I’d agree with the exception of artists who sell their printed work (ex: photographers, graphic designers). They’re not only making money from their prints but also printing in color frequently enough that the cartridge doesn’t dry out.
Comment on Best printer 2024: a humorous critique of the Google search engine and printer enshittification
BombOmOm@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Hey, I own that printer! It’s a good printer.
impudentmortal@lemmy.world 5 months ago
lemmyvore@feddit.nl 5 months ago
All the photographers I know have a deal with a local professional printing service. It’s not just the higher printing quality, the service can also do bound albums, hard covers and other stuff that’s impossible on a home printer.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 5 months ago
We have three of them at my office. I am certain we exceed the duty cycle they were designed for by several times. The one at the front desk has been bitching about needing an imaging drum replacement for I think three years at this point, and it still prints just fine. I’ll put a new drum in it when the existing one stops working.
SonicDeathTaco@lemm.ee 5 months ago
I also have that printer. I have to read so many papers for school right now and that thing is a life saver. Is it weird to have feelings for a printer?
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Anyone have a recommendation for a small color laser printer? Like shoebox size.
My place is pretty small, and I don’t have much desk or shelf space. It doesn’t make sense for me to waste desk space on something that I use 1-3 times a year.
I’ve been using one of these tiny HPs. The ink is a fucking racket, and I’d love a laser alternative. This size is great. I can fold the trays and throw it in a drawer. It’s only 16 x 5.5 x 7in.
stankmut@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I don’t think you’ll find a color laser printer that size. They use pretty large drums to hold the toner. It’d be hard to find a mono laser printer in that size.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 5 months ago
They use comparatively tiny drums these days, but they inherently need four of them all in a row, one each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. That usually makes even the smaller ones quite deep, front to back, in my experience.
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Bummer. I really want to ditch this ink jet because of ink costs. I
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
If you only need it 1-3 times/year, why not just go to your local library? In my area, it’s $0.10 for B&W, $0.25 for color, and I can get some books to read at the same time (I go almost weekly).
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Convenience. I can’t print when the library is closed, I need to travel over there, if need to print another revision, I need to travel back.
Ideally like the convenience, but I don’t want to deal with HPs shitty ink sponges that instantly dry out. I’d like something that lasts.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Well, I guess you need to decide what the convenience is worth. An ink cartridge dries out in 2-3 years and toner can last a decade or more (I honestly don’t know, ours finally ran out after 8-ish).
Laser printers aren’t that big, mine (B&W with scanner) is about a piece of paper and a half in all directions. I got it for $150 or so on a sale from Costco (currently listed for $250), and it like like the color version is a little taller but similar footprint (but also more expensive at just $390). Official dimensions of the Brother color laser printer (MFC-L3765CDW): 16.1 in. x 17.5 in. x 15.8 in.
I personally know need B&W, and if I needed color, I’d just go to the library since I go almost every week anyway.
Zak@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I don’t own a printer because it’s 2024 and the only good reason to own a printer is photo/art prints at a scale where outsourcing it isn’t economical.
I’m aware other reasons exist, but they’re bad reasons that mostly boil down to someone being bad at computers.
dojan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Nah, there are definitely cases where you need to print stuff on paper, and need said paper fast enough to warrant a printer. If I use my company credit card for expenses I need to account for that, and for legal reasons I need to send that to our accountant in printed form. I can’t legally mail it to him.
Now I could obviously take 30 minutes and print it at the library, but those 30 minutes would add up fairly fast, making a printer the more accessible and economical option.
T156@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Now I could obviously take 30 minutes and print it at the library, but those 30 minutes would add up fairly fast, making a printer the more accessible and economical option.
Privacy is also an issue. There might be reasons why you don’t want to have something printed out at the library/local print shop, like if it’s tax documents, and someone hitting “repeat job” could just have it spit out personal info.
dojan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Oh yeah that’s a fantastic point I’d failed to even consider. I don’t really care if my credit card bills end up cached somewhere at the library, like, what are they going to do with it? Pay it?
If I on the other hand dealt with personal identifiable data, that could be hugely problematic. I can see the need for e.g. a lawyer having to print case files and assemble documents physically. In such a scenario, printing it at a library, or at a third party company might not be a great idea.
If you for some reaosn also want your nudes (or I suppose, erotic artwork) in print, I can see how you might not want to have that done by a company. I don’t think I’d personally care, but maybe the person dealing with it at the company shouldn’t have to see that sort of thing.
Zak@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I need to send that to our accountant in printed form. I can’t legally mail it to him.
This is exactly the sort of thing I meant by “someone being bad at computers”. That someone might be a government regulator in this case.
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 5 months ago
Are you going to pay for all the systems and processes that need to change to get away from the paper trail?
dojan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Ah, I see. It sounded more like “someone doesn’t know how to just mail something.”
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I use it a lot for construction. Printed job specs are much easier / faster to deal with than a computer on a job site. You can staple them to a wall, quickly draw on them, use them when your hands are filthy, have multiple large copies floating around, etc. Paper is usually just a better solution for that environment.
Zak@lemmy.world 5 months ago
That’s an environment I hadn’t really thought about. I concede the point.
Ginger666@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Take a look at a Canon PIXMA TR150.
There are plenty of other brands that make this same style, this was just the first I found.
Now if only they had a small portable printer like that that did 11x17
Reading blueprints off 8x11 is damn near impossible unless you blow them up
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 months ago
That’s kind of cool. Unfortunately, it’s still ink jet tanks. I’d like a laser.
oatscoop@midwest.social 5 months ago
the only good reason to own a printer is photo/art prints
… how do you read your emails without a printer?
KISSmyOSFeddit@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I have my butler read them to me.
pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online 5 months ago
Yup, I’ve had it since like 2006. The nic is dying now, but the printer works fine.
Assman@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Same, and the only maintenance I’ve ever needed for mine is putting paper in it
orclev@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Hey, I had to change the toner in mine!.. once… after like a decade.
Fuck_u_spez_@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Bought one used several years ago used for $75 and it’s still on the used starter toner.
Pohl@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The wired Nic on mine is dead, WiFi only now. one time modeled and 3d printed a part to fix the feeder. I will keep this fucker running forever.
Assman@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Yeah, to be fair I need to print something like once a year. But every time I’m amazed that it just works.