My printer seems to have permanately clogged heads. I guess I need a new printer.

[Reasonable Doubt]

I think my printer is unrepairable. It's a Brother MFC-495CW I bought a few years ago. The black ink heads seem to be clogged and no amount of cleaning is unclogging them.

So I need a recommendation on another printer.

What's the difference between an inkjet and laser printer?

Should I look into purchasing a laser printer?

I use the printer for basic printing.

 

[HeXen]

I recommend getting whichever has the cheapest ink carts. Seriously. Consumre Reports does some reviews now and then and they mention to look at ink prices more than anything else unless you need some specific features.

 

[mikeymikec]

How much printing do you do, how many sheets per month?

In my experience, a lot of inkjets are priced based on 'the cheaper the printer, the more expensive the cartridges are'. I usually recommend something like the Epson XP-305 for minimal use (let's say 20 sheets per month, less or thereabouts), but if someone needs something a bit higher spec, the Epson WP-3520DWF has much better value cartridges, and the WP-4535DWF better still (assuming that you print that much from it, the 4535 becomes better value after 20k sheets).

I like Epson printers (they generally seem to last a long time - >5 years - if treated well and using Epson cartridges), and I compare their page yield stats with each other.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Have you tried soaking the print heads in warm water? Then dab on a paper napkin to dry.

Lexmarks are usually the cheapest printer, regretfully, it is more cost effective to get s new unit than replace the ink cartridges.

At home, we have an Epson multi purpose. I can get generic replacement cartridges off the Internet from multiple locations. All with quality customer service.

 

[corkyg]

How much printing do you do, how many sheets per month?

In my experience, a lot of inkjets are priced based on 'the cheaper the printer, the more expensive the cartridges are'. I usually recommend something like the Epson XP-305 for minimal use (let's say 20 sheets per month, less or thereabouts), but if someone needs something a bit higher spec, the Epson WP-3520DWF has much better value cartridges, and the WP-4535DWF better still (assuming that you print that much from it, the 4535 becomes better value after 20k sheets).

I like Epson printers (they generally seem to last a long time - >5 years - if treated well and using Epson cartridges), and I compare their page yield stats with each other.

Sorry - I did not edit your post - I was scrolling and it just happened. 🙂

 

[Via]

Have you tried soaking the print heads in warm water? Then dab on a paper napkin to dry.

Lexmarks are usually the cheapest printer, regretfully, it is more cost effective to get s new unit than replace the ink cartridges.

At home, we have an Epson multi purpose. I can get generic replacement cartridges off the Internet from multiple locations. All with quality customer service.

I agree. The 4530 I bought has been a really great so far.

 

[Nec_V20]

If you are normally printing text and not really interested in colour then you should take a look on EBAY or Amazon for an HP 4050TN. It is a laserprinter and comes with a network card.

You can pick them up dirt cheap and they run forever.

You can get them for about $120 (that includes delivery). A duplex unit will set you back around $35 but the best of the lot is that you can get 10,000 pages of toner for around $30. Even if you leave it standing for a month it will still print without any problems.

 

[bruceb]

From another site (forgot which one) about Brother printing issues which may work for you.

1: unplug the power cord and plug back in and then hold 'home' (looks like house) button wait untill menu appears
2: press 7 then 6 ( printer answers with cleaning all) but does nothing yet
3: then press 4 (printer says something like u_Unit all) but still does nothing
4: go to the left with the keys that look like << untill you see arrow keys on the touchpad
5: use those arrow keys to change "u_Unit all" to "u_Unit Black"
6: press the start button with white line on it (mine had 2 start buttons one with a green line and one with white line... took me while to see that one x) )
7: sit back and wait untill printer is done
8: press 9 and then 9 again (printer will restart to normal)
9: print something with your fingers crossed!(try quality test) You can try this to clear the printhead: