# Which printer brand(s) do you trust? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252 "2014-08-10T17:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/1 "2014-08-10T17:37:27Z")
I am in the market for a new printer. I have owned printers by a few different manufacturers in the past but I have yet to develop any sense of brand loyalty. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky, but I’ve never owned one that I was impressed by. Poll coming. Budget is around a hundred clams. Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/2 "2014-08-10T17:43:57Z")
what are you looking for? mono or color? laser or ink? manufacturer supplies or compatibles? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/3 "2014-08-10T17:45:33Z")
Brother laser printers are damn reliable and very affordable. My 2270DW has chugged along fine through a case of paper and five grad-student-years of heavy use. However for your budget you can only afford a black-and-white printer. But how often do you need to print in color? Given the obscene cost of color ink, it’s usually a lot cheaper to print photos at the drug store, or the occasional color flyer or whatever at kinkos. And if you do lots of color printing (but not photos) a color laser printer will still be a lot cheaper than an inkjet in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/4 "2014-08-10T18:18:28Z")
I’ve only ever owned HP inkjet/deskjet/officejet printers and I’ve never had a non-fixable problem with them. Yes, I’ve had them go haywire at 3AM while I was waiting for that thing due in 6 hours to print, but I did get it fixed (you gotta really KILL that spool! Kill it dead!) Usually when we do printer talk on this board I am the only one not railing against HP. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/5 "2014-08-10T18:22:02Z")
I paid [$ 160 for this printer (HP® LaserJet Pro M400n Printer) (400 not 401 model)](http://www.staples.com/HP-LaserJet-Pro-M401n-Printer/product_728583?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:728583&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=728583&KPID=728583)last year at Staples on sale and for the price it’s damn impressive. $100 budget limit kind of puts you at the cheapo disposable appliance end of the market. Upping your budget slightly to $200 would get you a lot better printer. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/6 "2014-08-10T18:31:11Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Brother laser printers are damn reliable and very affordable. My 2270DW has chugged along fine through a case of paper and five grad-student-years of heavy use. I second this one, a few years ago I investigated ahead of time what printer had the cheapest toner cartridges in my area and this Brother was the more affordable one, the fact that has a duplex feature (can print both sides of a page on command and unlike other printers you don’t have to invest in an adapter to get both sides) also does wonders when one is looking to save money on paper. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/7 "2014-08-10T18:31:26Z")
I’ve only bought or recommended Brother for the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/8 "2014-08-10T18:49:37Z")
Any of the Canon Pixma printers are under $100 and do a great job. Plus the ink is very affordable. Whatever you buy, be sure to check what the ink replacements will cost. That’s where printers can really soak you. This one’s pretty cool for just $60. > **[Amazon.com: Canon PIXMA Color Printer MG5520 (Discontinued by Manufacturer) :...](https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Printer-MG5520-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00EHDZMGI)** > > Amazon.com: Canon PIXMA Color Printer MG5520 (Discontinued by Manufacturer) : Office Products ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/9 "2014-08-10T19:12:14Z")
To clarify: Cheap color inkjet printer/scanner/copier for light duty home use. ETA: Also, I had intended to put Brother - which I am leaning toward - in the poll. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/10 "2014-08-10T19:23:12Z")
Asking the mods to close this poll since I omitted a major contender from the list and otherwise royally screwed it up. New poll [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=730756). mmm ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/11 "2014-08-10T20:10:08Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Brother laser printers are damn reliable and very affordable. My 2270DW has chugged along fine through a case of paper and five grad-student-years of heavy use. I came to say the exact same thing! We’ve had a 2270DW for 3 years and it has been completely trouble-free. Not even a paper jam, as far as I can recall. Darn impressive for a $100 printer. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/12 "2014-08-10T20:19:40Z")
“Other”. I like Kodak printers. And their ink is much less expensive than other brands. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/13 "2014-08-11T00:42:51Z")
I’ve been running a Brother HL-2040 for something like 8 years now. I don’t do a lot of printing but it’s worked reliably all the time and I’ve only changed the toner once. The only reason I’m thinking about buying a new one is that it’s basically impossible to network the thing without spending a lot of money on new equipment anyway. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/14 "2014-08-11T03:19:12Z")
I’ve had an HP M1530 for about six years and I love it. I also have a spare new in the box for when it finally craps out. Non-OEM toner cartridges are about $14 on Amazaon. I’ve been pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/15 "2014-08-11T03:30:05Z")
I have used nothing but Cannon and Epson recently and have been very happy with both. The Epson workforce line claims a lower cost per page than a color laser. I don’t know if that is true but the ink tanks are huge and cheap. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/16 "2014-08-11T04:08:49Z")
Canon. Never buying another HP product again. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printer-brand-s-do-you-trust/695252/17 "2014-08-11T06:34:03Z")
The OP reposted this poll, so I’m going to close this one.