# Printers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824 "2011-04-10T02:14:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/21 "2011-04-20T11:20:13Z")
I’ve has good experiences with both those brands. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/22 "2011-04-24T01:39:10Z")
Okay, so we picked out a new printer yesterday (Satuday) and brought it home. We finally settled on an HP B&W laser printer for the equivalent of US$106. Not an all-in-one device. We passed over the Canon scanner we were looking at in favor of an Epson unit costing $83; however, it was temporarily out of stock, with more expected by next weekend. We considered wireless until we discovered our ancient computer cannot do wireless. We could print from the wife’s laptop but not our CPU. Although we do plan to get a new computer sometime in the near future, we’re always slow about these things – I finally just got my first cellphone last year – and there’s no telling how long that will take us. So we passed on wireless. But speaking of all-in-one devices, now I have a new question. In the shop, we saw someone buying one of those new HP all-in-one computers. Everything is in the monitor – except for the keyboard and mouse, of course. But no CPU; instead, the monitor is a bit thicker from front to back, as it contains the CPU in itself. I’ve seen those advertised, and it seems like a good concept. But how are they? Would we still be better off with a traditional CPU tower at this point in time? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/23 "2011-04-24T02:37:22Z")
Depends upon how much you want to mix and match. It helps if you think of them like laptops. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/24 "2011-04-24T02:45:58Z")
We’re not big technology geeks at all, which is probably pretty obvious by now. We like to get a set-up and just go with that. But the early days of any new technology always seem to be rife with bugs that need to be worked out over a couple of years at least. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/25 "2011-04-24T06:18:14Z")
If you’re using a router you can plug the printer into it and share it with the other computers. You’ll need the router number for the printer if the automatic setup doesn’t work. On my new hp inkject there is a router button on the front of it. Pressing it prints out a page with the routing number on it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/26 "2011-04-24T14:30:38Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > In the shop, we saw someone buying one of those new HP all-in-one computers… But how are they? Would we still be better off with a traditional CPU tower at this point in time? An “I Told You So” moment at work. If, say the monitor craps out, you are screwed. You can’t just plug in a junk monitor, you must wait for the PC to be repaired. Same for the unusual power supply. Especially when Gateway went out of business. If you can make some repairs yourself, you may want to avoid them. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/27 "2011-04-24T16:51:38Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > But speaking of all-in-one devices, now I have a new question. In the shop, we saw someone buying one of those new HP all-in-one computers. Everything is in the monitor – except for the keyboard and mouse, of course. But no CPU; instead, the monitor is a bit thicker from front to back, as it contains the CPU in itself. I’ve seen those advertised, and it seems like a good concept. But how are they? Would we still be better off with a traditional CPU tower at this point in time? it will be similar to a laptop in being difficult to service yourself, components will be more costly than those for desktop computers. when it fails you are stuck until you fix the total unit rather than swap an easier found desktop components. there are minicase desktops if space is a premium. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/28 "2011-04-25T03:22:27Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If you’re using a router you can plug the printer into it and share it with the other computers. You’ll need the router number for the printer if the automatic setup doesn’t work. On my new hp inkject there is a router button on the front of it. Pressing it prints out a page with the routing number on it. Thanks, that’s good to know. We are using a router. There’s no router button on the front of our HP printer, but we’ll check it over. I think we’ll forget about all-in-one computers for now. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/29 "2011-04-25T03:36:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Thanks, that’s good to know. We are using a router. There’s no router button on the front of our HP printer, but we’ll check it over. > > I think we’ll forget about all-in-one computers for now. FYI, in case you do want to use your router to set up a printer network. It was easy Peasy for me: > **[How to Use Windows XP to Share a Printer with Others on Your Network](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-xp/bb457001(v=technet.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN)** The only catch is whatever computer it’s plugged into has to be on all the time, or at least on when you want to print something! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/30 "2011-04-25T04:01:08Z")
That’s good, too. Thanks! I may be becoming a geek! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/31 "2011-04-25T04:41:40Z")
I recently purchased an HP C6380 3 in 1. It prints well enough. However, it drinks ink like water, and the color cartridges are bloody expensive, and there are four. I was spending approximately $130 a month on ink cartridges alone. Although I haven’t had the color printer too long, I just purchased a small HP monochrome laser printer. It’s not a 3 or 4 in 1. It’s just a printer…and I haven’t had to purchase a toner cartridge since I bought it, which is a little over 4 months now. Also, at $70, the price was hard to beat. I just use the color printer for scanning now, and print everything to the laser printer. Yeah, color is nice, but I don’t need it for home anyway, and it’s way too costly. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/32 "2011-04-25T05:01:25Z")
I just bought an HP6500 that faxes and copies too. I have had trouble getting it to work with my wifes laptop. I also had a problem with getting it to work with Windows 7. it was designed for XT. For some reason I am having a network recognizing the laptop problem. It prints well for my downstairs PC though. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/33 "2011-04-25T13:32:59Z")
some ink printers may cease to print even if you still have ink. an amount of time has passed since you installed the ink and the manufacturer calculates average (what they figure) use and they figure it is best (they claim for your printing quality) that you replace it. some ink 3-in-1 units might cease to scan if it registers out of ink. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/34 "2011-04-25T17:05:04Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > some ink 3-in-1 units might cease to scan if it registers out of ink. Perhaps. I haven’t replaced the cartridges in my HP 6380, all of which are showing empty. I can still scan though. I won’t get another color printer for home unless I can find one with high-yield cartridges (unlikely), or the cost per cartridge drops way, way down. $39 for a tiny cartridge that lasts a few weeks with very light usage is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/35 "2011-04-26T02:16:30Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I am on my 4th Canon printer. (Not like it sounds, all 4 still work) > the first one didn’t do photo prints so I got a Pixma 6700, which does excellent photos. > At work I needed a photo printer so I got a Pixma MP860 which is awesome with a sheet feeder for the fax and scanner. I had two printers on my desk top, a HP laser jet for B&W items and the Canon for color, scanning, and fax work. > At home I have upgraded to a Pixma MP 990 which does not have a sheet feeder, but is an all in one and if just flat awesome. > The 6700 has gone to work where it is in the shop printing every day. > I have never had any issues with my Canon printers, and they always work for me even if I have not printed for awhile. No clogged nozzles. > If I was a very heavy user of ink, I would look into Epson as you can buy external print tanks for them that lowers your ink cost to damn near nothing per page. My Cannon pixma is awesome. It has been my occasional at home printer, a home based business printer, the printer for our office which printed hundreds of copies a day, did programs for fundraising shows, and now it is still living its life back at home. I keep thinking I should replace it with a laser for the black and white stuff but because it still works and prints very sharp text I haven’t bothered. I buy the black ink in bulk from Island ink Jet and let them refill the colour ink cartridges for me. Way cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/36 "2011-04-26T03:30:48Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Perhaps. I haven’t replaced the cartridges in my HP 6380, all of which are showing empty. I can still scan though. > > I won’t get another color printer for home unless I can find one with high-yield cartridges (unlikely), or the cost per cartridge drops way, way down. $39 for a tiny cartridge that lasts a few weeks with very light usage is ridiculous. You can buy inkjets that rival laserjet costs per page. All my color printers have individual ink cartridges for each color. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/37 "2011-04-26T04:20:24Z")
Just for the record, the exact model we got was the HP LaserJet P1102. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824/38 "2011-04-26T11:24:10Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You can buy inkjets that rival laserjet costs per page. All my color printers have individual ink cartridges for each color. That’s impressive. What models are able to do that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers/577824.md?page=1)