Best printer brand ?

[5CheeseLasagna]

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Vote Now




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[HeXen]

I've had a few printers over the years and honestly the word "Best" and "printer" don't make any sense to me together in the same sentence. I think they are all crap in general. crappy drivers, crappy software, overpriced ink, crappy build quality...i could go on. Now the high dollar business type printers seem to be amazing but one would hope so. If nothing else I'd at least mark off Epson, HP, Lexmark and Cannon off that list, that's for sure. When they work, they put out nice photo's and stuff, but I never found one that worked consistently. My newest one goes offline all the freaking time, screw these wireless printers.

 

[Cerb]

Loaded question much?

Type?

Duty cycle?

Price?

Not HP, on account of them being causing no end of frustration for what should be simple things. FI, need a driver? Oh, no, you need to plug in the printer. But, what if you need a 64-bit driver to give to a 32-bit PC, or 32-bit driver for a 64-bit PC (more common)? Oh, we're going to package it in a proprietary setup file that requires you to plug in the printer before installing the driver, just so that you can't do that. Windows has the feature to make it easier, but HP helps make it harder. That's of course assuming you can get just the driver, which you still sometimes can't (despite being marketed as business units, many of their color AIOs still work like home models, with mandatory connecting software).

Canon and Brother, FI, generally let you just get drivers in either a zip, self-extracting EXE, or installer that installs the driver whether a supported printer is installed or not, making them no problemo--extract it, add it to the list, install it, let Windows churn for a bit, and move on (or, install it as LPT, and add the IP afterwards). No major XP mode, network, or RDP issues.

 

[Mixolydian]

Apple LaserWriter II.

/thread.

 

[taq8ojh]

I never had problems with HP printers (including semi expensive business-like models), but even then I now think of the brand as Adidas of printers - it's more expensive than it could be, and the quality is not always there. But you pay for the letters.

 

[Compman55]

HP Color Laser 4650dn for everything. Cheap, super reliable, never dries out. Get a nice used low page count unit with toners. For photos, you will need a photo printer that is dye sub or ink jet. Lasers just are not quite there yet.

The reason people hate inkjet is becuase if they are not used, they dry up and clog. You must use it often. So either buy one and use it, or don;t buy one and take your photos somewhere.

 

[Puffnstuff]

HP has been consistently reliable for me over the years and my current color laser all in one has been the best printer I've ever had. Epson on the other hand chewed through ink cartridges and we won't even discuss the old dot matrix printers I started out with.

 

[pauldun170]

My HP Laserjets have outlived countless Brothers, Canons, Epsons, Lexmarks. I still have a late 90's Laserjet 2100 sitting in my garage that still works (maybe...might be a mouse living in there now). The Inkjet we still use on a regular basis is HP 5550 circa 2002-2003.
We have gone through a couple of low end HP inkjet all in ones. Those had relatively short lifespans.

 

[Soulkeeper]

My hp1012 has lasted nearly a decade
One of the best purchases i've ever made.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Consumer printers are mostly all junk. Some are better than others, but not by brand name, but by individual models. I have had good experiences with HP small photo printers, but that is a limited use and only for sharing photos with friends and family. I am currently using an EpsonNX430 which is fine if hard wired into the computer, but not so good in wireless mode(sometimes works, sometimes not).

We have bought many printer brands, and my two biggest gripes with printers are:
1. No driver updates when a new OP comes along. We have 3 printers that only work with Win XP 32.
2. The atrocious cost of ink. Some printer cartridges will allow re-fills, so we buy the ink/kit on line and do it ourselves. This works for several re-fills.

A friend of ours has "solved" the problem. He buys the cheapest printer out there, and when it runs out of ink, he sells it and buys another one.

The Wife

 

[Rottie]

I have HP Laserjet 4 and still working like a champ! Now I like Canon printer for color prints…Great colors!

 

[HeXen]

I have HP Laserjet 4 and still working like a champ! Now I like Canon printer for color prints…Great colors!

Awesome...do not ever get rid of it or exchange it for a different model. You find one that works, you keep it and when the PC is way too out of date, you keep it too and only use the printer with that PC.

 

[SKORPI0]

I still have a late 90's Laserjet 2100 sitting in my garage that still works (maybe...might be a mouse living in there now). .

My 2100TN is still in the family/living room being used once in a while. It has 2140 page count, manufactured May 1999. Paid $60 via Craigslist ad a few years back (late 2008) and had about 90 page count.
Workplace had this and was impressed by it. Started collecting the toner cartridges being thrown away since it's refillable. Would love to get my hand on a 2200DTN (duplexing) with a low page count. :awe:

 

[Mem]

I've always had good luck with Canon printers,ink is cheap(third party carts) and easy to find and unlike Epson printers don't clogg up as easily,also never had issues with finding drivers even with newer operating systems.

 

[johnsansom]

I am using Samsung CLX-3185 Colour Laser Multifunction Printer from the past 2 years and the quality it prints are amazingly clear.

 

[lehtv]

Why is Xerox not on the list?

 

[dstevod]

I've had good experiences with Dell colour lasers, and the running costs are excellent. Not on the list though?

S

 

[FeuerFrei]

The salesman at Office Depot tells me HPs are significantly lower-quality these days, thanks to excessive cost cutting measures. I was surprised to hear that, considering it's his job to sell them. I think he was being candid.

Just throwing that out there, since you're discussing "Best" printers.

 

[teecee33]

We mostly use HP for printing and Sharp/Canon for copiers at work.