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Colour Printers

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neversay
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Colour Printers

#166971

Postby neversay » September 17th, 2018, 4:25 pm

The kids are starting to have more school assignments that benefit from colour printing and my colour laser doesn't quite cut it. Before I compare a million and one different printer models, does anyone have a quick recommendation on the following feature set:

- good quality prints
- wireless (and easy interfacing)
- up to A4
- small footprint (will live on a shelf in my daughter's bedroom)
- low-cost consumables
- preferably doesn't dry out with infrequent use

Cost isn't too much of an issue other than not wanting to be suckered into expensive consumables.

Even your recommendations on the best brand would be helpful (as I tend to disappear down a rabbit hole when reading reviews!).

Thank you,

N.

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Re: Colour Printers

#166974

Postby Garless » September 17th, 2018, 4:36 pm

From my experience one additional thing.
How often do you have to clear paper dust out of the path to get a clear feed? Bad experience with HP.

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Re: Colour Printers

#166975

Postby Watis » September 17th, 2018, 4:41 pm

neversay wrote:The kids are starting to have more school assignments that benefit from colour printing and my colour laser doesn't quite cut it. Before I compare a million and one different printer models, does anyone have a quick recommendation on the following feature set:

- good quality prints
- wireless (and easy interfacing)
- up to A4
- small footprint (will live on a shelf in my daughter's bedroom)
- low-cost consumables
- preferably doesn't dry out with infrequent use

Cost isn't too much of an issue other than not wanting to be suckered into expensive consumables.

Even your recommendations on the best brand would be helpful (as I tend to disappear down a rabbit hole when reading reviews!).

Thank you,

N.



I swear by (not at!) Canon as a brand for inkjet printers.

My current printer, their MG4250 model, cost less than £50 four years ago.

It doesn't dry out, even when not used for weeks! And it's not too thirsty on the inks either.

It's slightly larger than A4 though, because the unit incorporates a scanner - an unbelievably useful feature if you don't already have one.

HTH,

Watis

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Re: Colour Printers

#166976

Postby kiloran » September 17th, 2018, 4:43 pm

I've had a couple of HP inkjets and not impressed. Mechanically, they sounded rather clunky and the software seemed quite crude. The last one packed up after a couple of years with a wifi fault. Had a Canon inkjet for the past 5-6 years and it seems much more refined and has been faultless. Never had any problems with infrequent use. I use compatible inks from https://www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk/ which cuts the cost by a factor of 3 compared to Canon own-brand.

--kiloran

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Re: Colour Printers

#166982

Postby Slarti » September 17th, 2018, 5:14 pm

My suggestion would be, whatever make you go for, look for a business standard machine. They cost more to buy, but the supplies usually work out to be much cheaper.

One with at least 4 distinct colour cartridges, so you aren't throwing away half a cartridge of one colour, because another has run out.
Also one that will work with any operating system as they are usually not messed up by system upgrades and, if it lasts long enough, will also pe programmable, if that is their thing. And if you/they move to Mac or Linux, it will keep working.

Unlike others here, if it has lasted more than a few weeks, I've never had problems with HP. But I've always bought business standard. I've had my current one since 2007 and it still works fine.

Slarti

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Re: Colour Printers

#166984

Postby Breelander » September 17th, 2018, 5:23 pm

neversay wrote:Cost isn't too much of an issue other than not wanting to be suckered into expensive consumables.


Most printers seem to be sold at a loss, masking their money on the many ink cartridges you then end up buying (especially as they seem to dry out if left unused). HP in particular are known in the past to have had firmware updates that reject all but the genuine HP replacements :evil:

Epson were AFAIK the first to produce a printer with refillable ink tanks, you just buy ink in bottles. I'm happy with my Epson Ecotank.

https://www.epson.co.uk/for-home/ecotank

Canon now seem to have joined the game...

https://www.canon.co.uk/printers/refill ... -printers/

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Re: Colour Printers

#166985

Postby Slarti » September 17th, 2018, 5:36 pm

Breelander wrote:
neversay wrote:Cost isn't too much of an issue other than not wanting to be suckered into expensive consumables.


Most printers seem to be sold at a loss, masking their money on the many ink cartridges you then end up buying (especially as they seem to dry out if left unused). HP in particular are known in the past to have had firmware updates that reject all but the genuine HP replacements :evil:

Epson were AFAIK the first to produce a printer with refillable ink tanks, you just buy ink in bottles. I'm happy with my Epson Ecotank.

https://www.epson.co.uk/for-home/ecotank

Canon now seem to have joined the game...

https://www.canon.co.uk/printers/refill ... -printers/



I don't use my HP printer much any more, but when I do it always seems to work fine first time, but the printer at a loss was a large part of why I said but a business spec one, as they usually aren't sold at a loss.

