# Poll: Do you still own (and use) a printer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946 "2020-11-07T02:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/81 "2020-11-09T02:06:15Z")
Perhaps it doesn’t make sense financially, but I think it’s worth the convenience of having a printer at home. Plus there’s the ability to scan stuff. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/82 "2020-11-09T02:19:51Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > The problem with that is that only the inkjets are cheap enough. > > That’s not true. I have a Brother B/W LaserJet which was under $100. I’m aware. But I was talking to someone saying that everyone should have a printer, even if they don’t normally print, for the rare times when they might need one. And I’m comparing that with the cost of printing elsewhere, which tends to be $0.10 a page. If you need to print 1000 pages, That’s about a page a week for 20 years, which I would say was too frequent to fit the category. I really think that just paying per page when needed is better for the scenario @puzzlegal states. Even the convenience factor is small, due to how rarely printing is needed. It’s only the pandemic that has screwed this up for me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/83 "2020-11-09T02:20:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > with modest use. (We print enough that I think this is the second time I’ve replaced the cartridge – due to running out, not being too old.) And since that friend’s housemate DOES print from that machine, he certainly The time it takes you to go to the library or the drugstore to print a shipping label is worth something. It’s not really “10 cents” if it takes you half an hour to get that piece of paper each time. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/84 "2020-11-09T02:25:43Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m aware. But I was talking to someone saying that everyone should have a printer, even if they don’t normally print, for the rare times when they might need one. And I’m comparing that with the cost of printing elsewhere, which tends to be $0.10 a page. If you need to print 1000 pages, That’s about a page a week for 20 years, which I would say was too frequent to fit the category. > > I really think that just paying per page when needed is better for the scenario @puzzlegal states. Even the convenience factor is small, due to how rarely printing is needed. By that measure, a lot of things we own don’t make sense. My guess is that I drive my car only two or three hours out of the 168 in a week. And yet, I own one, because the convenience outweighs the cost. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/85 "2020-11-09T02:29:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > with modest use. (We print enough that I think this is the second time I’ve replaced the cartridge – due to running out, not being too old.) And since that friend’s housemate DOES print from that machine, he certainly > > The time it takes you to go to the library or the drugstore to print a shipping label is worth something. It’s not really “10 cents” if it takes you half an hour to get that piece of paper each time. The cost is negligible unless you would be doing something more productive in that that time. All you are talking about is convenience, and convenience is negligible when something is rare ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/86 "2020-11-09T02:30:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > I’m aware. But I was talking to someone saying that everyone should have a printer, even if they don’t normally print, for the rare times when they might need one. And I’m comparing that with the cost of printing elsewhere, which tends to be $0.10 a page. If you need to print 1000 pages, That’s about a page a week for 20 years, which I would say was too frequent to fit the category. > > > > I really think that just paying per page when needed is better for the scenario @puzzlegal states. Even the convenience factor is small, due to how rarely printing is needed. > > By that measure, a lot of things we own don’t make sense. My guess is that I drive my car only two or three hours out of the 168 in a week. And yet, I own one, because the convenience outweighs the cost. Using something every day is not rare by any stretch, so no. The point is, they won’t use the device at all for months on end, so they don’t need a dedicated device. Just like, if you didn’t go anywhere for months on end, you’d be better off paying for the bus or a taxi. Also note that car ownership among young people has gone down. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/87 "2020-11-09T02:36:43Z")
Maybe I’m busier than you? I certainly value my time at more than nothing. But that’s why I said it’s something that’s worth having if you can afford it. If money is very tight, or you have no space to put one, sure, it’s perfectly reasonable to use the library printer if you only need to print every several months. But even if money is tight, if you are printing every week, all those trips are costing you – that’s time you aren’t comparison shopping, or cooking from scratch, or mending a shirt, or getting enough sleep to keep healthy, or… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/88 "2020-11-09T02:36:52Z")
Look, I didn’t come here to have to justify why it didn’t make sense to me not to own a printer. It again has never been a problem until the pandemic. I tried owning printers. It’s not cost efficient. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/89 "2020-11-09T02:37:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Maybe I’m busier than you? I certainly value my time at more than nothing. > > But that’s why I said it’s something that’s worth having if you can afford it. If money is very tight, or you have no space to put one, sure, it’s perfectly reasonable to use the library printer if you only need to print every several months. But even if money is tight, if you are printing every week, all those trips are costing you – that’s time you aren’t comparison shopping, or cooking from scratch, or mending a shirt, or getting enough sleep to keep healthy, or… But the person you describe isn’t printing every week. They print maybe a couple times a year. You specifically said people who normally have no need for a printer. Someone who prints every week–heck yeah they should own a printer. I’d recommend a laserjet just for longevity, even. I think the difference is more how often you consider “not usually needing to print” is. To me, this is the second time I’ve needed to print this year. And I don’t anticipate it happening again. But, yes, I’m posting on the Dope right now. So that time is worth 0 cents to me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/90 "2020-11-09T02:38:36Z")
