Comment on Open Printer is a fully open-source inkjet with DRM-free ink and no subscriptions
leverage@lemdro.id 23 hours agoUnless something about inkjet has improved in the 15 years since I was more inclined to know everything about them, the “goes bad” is what anyone with a brain should be focusing on. The first time you use a cartridge to print, it has a shelf life. It gunks up, prompting cleaning cycles that use dozens of pages worth of ink. If you only print a few pages a month, there’s a good chance you’re getting <40 pages out of that $63 cartridge.
I have a Brother DCP-7065DN, paid $64 for it in Feb 2014 (obviously a very good deal), page counter reads 3626. We’re on toner #3 including the starter, first was replaced in 2019, second in July 2025. Toner was $55 each.
I hope there aren’t people seriously advocating for inkjet printers for black and white anything. The only thing they are good for is photos, and even then you are paying more per print for a worse photo vs local print or online order options. That holds true even if you get good deals and somehow actually use the entire cartridge set without waste, I did the math a few times over the years. The only use cases are printing shit you’re too embarrassed to risk printer shop seeing, or is illegal/copyright, or you just like giving money to these garbage companies.
Maybe projects like this will change the math. I think if they targeted commercial print specifications it would be quite interesting. The jump to larger format printers is so expensive.
SARGE@startrek.website 21 hours ago
I bought a toner printer in 2020 and I’m still on the first replacement cart. I have over 2000 pages printed.
Considering I spent $80, plus $40 on the new two pack of toner, I consider it money well spent.
I do wish I had bought a laser printer though… There are things I would like to begin printing that will be several thousand pages after it’s all finished. Mostly reference materials.
leverage@lemdro.id 20 hours ago
I’m confused, toner = laser. Toner is the media, it’s fine powder, applied to the paper via the drum and flash fused via a laser. Inkjet, liquid ink is the media, sprayed through a nozzle while moving back and forth.
SARGE@startrek.website 7 hours ago
reads manual
You’re only confused because I’m dumb! For some reason I was thinking toner and laser were separate types.