Do you have a printer?

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Or just use one at work or someone else’s?

 

What kind? Inkjet, laser jet? DOT MATRIX?

 

What do you think about it? How often do you use it?

 

Would you get something else if you needed one, or get the same?

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Currently using a Canon G3270 that I've had for a couple of years. Best printer that I've had.

Horace

[Alpo]

I retired in 07. The printer in my office was my printer - they wouldn't supply me one so I went down and bought it. All the ink cartridges that fit my printer would not fit anything else, so I told the boss that I wanted them and he said fine.

 

I go home and I hope the printer up to my computer and the first time I need to use it is about 6 months later. All the ink had dried up.

 

I put in a new ink cartridge and printed what I needed. Then about a year or so later I needed to print something again, and the ink had dried up.

 

Played that game for about 6 years. Very seldom needed to print something, and every time I had to the ink had dried up, so I would put in a new cartridge and print and then the next time I needed it the ink had dried up.

 

When I had used up all of the ink cartridges I took from work, I threw the printer in the garbage.

 

Three or four times over the past 10 years I have received the link where I can go here and print out this and --- occasionally a coupon. Frequently a return label. And I would get on the phone and I would explain to them that I did not have a printer and therefore I could not print out the return label and they needed to print one out and put it in an envelope and mail it to me. Always a fun conversation.

 

I have been looking at laser printers. They have a great advantage - the ink doesn't dry up. But you can get an ink jet printer for about 40 bucks and a laser printer is about a buck and a half.

 

So I still do not have a printer.

 

And it constantly amazes me that so many people DO have a personal printer. I mean really - how often do you need to print something?

[Calamity Kris]

I have an Epson ET-2800.  It's an all-in-one, color printer, scanner, copier.  I really like it.  The only drawback is I wish the scan/copy bed were larger.  I can only scan/copy 8 x 10 so that makes working with legal sized documents a pain.

[Calamity Kris]

39 minutes ago, Alpo said:

And it constantly amazes me that so many people DO have a personal printer. I mean really - how often do you need to print something?

 

Actually, quite a bit.  Uno is a very tactile person.  He has to have printed copies of EVERYTHING.  His office is wall to wall file cabinets.  I print everything from recipes to legal documents for him.  I also print quilting patterns, and many other things for my craft work.  Printing them enables me to take them into the sewing room to refer them while I'm working.

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

Have two.

 

A Canon MX-922 (inkjet) and a HP Color Laserjet Pro.

 

I bought the HP after the Canon because the wife did not like the quality of the Canon (which I fixed after installing a new print head).

 

I tend to use the Canon more than the Laserjet as cartridges are expensive. The wife only uses the HP. They are both used daily.

 

I like both of them.

[J-BAR #18287]

No more printers for me.  Tired of ink cartridge costs and plugged nozzles.

 

If I want a hard copy (Christmas letter?), I put the document on a flash drive and take it to Kinkos.

[John Kloehr]

HP 451dn. The "n" stands for Network. Unfortunately a lightning strike killed the "n" so now a USB printer. It is a laser printer, so uses toner cartridges. Currently about $660 for a full set of 4 cartridges, they last several years without drying out. I only use genuine HP cartridges, new (not refilled).

 

I buy paper by the case (also lasts years). Besides printing shooting targets, return labels, legal docs, account statements when needed, using my scanner to "copy" documents, printing recipes, oddball things like a layout for fruit trees in my "orchard," IRS forms and worksheets every spring along with various associated forms delivered paperless, registrations for events booked on-line, it is also handy for things like a towing harness pinout, instructions for using an AC manifold gauge set, various home stuff.

 

Once you get used to having a good printer, running to Kinko's is too much work.

[Cypress Sun]

I used to have a printer but never used it and the $30++ ink either dried up or got clogged. Got tired of buying ink to print something every blue moon. Gave it to my gal who gave it to me to begin with.

 

My gal does a lot of craft work that requires the use of printers. If I need something printed, I'll send it to her printer and print it. So no, I don't have a printer.

[Pb Mark]

Epson ET-3710.  Printer, scanner, copier, Fax.  No more printer cartridges, just has tanks.  Fill um up with much less expensive generic ink bottles.  Have had it a couple years trouble free and used often.  Inexpensive Sam's Club purchase.  Buy bulk Paper.  Lots of targets available out there on the web for free printing.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

YES!!  One that prints.

