Guys, just buy laser printers, assuming you have any need for a printer still in the year of our lord, 2023. 15 years ago my printer wouldn’t let me scan a document because it was low on magenta ink, so I took it outside and smashed it on the ground, threw it into the dumpster, drove to the store, and bought a Brother laser printer. During the entire 15 years since then I’ve had to buy toner one time, and I found it at the thrift store for $5. That’ll probably hold us over for the rest of our lives since we rarely need to print these days. Ink jets are shitty rip-off machines. Destroy yours today.
Photographers don’t have that option. Last time I checked, laser printers sucked for photos.
I’m glad I don’t need to print photos. But if I did, I would probably consider one of these options:
a continuous ink system (“CIS”). There are CIS kits for modifying a rip-off printer. There are also complete printers that come with an integrated CIS but they charge a fortune for those since they’re not gouging you on the ink swindles.
project the digital image onto real photo paper in a darkroom & develop it with chemicals. I think Walmart has a machine that does that, in effect, and you pay per photo for their service.
Amen I bought a used one from work for £20 8 years ago with a bunch of spare toners and I still haven’t used any of the toners. Do they actually go off?
You’re talking about an ink jet. I’m talking about a laser printer. The toner doesn’t dry out, it’s already dry. Our toner lasted us like 8 years before we had to replace it.
If we didn’t have #climateChange, laser printers are favorable for most non-photographic use cases. But I hate to say it: laser printers are substantially less energy efficient than #inkjet printers.
My solution: own no printer. Use a print shop or library. A lot of the energy waste is in powering on and charging up the drum. If you have to stand in line to use a #laserPrinter, that’s a good thing energy wise because high volumes is more efficient per page (but AFAIK still never as effecient as an inkjet… but perhaps reasonable enough).
Guys, just buy laser printers, assuming you have any need for a printer still in the year of our lord, 2023. 15 years ago my printer wouldn’t let me scan a document because it was low on magenta ink, so I took it outside and smashed it on the ground, threw it into the dumpster, drove to the store, and bought a Brother laser printer. During the entire 15 years since then I’ve had to buy toner one time, and I found it at the thrift store for $5. That’ll probably hold us over for the rest of our lives since we rarely need to print these days. Ink jets are shitty rip-off machines. Destroy yours today.
I bought a Brother laser printer years ago and I’m still on the first full sized toner cartridge (not including the half sized one it came with).
My printer usage got cut drastically when I stopped having in-person D&D games.
Tabletob RPG stuff is what I need mine on the regular as well
I’m still on the factory toner cartridges after 15 - 18 years. They’re refillable, as are the replacements.
Photographers don’t have that option. Last time I checked, laser printers sucked for photos.
I’m glad I don’t need to print photos. But if I did, I would probably consider one of these options:
a continuous ink system (“CIS”). There are CIS kits for modifying a rip-off printer. There are also complete printers that come with an integrated CIS but they charge a fortune for those since they’re not gouging you on the ink swindles.
project the digital image onto real photo paper in a darkroom & develop it with chemicals. I think Walmart has a machine that does that, in effect, and you pay per photo for their service.
As a photographer, I just bought a separate canon dye sub printer for 6x4s, I rarely print anything bigger so I just outsource it.
Your 2nd option is called digital c-type, although the machines for that usually use lasers.
Amen I bought a used one from work for £20 8 years ago with a bunch of spare toners and I still haven’t used any of the toners. Do they actually go off?
Eventually, but they’re good for thousands of prints.
Or they may be good for one print, depending on how frequently the printer is used.
Install a new cartridge, print one page, wait a year before trying to print again and you’ll need a new cartridge.
It’s a no-brainer why they practically give those things away.
You’re talking about an ink jet. I’m talking about a laser printer. The toner doesn’t dry out, it’s already dry. Our toner lasted us like 8 years before we had to replace it.
Indeed, I was. I’d lost the plot, thought the commenter above you had bought an inkjet. Thanks for the clarification.
I got a brother laser free from work 5 years ago. Haven’t had to buy ink yet.
We were implementing 802.11x auth at the domain, for all network nodes and had to can a few printers that didn’t support it. A few of us for lucky 😃
@Anticorp
If we didn’t have #climateChange, laser printers are favorable for most non-photographic use cases. But I hate to say it: laser printers are substantially less energy efficient than #inkjet printers.
My solution: own no printer. Use a print shop or library. A lot of the energy waste is in powering on and charging up the drum. If you have to stand in line to use a #laserPrinter, that’s a good thing energy wise because high volumes is more efficient per page (but AFAIK still never as effecient as an inkjet… but perhaps reasonable enough).
#climate #energy