Which low use but safe printer for engineering student?

[me]

I don't need a duplexer nor scanner nor fax.

Ink jets sound like they will clog up if not used
daily.

Laser toner apparently spews fine particles in the home
and is messy.

What decent printer can I buy for an engineering
student who needs color 8.5 x 11 output? But low use as
the campus has printers as well?

I'm willing to spend no more than $350...maybe a bit
more

 

[Jan Alter]

They're not /that/ bad!

I can go away on holiday for a fortnight, no printing is done in that
time, and have no problem whatsoever. Old Canon S4500.

I think it needs several months for jets to clog.

Clogging in inkjets have variables when the printer is not used for a period
of time. Humidity in the air is a big one. The higher the humidity the
longer the time that surface ink on the printhead will remain undried. Ink
composition is another factor; dye base, pigment base and what formulations
are used to make the ink will affect its drying time. Further, printer
design plays a role in clogging as well. I've worked with a lot of Epson
inkjet printers over the last 20 years and found that if they are used at
least once a week they will not clog. However, I live in the Philadelphia
area, where humidity is relatively high. If I lived in Arizona and left the
same printer unused for a week I might expect a clogging problem with the
same printer.
On the other hand I've worked with some HP inkjets and they seem to
avoid head clogs for a longer period of time than Epsons. The ones I used
were using dye-base ink, the same as the Epsons. It may have been the
printhead design or the ink formulation and materials used to make the ink
that allowed them to avoid head clogs longer than the Epsons in the same
humidity environment.

 

[Don Phillipson]

What decent printer can I buy for an engineering
student who needs color 8.5 x 11 output? But low use as
the campus has printers as well?

I'm willing to spend no more than $350...

A couple of years ago Brother was distributing its obsolete
printers (both laser e.g. model HL-2040 and inkjet e.g.
DCP 300) at about $60 each (very little more than the
retail cost of inks or toner also supplied.) I then bought
three, used lightly and faultlessly (enough to require one
refill each.)

 

[Priam]

On the other hand I've worked with some HP inkjets and they seem to
avoid head clogs for a longer period of time than Epsons. The ones I used
were using dye-base ink, the same as the Epsons. It may have been the
printhead design or the ink formulation and materials used to make the ink
that allowed them to avoid head clogs longer than the Epsons in the same
humidity environment.

So what you say is HP served you well. I have a Laserjet 1012. It always
worked flawlessly... even if the "cartridge" is suppose to work only for
one year. (I've had it for more than 3 years

I had a very bad experience with Canon. It's a company you better not
deal with. Epson, I don't know.

 

[MD34]

Laser toner apparently spews fine particles in the home
and is messy.

I have a B&W and a Color Laser and haven't seen any particles. Only mess comes
from paper edges after they go through any printer.

What decent printer can I buy for an engineering
student who needs color 8.5 x 11 output? But low use as
the campus has printers as well?

I just bought a used HP2605 color laser for $150 and it's great. New toners are
about $70 but remans are around $30, or DIY for $10

 

[B]

I don't need a duplexer nor scanner nor fax.

Ink jets sound like they will clog up if not used
daily.

Laser toner apparently spews fine particles in the home
and is messy.

What decent printer can I buy for an engineering
student who needs color 8.5 x 11 output? But low use as
the campus has printers as well?

I'm willing to spend no more than $350...maybe a bit
more

For a fraction of your budget you can get very good printers that will
serve your needs. I'd recommend a Canon inkjet. We've had good results
with them quality-wise and performance-wise at home and at work. At
home the printer can go days or weeks without being used and continues
to work fine. At the small office environment that I support, where we
have several Canon inkjets, in the two instances when we've had a
problem over the years, Canon support has been very good.

Color, which you'll probably want, should be much cheaper with an inkjet.

If you decide to spend the money for a laser printer, toner should not
be a problem except possibly when you have to replace a cartridge. With
your usage levels that should be rarely. Just be careful in the
cartridge replacement process, follow the instructions for both the old
cartridge and the new one and you should be fine.

 

[Priam]

For a fraction of your budget you can get very good printers that will
serve your needs. I'd recommend a Canon inkjet.

I wouldn't. The problem with Canon products is that soon as the
guarantee is over, the only support they provide is: "Why don't you buy
a new one?" They'll keep you online for hours just to tell you this. I
even wrote to Canon Japan. No answer.

Rotten company.