[WD Farren]

Brother Laser printer and single page scanner.

 

As an IT guy I love this printer.

Drivers are stable 

 

Toner replacement is eco-friendly and prepaid return of old toner is great.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Mine is a Brother something or other. Copy, scan, etc. It has FAX capability, but I only used that once, got my boss in trouble, (hee hee!). I can send a FAX, but I'd have to set it up to receive. But I don't receive any, and the phone line isn't even connected anyway. 

I have kind of the same problem Alpo has, I don't print that often, and about half the time when I do, I get nothing. However, the Brother has a "Clean" cycle that I can run with the push of a button, so eventually I get a good print. The best part: It's an older model, so I can get ink on ebay for CHEAP. I'm talking about a BUCK a cartridge. 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

1 minute ago, WD Farren said:

Brother Laser printer and single page scanner.

 

As an IT guy I love this printer.

Drivers are stable 

 

Toner replacement is eco-friendly and prepaid return of old toner is great.

Ding ding ding.  We have a winner.

 

All my businesses, primary employees and my home office have the same Brother Laser printers.  I buy our cartridges in bulk - and since they are all the same; I only need one set of drivers on my laptop when I travel between offices.

 

Clean copies, good scanning.

If I need something in color - I can go to Office Max and print it off my flash drives.

 

And yes, I use my printer everyday.

[Stump Water]

As others have said, we got tired if dried out ink jets cartridges and bought a Dell laser something-or-other.  HP clone of course.  Networked.  Have had it probably 15 years.  These days the only toner cartridges are aftermarket. I'll guess, on average, we print one or two pages a week - recipes, crochet & woodworking patterns, stuff to go in the "tax" folder & what not.

 

ETA: Color laser.  Just bought a full set of toner carts from an outfit called Ink Technologies for $65.  Didn't need a whole set right now, but the set was cheaper than buying them individually. 

.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

6 hours ago, Calamity Kris said:

 

Actually, quite a bit.  Uno is a very tactile person.  He has to have printed copies of EVERYTHING.  His office is wall to wall file cabinets.  I print everything from recipes to legal documents for him.  I also print quilting patterns, and many other things for my craft work.  Printing them enables me to take them into the sewing room to refer them while I'm working.

I have the same one,   LOVE it.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I hardly ever need anything printed but when I do I go to Office Max. I got tired of my cartridges drying up from non use.

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I have an HP 8015 ink jet.  I've had several HP printers over the years and liked them all....until I bought this poorly designed, poorly made, clumsy, plastic that doesn't fit, slower than hell POS.

 

I'll look at HP again before long but I'm going to be super fussy next time. 

[John Kloehr]

8 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

I have an HP 8015 ink jet.  I've had several NP printers over the years and liked them all....until I bought this poorly designed, poorly made, clumsy, plastic that doesn't fit, slower than hell POS.

 

I'll look at HP again before long but I'm going to be super fussy next time. 

I have had two HP inkJets. One was replaced under warranty with the second. It would damage itself with a paper jam and require both new ink cartridges and print heads which cost more than the printer new.

 

Did not poison me on HP but definitely poisoned me on that particular printer. Rather than getting another warranty replacement, I just got a more reliable product. The laser/toner based 451 I have now.

[watab kid]

yes i have a HP thats not always working , im about to buy a replacement but i use it so seldom im having a bit of reluctance to spend for it , ill probably buy it in FEB when im signing up for next years SASS shoots , 

[Pat Riot]

We have an HP 4130e Ink Jet all in one printer. We like it except we don’t use it enough and ink cartridges dry out before they go empty. The cartridges run about $25 each. 

[Chicken Rustler, SASS #26680]

When laser printers got cheap enough I bought one. I printed out some family photos and they're on my wall now, if I never use the printer again it was worth the money. 

[Trailrider #896]

Mine is an HP452dn Color laser pro. Use it multiple times a day. This is the second one, as the first one wore out. Took some time to come up with this one, and IIRC it is rebuilt. It is limited to 8-1/2 x 11, but if I need enlargements I have a Xerox copy machine that handles 11 x 17 and enlarges. It is located in another room from my printer and confuser, so I don't have it connected. 