fwiw, I didn’t own a car when I lived in NYC, and only wanted to use one every few months. But a car costs a hell of a lot more than a printer. If I were making purely financial decisions, I’d drop the car before dropping the printer, even living in the 'burbs. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/91 "2020-11-09T02:45:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But the person you describe isn’t printing every week. They print maybe a couple times a year. You specifically said people who normally have no need for a printer. Maybe you are confusing me with someone else? I didn’t say anything about “people who normally have no need for a printer”. I said I polled some random younger friends in an on-line chat, because I was curious if young people don’t own printers. My comment about weekly was in response to: > [@BigT](#): > > I’m aware. But I was talking to someone saying that everyone should have a printer, even if they don’t normally print, for the rare times when they might need one. And I’m comparing that with the cost of printing elsewhere, which tends to be $0.10 a page. If you need to print 1000 pages, That’s about a page a week for 20 years, which I would say was too frequent to fit the category. If you are printing every week, then that time really adds up, and you get enough value for it to be worth buying that $200 printer in a lot less than 20 years. I agree that if you usually only need something printed twice a year it probably isn’t worth it to keep a printer around. I need to print stuff more often than that. I NEED to print less often than every week, but since I have the printer lying around, I probably do use it weekly. For instance, last weekend I sorted my grocery list on a computer and printed it to bring to the store. I obviously didn’t need a printer for that, but I had one, so why not? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/92 "2020-11-09T02:50:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I feel like everyone needs to print something from time to time. So if you can afford your own printer (the space is probably as costly as the purchase price) it’s worth having one. And if you have one around, you find yourself using it for nice-to-have stuff, like printing out recipes, as well as need-to-have stuff, like shipping labels. This is the post that started the whole chain. Your first line to me reads like you’re talking to people who don’t usually need a printer. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/93 "2020-11-09T02:52:01Z")
I guess when I said “from time to time” I was thinking more “monthly” than “twice a year” 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/94 "2020-11-09T02:56:02Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Look, I didn’t come here to have to justify why it didn’t make sense to me not to own a printer. It again has never been a problem until the pandemic. > > I tried owning printers. It’s not cost efficient. It’s not for you. It is for me. My time is super valuable. It’s a total pain in the ass for me to go to the library or Kinko’s. And often it’s not practical. Like if I want to print out a recipe at 7pm or the time my friend needed to print out a concert ticket as we were leaving for the show. Or if I want to print out the tabs for a ukulele song late at night. There are certainly remedies for any of those things but fuck that. The cost efficiency includes more than the incremental cost per page. There’s gas and wear on the car and opportunity cost of my precious time. I bought a little Brother laser printer all in one for $200 years ago and I just started my second cartridge. Frankly, $200 isn’t much to me at this time in my life and it’s not even a question whether it’s worth it in terms of convenience. My 24 year old nephew is in law school and he uses a printer all the time and did two years ago as well. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/95 "2020-11-09T02:59:09Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I guess when I said “from time to time” I was thinking more “monthly” than “twice a year” > 🤷‍♀️ So, yeah, we were imagining different frequency of printing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/96 "2020-11-09T03:01:19Z")
We got one for redonkulously cheep at Target—I think they were clearing them all out. It’s a Canon, wireless, and it will also scan documents to make pdfs, copy from an original, etc. We used to get the cartridges refilled at Fry’s but they stopped. You can order knockoffs cheep from amazon, however. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/97 "2020-11-09T03:06:34Z")
Guess so. I have something that needs to be printed about monthly. Travel info (so I can find the hotel, and I like to have a paper boarding pass). Shipping labels. The note to Staples that they should leave my stuff without a live signature. An application for a parking permit. An order form for the weird nursery I use that only accepts mailed or faxed orders. (Don’t ask me why – they sell good stuff, though.) Tickets to an event. Those are all things I would go to a third party to get printed if I didn’t own a printer. The recipes, shopping lists, copies of a song we will be singing, … are stuff I probably wouldn’t make a trip to get printed, but are worth printing out when the marginal cost is just the toner and a few seconds of time. I’m a little surprised you only print stuff twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/98 "2020-11-09T03:21:12Z")
After reading advice from this Board, I finally broke down and bought a Laser Printer, because I’ve had to junk so many inkjet printers. So far it hasn’t given me any problems, but the cartridges are a LOT more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/99 "2020-11-09T03:23:57Z")
But the cartridges last for a LOT of pages, and don’t dry up or otherwise go bad due to time. ---
**Author:** ![GrassFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b19c9b/32.png) [@GrassFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrassFox)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946/100 "2020-11-09T03:26:59Z")
My very first home computer in 1983 was a Commodore 64, and it had a printer. Have had a printer ever since. Couldn’t imagine not owning one. I always had a fax/modem card in my computers also, but in the mid 90’s I bought a multi-function printer with a fax machine. Having to go to Kinkos or FedEx to fax something was a real pain. Couldn’t fathom doing that just to print something. I had to print a coupon this morning to buy something at Harbor Freight. Totally ridiculous to make a special trip for a printout when you can buy an inkjet printer for $45, or a laser printer for less than $100. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-still-own-and-use-a-printer/924946.md?page=6)