canon printer at a rock bottom price, without also having to worry about competing against anyone else who sells Canon printers based on price.

There is likely a special model for online resellers, and a special model for stand-alone computer stores, etc. Since each of those channels has their own model, they have little or no competition to get into a price war with. In this way, Canon can flood the market with product, yet not create a disincentive for retailers to want to carry their products. In the business, this is called "protecting your channels".

Note that Brother does something slightly different. They too have lots of models, but their Web site allows you to compare their features easily. They aren't hiding anything. Any channel, apparently, can choose to sell any of Brother's models, but since their are so many models, and each model has important valuable differences from any other, and each model is priced differently from all the others, retailers can choose which model(s) are appropriate to carry for their targeted customers. This approach works out rather nicely for consumers. A discerning customer can choose the model that is just perfect for them based on features and price, if they are willing to invest the time and effort to figure out which model that is.

So, yes, it took me a very long time to figure out which one of Canon's models was the spiritual successor to the much-loved MX922, while still being sold at a reasonable price. Without someone like me doing that, your average consumer wouldn't have a clue. Canon has models that are sort of like the MX922, but which are more up-market, and they have models that are sort of like the MX922, but which are more aimed at business consumers and less so at photographers.

This is not to say that these practices are evil, or even bad. It's business. This is what companies have to do to be successful. I remember that at one time, many years ago, Sony started selling the same few consumer products to any channel that wanted to carry them. You could buy a Sony car stereo at your local drug store. That created a huge price war between all retailers, and suddenly retailers all together decided that there was no money to be made selling Sony consumer products. Overnight next to NO ONE wanted to carry Sony products anymore. It almost killed Sony.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I recently switched from one Canadian firm for my inkjet replacement cartridges to another firm that has a Canadian and American Outlets that are an even better deal and good quality inks but I have had no problems with a tall so far.

I'm in the U.S., and I don't know much about third party printer comsumable suppliers in other countries.

What I've done is I've kept a database, over a long period of time (about 30 years), of the few companies that folks on discussion lists have mentioned over and over again as having very high quality consumables at excellent prices. Really, that boils down to only about five different companies in the U.S. The two most popular ones are CarrotInk and SwiftInk. Unfortunately I don't think that any of the five ship outside of the U.S.

By and large third party consumables from Amazon are POS's. It's rare that I hear from someone who has good things to say about consumables that they purchased from Amazon, and I've never heard of an Amazon source that LOTS of folks have CONSISTENLY had good experiences with. However, I often hear from folks who have purchased consumables from Amazon, and they don't work well. So, my recommendation is to go with the companies that are a sure bet if you are in the U.S. If you are outside of the U.S., you need to go on a local Macintosh discussion forum and see what others recommend locally.

 

[pm-r]

If and when one is running low on soon-to-be-needed replacement ink cartridges, I have found that one's local Facebook Marketplace often has compatible inkjet cartridges for a very reasonable price.
Of course, some sellers try and sell for more than they cost at a retail store, just ignore them obviously...

I guess many of the sellers had to replace their printers and discovered that the spare ink cartridges they had on hand no longer fit the new printer, which is to the Buyers Advantage if the price is right to pick up some spares at a good decent cheap price. And often OEM XL cartridges for an even better deal.



- Patrick
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[exncite]

Surprised that no one has also mentioned HP. I have an HP Officejet Pro 610 AIO that I have used for years and still running strong. It also is a 5 ink configuration. I can print remotely from iPhone and iPad as well as the iMac.