Need a New Printer!! Any Feedback on the Ink Tanks Vs Ink Cartridge

[dioxide45]

I would think that the ink jet heads on a printer with a tank vs cartridges would suffer some of the same problems? Though it could be worse. If the ink jet heads become plugged up, you can't just swap out the cartridge to fix it.

 

[PigsDad]

My 3 year old HP, which has been plugged in with usable ink cartridges, is total junk right now with clogged color heads.

Plugged in and turned on? You can get into the situation where the cartridge runs out of ink if not used for a long time, since the conditioning does use a small amount of ink in its cycle. Interesting... I have had multiple HP inkjet printers for the last ~30 years and have had very good luck with them. Back in the early days I did have some clogging issues (back when you had to manually clean the heads w/ a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol!), but not in any model for the last 15 years or so. I currently own/use three HP inkjet printers w/o issues, a ~5 year old OfficeJet Pro, a 3 year old OfficeJet Pro and a ~8 year old basic DeskJet -- not sure of the model numbers. All three in different locations / houses for convenience and all three have extended periods of time (months) w/o use.

I will say it is a bit startling when I'm sitting in my office and the printer decides it is time to condition the heads!

Kurt

 

[Sandy VDH]

I had my 15 year old printer die on me. I've tried 2 others and within a month or two they both stopped working, or started printing poorly.

I don't print enough, so I though I would just see how long I can go without a printer. So far its been 2 years. If I really need something printing I either print it out at work or I sent it to the UPS store and pay for them to print it.

I just learned to stop needing paper copies of everything.

 

[DrQ]

I will say it is a bit startling when I'm sitting in my office and the printer decides it is time to condition the heads!

Yes, I would hear it "Clearing its throat" in the middle of the night. I had an older model that had separate ink cartridges and replaceable ink heads, but I could no longer buy the print heads. The new new designs are just junk.

 

[emeryjre]

Update on the printer choice
I decided to purchase an HP Smart Tank Printer
The only choice available at the time for a pickup was an HP 5100
Every other choice for an HP required ordering and waiting
It is an entry level printer, but it has all the features I need at this time
The unit required a firmware update to keep it connected to the network via WiFi
The unit does not support the latest WiFi security protocols, but not an issue for me on my home network
The unit works fine
I will probably use a ream of paper in the next 12 months so not heavy-duty use

 

[TolmiePeak]

It is cheaper to buy a new HP ink jet printer than it is to replace the cartridges.

 

[emeryjre]

It is cheaper to buy a new HP ink jet printer than it is to replace the cartridges.

I am not sure
the ink tank printers use bottles of ink instead of cartridges
The bottles are relatively cheaper than cartridges, especially when comparing per copy cost
The ink tank printers are not supposed to dry out like cartridges
I got tired of watching cartridges lose connection or dry out while I was at my other seasonal residence
The HP 5100 cost $159 and includes a full load of ink and an extra bottle of black ink
A full load of HP brand cartridges would cost me around $70
They would dry out during one extended period of not using the printer

 

[jp10558]

Hmmm, too bad you bought HP though, they are my avoid at all cost brands - the drivers are horrible for your OS and the printers aren't better built than the competitors. Good luck is all I can say.

 

[Snazzylass]

Laser printer, and yes, I think it's a Brother. I found it very affordable. Bought it at Staples.

Of course, not as cheap as an HP but cheaper than having to replace an HP every 6 mos or when I printed something. Honestly wish printing at the library was easier.

Interesting about leaving the HP on so that it conditions itself. I never heard that! However, I think my Brother is always on. So, I doubt I was purposefully turning off the HP. No, I blame the desert. My problem developed when I was living in PHX and a neighbor warned me, too! The reality is that we just don't use our printers as often as we once did. Still it's very handy to own one! Often I find myself using the scan feature and maybe even copy.

 

[emeryjre]

Hmmm, too bad you bought HP though, they are my avoid at all cost brands - the drivers are horrible for your OS and the printers aren't better built than the competitors. Good luck is all I can say.

Been a fan of HP products since the late 80's
I have desktop HP computers that are 10 years old that I use for the young nieces to play games on
I have used HP laptops for years
Bought a Lenovo laptop chrome book during the pandemic for the oldest niece to study remotely with
Lasted 18 months before the screen died
I recently replaced my old HP laptops because I wanted more speed
The old ones are still functioning and being used by a family member for his kids
I understand HP is not the company it once was
But I will take my chances with them

 

[Talent312]

For color printing, we use an Epson ink jet.
But our workhorse is a Canon laser printer.

 

[jp10558]

Been a fan of HP products since the late 80's
I have desktop HP computers that are 10 years old that I use for the young nieces to play games on
I have used HP laptops for years
Bought a Lenovo laptop chrome book during the pandemic for the oldest niece to study remotely with
Lasted 18 months before the screen died
I recently replaced my old HP laptops because I wanted more speed
The old ones are still functioning and being used by a family member for his kids
I understand HP is not the company it once was
But I will take my chances with them

It's so interesting how it varies - we stopped buying HP after a large batch all either needed a motherboard replaced or would just fail display with the display card under both Windows and Linux. OTOH, Lenovo think products last "way too long" in the vast majority of cases. I imagine the issue may have been a chromebook - I can't say I'd suggest those to anyone either.

 

[WorldT]

Laser printer for me. Switched some years ago. Never looked back. Will never look back.

 

[DancingWaters]

Eason ET-2850 series we purchased 15 months ago. Still using the ink that came with it. I took 2 college classes and printed all articles to read so I could highlight and take on the go to read. I’ve printed many games of 50 pages to use for holidays. Love it! Used 5 reams of paper so far

 

[northwoodsgal]

I work from home and my employer purchased an Epson ET-3850 for me. I really like the ecotank system. I print a fair amount (roughly 20 reams/year) and I purchase about one refill for that amount. A set of colors from Costco is about $55. I don't have the issue of dried out cartridges, color looks good for my purpose.

 

[geekette]

I've moved to a laser printer. I don't print very much. When you're an infrequent printer, Inkjet printers results in the print heads drying out, need aligning, etc. Constant fiddling. This occurred with my EcoTank as well.

Ditto. My last inkjet refused to print anything if all colors weren’t present. I don’t print color enough to keep yellow full and happy, for example, and hit my breaking point on pricey stuff I didn’t need.