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I tried refilling the cartridges myself, which worked for a while. Now when I try to print in MSWord their software says I can't because the (newly refilled) cartridge is 'Empty', but in all other apps it prints just fine...
I've been fantasizing about a simple black-and-white-only printer whose only function is to crank out invoices and documents, where photo resolution and anything above decent readable quality are really unnecessary. And it would have a huge tank of ink, like a liter bottle or something, you'd just overturn and let it print for a month or two between refills...
I think if anyone tried it, he'd myseriously vanish, end up at the bottom of a river or in a hole in the desert. Planned obsolescence rules the planet, that's why we're choking on our own waste. Ever see the movie 'Tucker'?
On the other hand, if any company had the cojones to manufacture and market such a printer, they'd rapidly dominate the market. But I dream
I guess it's better, but I'm still not ecstatic, truth be told. I want it all. Why can't I have it all?
[edited by: luckychucky at 4:34 am (utc) on July 17, 2004]
If you're really just looking for a workhorse printer get a black & white laser (which is what those offices you were referring to usually use) or a dot matrix. Believe it or not, dot matrix printers are still around and still widely used for high volume printing. But for you a black & white laser might be the best option - you can get them for under $100 on ebay.
digitalv:
Are these eBay printers old models or do they still manufactiure them? Also, know of a good brand and/or model number by any chance? How about OSX compatibility? Ink cost? Printing speed?
Question, questions, questions.
Remember Drums are a rip off. They sale really cheap sub $200 at the store printers. Often times it is cheaper to buy a brnad new one that comes with a drum and toner than it does to buy a drum and toner.
Do a search on ebay for "laser printer" - you'll find many brand new in the box and many of them are models that are still produced today. I could walk into Office Depot right now and buy this Magicolor 2300 DL for $799. Most laser printers will work with a Mac. The 2300 DL has a built in network card too, you can probably find similar printers in black & white.
Toner cartridges are on the high side, but you can also buy toner in a bottle and refill it yourself. Of course every printer manufacturer tells you that doing this is the equivalent of selling your soul to the devil, but screw em :)
I'd recommend you have a look at lasers from brother and hp. Check the initial unit price, the cost of replacement toner, and how many pages the toner will do. Some cheaper lasers have much more expensive toner, so take care choosing.
do your own with the syringe works out at 25$ ..and is actually better quality ink ...( tho like you say lots of progs then decide your cartridge is empty ..OVERIDE THE THING and print anyway ) ..
Digitalv ...if I told you how much even on Ebay .we have to pay for the kind of stuff you are talking about ..you'd want to start shipping to France ..trouble is the shipping and the customs and the tva etc ..
Already I ship so much stuff in because of how much we have to pay for things that the rest of you take for granted as cheap ...
[edited by: Leosghost at 12:40 pm (utc) on July 17, 2004]
>>...( tho like you say lots of progs then decide you cartridge is empty ..OVERIDE THE THING and print anyway ) ..
HOW? I tried everything I could. I'm using an awful HP Deskjet 5550. Please tell me the magic secret.
<snip>
[edited by: Macguru at 12:24 pm (utc) on July 17, 2004]
[edit reason] Lets try to stay on topic, please. [/edit]
Note that there is no point in buying most HP laser printers: They are made by Canon and the Canon ones are cheaper as are the consumables.
> But the cartridges have really wimpy capacity, and cost a fortune to replace.
You will find that on the first cartridge (supplied with the machine) for almost any manufacturer. It reduces costs and you need to buy a cartridge almost instantly. The manufacturers "do not make a profit on the printers". That statement is not actually true - most make a loss and make the profit on the cartridges.
Because they need to sell the cartridges to get the money back, they are priced highly.
Buying a top end machine means you pay a lot more for the printer - but in that market sector, the manufacturer can make money (there is less competition) on the printer. The cartridges can be much better value for money.
Try to avoid looking at the price of the printer. Look only at the price of the consumables (difficult, but it helps with money in the long run).
But don't forget that some printers can now take:
** Inkjet cartridges (remember that the printheads may be separate - extra costs)
** Many inkjet cartridges (some take 7 or 8, but remember that when the yellow runs out - you are not throwing away half a cartridge of magenta)
** Toner cartridges (remember to add in drum costs and other items)
** Color toner cartridges (remember that there are at least four toners and usually two or four drums. There may be developer kits, maintenence kits, waste toner bottles...etc - work them all out to see if it is worthwhile).
Parts can sometimes be expensive: One Kyocera printer used to sell for £250 (UK), but a replacement drum cost £240.
Refilling cartridges (especially inkjet) is not a good idea unless you know exactly what you are doing. HP/Lexmark should be normally OK, but Canon/Epson/Xerox can be much more difficult. You will not notice until you find that the ink has damaged the printhead (often a spare part, totally overpriced for these machines and tremendously difficult to get hold of).
P.S. Expect refilling modern cartridges to be very difficult. Manufacturers are trying to stop compatibles on the market and are trying every trick in the book. These include page counters and date recognition (some cartridges will automatically stop working after a certain date!).
Bummer. Just searched eBay for
> Panasonic KX1150 dot matrix <
and came up with zero results.
P.S. Dot Matrix use ribbons, and are noisy - so it depends where and when the printer will be used as to whether that will be practical (but duplicates are easy and cheap by using two, three or four part listing paper).