[Sedalia Dave]

Inkjet vs. Laser Printers: Which Printer is Best for You?

[Sedalia Dave]

I HATE all-in-one printers that will not work unless connected to the internet.

 

Girlfriend has a HP that wouldn't work at my house.  After a month of troubleshooting discovered that my router blocked the obscure port that the printer used to phone home.  NO WHERE in any of the documentation was this mentioned.  Discovered it by accident on an obscure reddit page.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

HP 5102 Smart Tank is my current printer.

Had it for about a year and so far, I'm happy with it, after learning how it works to scan and copy.

I found the instruction manual a bit lacking. 

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

I've got a pair of Canon imageCLASS MF500Cdw Multifunction Wireless Color Laser Printers.  Survivors from my office after retiring.  Great machines.  Cartridges are pricey- about $500 for the set of 5 - but long lasting,

 

LL

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

I would kill (ok, maybe not, but you know what I mean) for a dot matrix printer.  I dont need to print pictures, usually I need to print a letter, or an email or even a drawing (I is an Engineer when not playing cowboy).  I print infrequently enough that when I do need it, the cartridges are dried out.  So I run to the store, buy new ones and I'm good for a while (until they dry out again before I need them again).  Back in the day, a dot matrix printer would always work when you needed it.... and opening the windows to annoy the neighbors with it would just be a bonus.

[Eyesa Horg]

I've got an older HP all in one. After a couple years I started using the real cheap ink from Amazon which has worked fine and not dried up! However it is worthless on photo paper!! It tend to "orange peel" on photo paper and is not at all water proof! 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

I have a stack of "dead" inkjet printers... the one that still works costs about a hundred bucks for a replacement set of cartridges; another HP "all-in-one" I still use for a scanner; print head died, and the replacement head is about a hundred fifty bucks.  

 

I do a LOT of printing, mostly for Scout stuff.  So, since I don't need color that often, for less than $140 I got a small Brother laser printer from Amazon several years ago.  Dang thing's bulletproof!  I've put several cases of paper through it... and it's cheap to feed!  

 

 

 

[PowderRiverCowboy]

On 10/25/2025 at 11:39 AM, WD Farren said:

Brother Laser printer and single page scanner.

 

As an IT guy I love this printer.

Drivers are stable 

 

Toner replacement is eco-friendly and prepaid return of old toner is great.

It was a yearly ordeal when i had kids replacing the Lexmark every year, I bought a Brother years ago and never a issue . 

[Jiminy Cricket]

On 10/25/2025 at 7:17 AM, Calamity Kris said:

I have an Epson ET-2800.  It's an all-in-one, color printer, scanner, copier.  I really like it.  The only drawback is I wish the scan/copy bed were larger.  I can only scan/copy 8 x 10 so that makes working with legal sized documents a pain.

I have the same printer.  It’s an Ecotank, which means it has tanks for ink instead of cartridges.  I have to run a head cleaning process just about every time I want to use it but it does good enough.  I have it connected to my WiFi so any computer in the house can print to it, including my iPhone.  I use it mostly for printing recipes.

[watab kid]

im going to buy a new one - thanks for all the input , it has me thinking 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

10 hours ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

I would kill (ok, maybe not, but you know what I mean) for a dot matrix printer.  I dont need to print pictures, usually I need to print a letter, or an email or even a drawing (I is an Engineer when not playing cowboy).  I print infrequently enough that when I do need it, the cartridges are dried out.  So I run to the store, buy new ones and I'm good for a while (until they dry out again before I need them again).  Back in the day, a dot matrix printer would always work when you needed it.... and opening the windows to annoy the neighbors with it would just be a bonus.

I am always curious about "Does amazon have it?" OM**, yes but the prices, double wow. Not your dad's dot matrix for sure.

[Sheriff Dill]

We have an Epson ET-2760 It doesn’t take cartridges it has tanks for each color. Buy paper in bulk from whoever is cheaper when need. Have had it for 8 years have only had to fill the ink twice. The ink last longer than the cartridges do. We use it regularly with printing for the kids or for work. Best printer we have ever had. And we have had ALOT of them over the years.