HP had to roll back the firmware updates that rejected to non genuine HP parts. But why/how would you printer be exposed to the internet?

When I had an Epson it died 2 months after the warranty ran out. But that was 10 years ago.

With refillables, how messy is the job? I ask as I know that if you get the ink on anything it is almost impossible to remove.

Slarti

neversay
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Re: Colour Printers

#166995

Postby neversay » September 17th, 2018, 6:59 pm

Thank you for all your kind replies. I knew this topic might generate some opinions (!) probably due to all the different options and parameters, but possibly because we've all experienced lemons* in the past.

I agree on the business spec ones for reliability and through-life cost. @Slarti you are right too on the separate ink-cartridges.

The Canon range look good and always give the impression of quality to me. HP business perhaps but I've had clunky HP and Epson ones in the past, but that could be poor choices and budget models (not a good statistical sample though). The point about OS and software upgrades is a good one as often great hardware is let down by awful software.

@Breelander your point about the refillable ones appeals, not least to avoid all the wasteful disposable culture of the printer industry. I need to research whether that means higher ink costs (if not mess). Decisions...

Thanks again,

N.

(*lemons as in unreliable products :smile:)

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Re: Colour Printers

#166997

Postby Breelander » September 17th, 2018, 7:08 pm

Slarti wrote:With refillables, how messy is the job? I ask as I know that if you get the ink on anything it is almost impossible to remove.


Simple and mess-free. Just plug the bottle onto the top of the tank, only then is the ink released.
This is a video for the model I have...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekYOTcOxku8

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Re: Colour Printers

#166999

Postby Infrasonic » September 17th, 2018, 7:17 pm

How about a better quality colour laser, specifically one that will do higher DPI near photo quality when needed.

neversay
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Re: Colour Printers

#167004

Postby neversay » September 17th, 2018, 7:36 pm

Infrasonic wrote:How about a better quality colour laser, specifically one that will do higher DPI near photo quality when needed.


That's an option, particularly as my old (correction) Brother HP3150CDW has done great service but is getting long in the tooth. I would rather consolidate on one device that does everything. The downsides are size, toner costs and, often, slower black and white printing. The first two I could live with but fast duplex B&W prints are critical. (Incidentally, A3 might be useful if the footprint is still reasonable).

Thanks again.

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Re: Colour Printers

#167020

Postby Infrasonic » September 17th, 2018, 9:01 pm

neversay wrote:
Infrasonic wrote:How about a better quality colour laser, specifically one that will do higher DPI near photo quality when needed.


That's an option, particularly as my old (correction) Brother HP3150CDW has done great service but is getting long in the tooth. I would rather consolidate on one device that does everything. The downsides are size, toner costs and, often, slower black and white printing. The first two I could live with but fast duplex B&W prints are critical. (Incidentally, A3 might be useful if the footprint is still reasonable).

Thanks again.


Toner costs look for printers that will accept generics or toner refills rather than brand specific, and print speed if you can run B+W printing at lower resolution as a separate print job? (I run most of my generic B+W printing at 300DPI rather than 600)
Obviously if you need high DPI full colour charts or photos in the middle of B+W text then you're snookered, but for school projects maybe some creative DTP layout can get around the issue?
Or tell the school printing onto paper is an ecological disaster and they should be all digital by now...:)

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Re: Colour Printers

#167047

Postby 88V8 » September 17th, 2018, 11:11 pm

The Pixma MG3650, recommended by Which, is ludicrously cheap - c£30 - and doesn't gobble ink nor dry out.
Also scans.

No paper feed tray. One has to load it when required. But quite mad at the price.

V8

neversay
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Re: Colour Printers

#167082

Postby neversay » September 18th, 2018, 8:09 am

@Infrasonic - I agree on the ecological disaster of printing. Indeed that's an issue in my purchase decision now as I print so infrequently.

@88V8 - thanks for the Pixma MG3650 tip. I generally trust Which? reviews but as usual it turns out that it has mixed reviews elsewhere. Fine if it's treated as disposable, but I wonder if spending more is worthwhile to avoid annoyances and get reliability.

Forgive my 'thinking aloud' on this thread but I guess it has morphed into questioning my whole household printer strategy. Do I go horses for courses, cheap and cheerful, or one device to rule them all?

Decisions. Decisions!

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Re: Colour Printers

#167083

Postby GeoffF100 » September 18th, 2018, 8:15 am

88V8 wrote:The Pixma MG3650, recommended by Which, is ludicrously cheap - c£30 - and doesn't gobble ink nor dry out.

Is that really true. The cartridges in my Kodak printer do dry out, and I only print a few sheets per year. The cost per sheet is astronomical. I believe that I can print for a modest 50p per sheet at a (not so local) library, but that is not very convenient, and I have not tried it yet.

