# Suggestions for a basic "cheap-to-operate" printer?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I know an old printer Thread recently re-surfaced here, & i made a comment or 2 on it.
Wouldn't you know, now my old Brother MFC-J615W, which I bought used 8-10 years ago/ is now on the fritz so in the market for a new one. Its a printer/scanner/fax machine & has served me well.
I'm thinking ink jet, but maybe laser? Something that's cheap to buy & cheap to run (ie cartridge & printing costs etc.) Any suggestions from what's currently available? Thanks!

edit: Or maybe which brands, models to avoid!


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

Brother HL-L2320D Monochrome Reliable Laser Printer


Find a Brother HL-L2320D Monochrome Reliable Laser Printer at Staples.ca. Read reviews to learn about the top-rated Brother HL-L2320D Monochrome Reliable Laser Printer.




www.staples.ca





here‘s a budget friendly laser.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

I gave up on inkjet printers years ago. Cartridges that gum up, smudge, dry up due to time and lack of use, etc. Went to a laserjet with toner cartridges and have never looked back. Toner cartridges are expensive but last a long time and don't dry up. Can't say anything more about it than that. Any of the name brands such as Canon, HP, etc are probably the ones to go too.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

jargey3000 said:


> Its a printer/scanner/fax machine & has served me well.
> I'm thinking ink jet, but maybe laser?


As noted already, ink-jet is crazy talk. 

An excellent printer/scanner at Staples is the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28w All-in-One Printer (W2G55A#BGJ). You can step up to higher end models, but HP has always served me well.

ltr


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Stay far, far away from inkjet. If you are researching printer models, just remember to check the pricing for replacement cartridges while you're at it. Unless you do a lot of document scanning, I find it just as convenient to use my phone to scan documents, there are any number of free apps that will let you crop the picture and correct for lighting/etc. So a basic monochrome laser printer should work fine. I may actually pick one up to for my occasional printing needs, now that I am working from home semi-indefinitely. I used to 'steal' those prints from work (I soothed my conscience by the fact that it is far outweighed by legitimate business expenses I don't claim reimbursement for).


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Great........I just bought an inkjet printer. Now I know why the last one didn't print all the time. I rarely use it. Oh well..........laser printer next time.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I replaced my HP with a Canon TR4527 a two plus years or so ago. Ink jet. Selected this based on a number of reviews. We hardly use it and when we do it is usually BW. $60 sale price. They go on sale all the time.  Excellent scanner, excellent copy, excellent print. Wireless worked first try with our windows 7 and our ipads. Never used the fax capability. We could not justify spending more. I bet we do fifteen-twenty pages a year at most! It has not gummed up yet.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

YMMV and perhaps technology has improved. But infrequent printing with inkjet used to spell trouble with dried up cartridges.


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## Topo (Aug 31, 2019)

In the long run, laser printers are cheaper to operate. I used to have a color inkjet years ago. I had to feed the beast cartridges every six months with only minimal use. Then I got rid of it and bought a Brother 3-in-1 laser monochrome printer and couldn't be happier. It is worth every penny of the additional investment for the last 10 years.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I looked at laser. I had an okidata years ago. Great printer. But, with 2 children and doing lots of work from home it got a lot of use. Simply could not justify one for the few pages that I do. Actually....I find the photocopy option and the scan option more useful than the the print option by itself. So far I have purchased one black cartridge @$23. Still using the colour cartridge that came with the unit. Cannot remember when I used anything but B&W draft.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

ian said:


> I looked at laser. I had an okidata years ago. Great printer. But, with 2 children and doing lots of work from home it got a lot of use. Simply could not justify one for the few pages that I do. Actually....I find the photocopy option and the scan option more useful than the the print option by itself. So far I have purchased one black cartridge @$23. Still using the colour cartridge that came with the unit. Cannot remember when I used anything but B&W draft.


I'd say count yourself lucky. My experience with inkjet and low usage like your own, is that the cartridges either dry up or 'time out'. I'm now sitting with an inkjet that says 'out of ink' when I know I haven't even printed more than say 50 pages on it since I last changed cartridges about a year ago. 

I'm contemplating a new laptop and printer and given what I have been reading here, I think I will opt for laserjet this time.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

I've had nothing but trouble with inkjets, and perhaps it was from lack of use. I don't print that much, but I want to have the printer work when I do, and that ain't the case with an inkjet, they're a lost cause.

Heck, you can let a laser sit for a year and then print a page and it's perfect.

ltr


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Laser and third party cartridges, price them out before you buy.
I used to buy from 123ink.ca (now shopper+, also primecables.ca)
now I just buy from Amazon.

I did get the doublesider with doublesided scanner, it's wonderful.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

Ask yourself if you need the fax. If not, and just want a scanner/printer, then this one would do, else what Money172375 suggested. Printers come on sale often enough. Check amazon/staples/bestbuy once you find the model/make you're after. Amazon, I find has good prices on toner.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

FWIW ...I think I paid $25-$30 bucks ..maybe 8-10 yrs ago? for the Brother i have now.
i go thru maybe 2 black cartridges a year?...& the other 3 colors last prob. twice that.
i buy them online for usually less than $5 each (on sale now for $3.99!)
obviously I dont do a lot of printing or copying, use the fax RARELY.
So....this is the "operating cost" ball-park I've been in .... pretty low, no?
As said the machine has given no problems up to now...now it's an annoying paper feed problem that nobody (online) can seem to solve...

edit: I guessing i print maybe 150 pages/yr? mostly bw.
use copy function maybe 10-15 times/year?
used fax function twice this year so far!