At home
the printer can go days or weeks without being used and continues to
work fine. At the small office environment that I support, where we have
several Canon inkjets, in the two instances when we've had a problem
over the years, Canon support has been very good.

I cannot doesn't clog, why does Arthur provide a manual for cleaning them:

"I don;t recall if you requested my Canon cleaning manual or not, which
has a few suggestions on head cleaning beyond compressed air. If not,
you can request a copy by emailing me at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org"

MessageID: [email protected]

 

[Priam]

I have a Canon Lide 70 scanner that I am currently using in a big project
which has meant that I have so far scanned in excess of 7,000 pages since
about last September.

Call back when you're around 7.000.000 scans. These are more like HP
figures.

 

[me]

Canon make good kit and I would recommend to anyone despite what you think.

My only problem with the Canons I've looked at is it
seems they pit the units power supply IN the unit
etc.... and not an external power "brick" like HP does

I prefer the external power brick actually

 

[Kadaitcha Man]

Personally I prefer a built in PSU because it is "tidier".

true

but some day i see myself generating my own 12v power

 

[me]

Canon make good kit and I would recommend to anyone despite what you think.

OK...went ahead and ordered the cheap Canon on sale at
NewEgg plus the 4 extra ink cartridges combo for a
total of $135

Linux support looks "iffy"... but I will be running
VMWare on desktop anyway so can switch to Windows VM to
print if needed.... I guess

 

[§ñühw¤£f]

Ahhh, right, understood.

well

I went and bought the 120vac Canon anyway

I kind wanted the portable battery powered Canon for
mobile use..... but will wait and watch for a sale or
newer better model

The portable model would be the one for living off grid
life anyway... but.that's a ways off

 

[Adam]

OK...went ahead and ordered the cheap Canon on sale at
NewEgg plus the 4 extra ink cartridges combo for a
total of $135

Linux support looks "iffy"... but I will be running
VMWare on desktop anyway so can switch to Windows VM to
print if needed.... I guess

Canon is known as one of the worst offenders as far as Linux support
goes. Pity, as they seem to make good equipment. I'm more familiar
with VirtualBox than VMware, but probably printing from a Windows VM
would work.

Adam

 

[me]

Canon is known as one of the worst offenders as far as Linux support
goes. Pity, as they seem to make good equipment. I'm more familiar
with VirtualBox than VMware, but probably printing from a Windows VM
would work.

ayep

feck it....I just canceled the order from newegg

will stick with HP.... maybe portable unit tho

actually I will just make a Google "alert" using the
model number I want... and WAIT for a sale or a good
refurb

sorry.... I don't overpay on stuff lol

 

[Adam]

will stick with HP.... maybe portable unit tho

When my Canon inkjet finally died (after 7 years) and I replaced it
with an HP Deskjet, I was amazed at the difference in Linux support.
The Canon was a real pain to set up, the HP literally installed
itself, including some printer utilities.

Adam

 

[me]

I replaced it
with an HP Deskjet, I was amazed at the difference in Linux support.

thanks for the confirm

and yes Linux is HEAVILY used in engineering college

crazy why these companies screw themselves outta
potential consumers by NOT supporting Linux

plain insanity

 

[Adam]

crazy why these companies screw themselves outta
potential consumers by NOT supporting Linux

They probably figured (or guessed) that the profit from the
additional sales would be less than the cost of writing and
supporting Linux software.

Adam

 

[Mark Swellman]

I don't care about manufactures figures, when you've done 7,000,000 with
your hp /you/ come back and tell us.

Mine hasn't done it but I've seen some do it.

As for their service department, I have no idea because I've not needed
them.

At 7,000 scans, it's understandable.

Oh, did I not mention the BJC-55 I've just checked out. I was given it
about three years ago and it had been sitting around for an unknown period
of time beforhand. The black printhead was blocked, hardly surprising, but
the colour head, way out of date but sealed in its original package works
fine.

You find it surprizing that a *sealed* color printhead works? Gee, the
ink never got to the nozzles!

No surprize you're satisfied with Canon!

 

[Priam]

thanks for the confirm

and yes Linux is HEAVILY used in engineering college

I thought AutoCAD was the norm. Which software do you use?

crazy why these companies screw themselves outta
potential consumers by NOT supporting Linux

plain insanity

Maybe, as for Asus' netbooks, M$ made them an offer they couldn't refuse?

 

[Priam]

ayep

feck it....I just canceled the order from newegg

Wise move. With the latest releases of Linux, you just plug the printer
and it prints.