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Re: Colour Printers

#167092

Postby Nocton » September 18th, 2018, 8:44 am

I've had a couple of HP inkjets and not impressed.

My experience is quite the opposite. I have had an HP Envy 5546 for almost 6 months now. It is the best colour inkjet I have ever had and I've been using inkjets since they first came out. The quality is superb; paper handling for photos and envelopes is very good; it does double-sided automatically so don't have to take paper out and turn it. I use double-sided printing a lot as it saves paper and saves space for storing docs. I particularly like the HP Smart/Instant Ink system where for a modest amount each month HP send you the cartridges and you return them for recycling. I don't know whether the offer is still on, but I got the first six months of cartridges for free "No charges for up to 300 pages per month during Free Trial months.".

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Re: Colour Printers

#167100

Postby Watis » September 18th, 2018, 9:03 am

88V8 wrote:The Pixma MG3650, recommended by Which, is ludicrously cheap - c£30 - and doesn't gobble ink nor dry out.
Also scans.

No paper feed tray. One has to load it when required. But quite mad at the price.

V8


The MG3650 uses the same ink cartridges as my MG4250 and, at £30, that's about the cost of a discounted set of genuine ink cartridges.

Making the printer effectively free, so not a costly mistake if it turns out to be less than ideal.

However . . . the MG3650 rates poorly on Canons website: https://www.canon.co.uk/printers/inkjet ... /#p-rating

But the MG4250 does rather better: https://www.canon.co.uk/printers/inkjet ... /#p-rating

HTH,

Watis

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Re: Colour Printers

#167297

Postby 88V8 » September 18th, 2018, 7:26 pm

GeoffF100 wrote:
88V8 wrote:The Pixma MG3650, recommended by Which, is ludicrously cheap - c£30 - and doesn't gobble ink nor dry out.

Is that really true. The cartridges in my Kodak printer do dry out, and I only print a few sheets per year..


Ahhh.
Printing on a geological time scale.
I probably print a few a month. At that rate, they don't dry out.

My previous Pixma was more expensive new, I forget the model. On the same scale of printing it gobbled ink. I buy from Stinkyink when they have a sale, such that I always have a refill to hand.

A few a year .... perhaps a Letraset?

Regarding the OP, a printer for the kids to mangle or something more elevated, well it depends on the kids. There's kids and kids.

V8

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Re: Colour Printers

#167348

Postby forlesen » September 19th, 2018, 12:02 am

I think you can run an inkjet printer quite cheaply if you use good quality 3rd party inks. To confirm this, I've gone back through my order history since buying my Canon MG5250 back in Q1 2011.

At that time, the printer cost ~£100, but that had dropped to under £60 by early 2013, when a relative bought one.

The MG5250 takes 5 cartridges, small Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black and a separate large Black.

I put it straight onto a diet of 3rd party inks, buying exclusively from First Call Ink since 2013. Although cartridges run out at different rates, it has always proved cheaper to buy complete sets of 5 or 10 rather than individual ones.

The printer has mostly had pretty light usage over the years (e.g. a few sheets per week), with occasional bursts of heavy activity for projects, dissertations, legal matters, planning issues, etc. It has always worked perfectly, and still gives decent results. The scanner also still works fine.

From new, I appear to have ordered a total of 11 complete ink sets (2 currently unused). These days, you can get 2 sets of First Call ink for around £11-£12, including delivery. My total spend on ink over the past 7.5 years has been a little over £80.

I change cartridges as and when the printer reports they have run out. They are so cheap that there is no point risking the print heads by letting them dry out with a dead cartridge.

All in all, the Canon has given excellent service, and Canon would be my first choice for a replacement if and when the MG5250 finally conks out.

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Re: Colour Printers

#167470

Postby stewamax » September 19th, 2018, 2:33 pm

Canon Pixmas used to be first class. I had an iP6600 (the one with a vertical sheet feeder) for ages and - until the highly inaccessible lower ink 'sponge' pad became saturated - gave first class service.
I replaced it with a (cheap) iP7250. Mistake. The sheet feed is horizontal and paper registration (i.e. exactly where on the page printing takes place) is a joke. The colours also seem washed out compared to the iP6600 - a surprise and something I cannot explain.

The Pixma TS6150 - which looks like a touchscreen version of the 7200 - is reputed to be better at around £100.

Canon's newish photo printing utility 'My Image Garden' (!!) has obviously never been exposed to testing by real users. It may have more function than its predecessor but is vile to use. The early versions didn't even support simple two-to-a-page and four-to-a-page (at least I think it was those) while it offered all sorts of fancy glitz, and Canon were the butt of a mountain of complaints as a result.


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