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Retired Peasant said:


> Ask yourself if you need the fax. If not, and just want a scanner/printer, then this one would do, else what Money172375 suggested. Printers come on sale often enough. Check amazon/staples/bestbuy once you find the model/make you're after. Amazon, I find has good prices on toner.


And you can price match against Amazon at Staples (probably Best Buy too, but I've done it at Staples).


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

sags said:


> Great........I just bought an inkjet printer. Now I know why the last one didn't print all the time. I rarely use it. Oh well..........laser printer next time.


what brand/ model did you buy saggy?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Sounds like many here don't have much colour in their lives 

If you want to print a web page or even some documents, you often NEED colour.

We have two HP Deskjet printers. They originally cost next to nothing. Cartridges cost more than the printers did. But I shop for cartridges on-line. They are hardly a major expense if replaced, say once/year. Only time I have had them dry out, is when we are away for 3 or more months. That won't happen if you remove the cartridges and replace the seal tape and/or store in a ziplok bag. If they do dry out, just letting them sit is a shallow saucer of warm water usually gets them going again using the printers built in cleaning function.

I know nothing about them, but these days you can get inkjets with refillable tanks. No more cartridges! They may cost as much as a laser, but perhaps lower toner/ink costs?








Top 5 InkJet Printers with Refillable Ink Tanks - no more expensive ink cartridges - Colour My Learning


The printer business is a lucrative one, inkjet printers are well known to be affordable but costly to maintain when it comes to replacing the cartridges. Even the first set of cartridges are typically low capacity ones. Buying and replacing the cartridges are uneconomical and often consumers...




www.colourmylearning.com





I would love to have a colour laser, but cheapest HP I have seen is about C$360. But then it seems that 4 replacement toners are required - 3 colours and one black. These cost about C$83 each! So about same cost again when toner is needed?


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

My HP printer is a color laser jet. I prefer colour printing in some cases, especially when printing graphics. A few hundred $$ is neither here nor there at this stage of my life.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

agent99 said:


> Sounds like many here don't have much colour in their lives
> 
> If you want to print a web page or even some documents, you often NEED colour.
> 
> ...


I've had good luck with LCL, I had a bad cartridge once, they replaced it.








LCL Remanufactured for HP 130A CF350A CF351A CF352A CF353A (5-Pack,2Black,Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) Toner Cartridge for HP Color Laserjet Pro MFP M176 M176FN M177 M177FW M176n : Amazon.ca: Office Products


LCL Remanufactured for HP 130A CF350A CF351A CF352A CF353A (5-Pack,2Black,Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) Toner Cartridge for HP Color Laserjet Pro MFP M176 M176FN M177 M177FW M176n : Amazon.ca: Office Products



www.amazon.ca





I have a HP laserjet with doubleside printing and scanning.
It was expensive, but 10 years later it's still going, and I'd get the same type of printer again.

I was going through slow and crappy inkjets, every few years, they were slow and the ink was flakey.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

MrMatt said:


> I have a HP laserjet with doubleside printing and scanning.
> It was expensive, but 10 years later it's still going, and I'd get the same type of printer again.
> 
> I was going through slow and crappy inkjets, every few years, they were slow and the ink was flakey.


Yeah, I know it's anecdotal, but I too have had so much luck and longevity with HP printers. They last forever.

And I agree with Alta, if you want color, simply buy a color laser.

ltr


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

agent99 said:


> I would love to have a colour laser, but cheapest HP I have seen is about C$360. But then it seems that 4 replacement toners are required - 3 colours and one black. These cost about C$83 each! So about same cost again when toner is needed?


I have an old LaserJet CP1025 that has been running for a while, which replaced my old HP 5L, which probably still works, but I've put it away in the closet for now. Branded replacement toners can cost a bit. OTOH, depending on your usage, you may not need to purchase replacements for years. That being said, the initial starter toner that you get with the printer usually is only capable of a fraction of a real toner.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

agent99 said:


> I would love to have a colour laser, but cheapest HP I have seen is about C$360. But then it seems that 4 replacement toners are required - 3 colours and one black. These cost about C$83 each! So about same cost again when toner is needed?


Yes, but depending on usage, they seem to last forever. Obviously, one only buys the 1 or 2 cartridges they need at the time.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> what brand/ model did you buy saggy?


The new one is an HP Deskjet model 2655.

I bought it on sale at Staples. After reading this thread maybe I should have paid more and bought a laser jet printer.

The only printer that ever worked without problems from the days of the dot matrix printer to today, was an old commercial printer I bought from a company going out of business.

That thing was a monster and could really spit out the copies........LOL.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I printed out a PDF government form for my son and the lines were all over the place. Is it the printer, the PDF or do I need to set it up better ?


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

sags said:


> The new one is an HP Deskjet model 2655.
> 
> I bought it on sale at Staples. After reading this thread maybe I should have paid more and bought a laser jet printer.
> 
> ...


Bear in mind Jargey that the ink they give you in the printer is a tiny cartridge and you will need more ink soon. Best buy new cartridges when you buy the printer as well.


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## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

like_to_retire said:


> As noted already, ink-jet is crazy talk.
> 
> An excellent printer/scanner at Staples is the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28w All-in-One Printer (W2G55A#BGJ). You can step up to higher end models, but HP has always served me well.
> 
> ltr


I bought one of these in Jan. for use in California. $90 US. Pleased with it.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

_I bought one of these in Jan. for use in California. $90 US. Pleased with it._

yes, but will it work in Canada?😜😜😜😜


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Just buy in Canada. Can't always return stuff bought in the USA (and not intended for export) for warranty replacement, etc. By the time you pay exchange and likely duty since it is likely not North American made under the FTA, you pay almost the same anyway. It's taken my spouse a little while to understand the costs of importing stuff directly.


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