Yet another question asking for a printer recommendation!

June 4, 2020 10:38 AM

Which inexpensive inkjet printer is the least crappiest and will work for my very specific needs?

I have a need for an inkjet printer. I don't want to spend a lot for the printer. Here is what I'm looking for, in order of importance:

1. Works seamlessly with a mac.
2. Easy set up, either USB, plug-in network, or WiFi. WiFi should be easy to set up and reliable. I would prefer to just plug it into a USB port just so I don't have to futz with networking.
3. Relatively low cost. Less than $400.00. Ideally less than $200.
4. Decent color printing
5. Reliable
6. Ink doesn't dry up if it isn't used every 30 minutes.
7. Works well with a variety of paper, particularly card stock and paper of similar thickness.
8. It should come with some ink so I don't have to then spend another $100.00 on ink.
9. Ideally not HP. The last HP printer I used that I didn't want to go all Office Space on was the HP Laser Jet 4.

Here are things I don't care about but I accept that I might not be able to avoid when buying a printer in 2020:

Print from phone or ipad
Scanner/copier/fax. I have these in my other printer.
Speed. Speed doesn't really matter for my needs.
Perfect photo quality. If I need prints I can go down to the Fotomat.

Here is a thing you should read before you tell me to buy a Brother Laser Printer or just go down to the Fotomat to get my things printed:

I will be using this printer mostly to print waterslide decals and signs for a project I'm working on. This may involve a lot of trial and error to get scale and sizes correct. I will need to print things as I need them so outsourcing isn't an option, even using Your Favorite Printing Place that can do it in 30 minutes isn't going to work. I need to have a printer on my workbench.

I already own a B&W Brother Laser Printer. Aside from the initial setup, which was an absolute nightmare, it's a pretty sweet printer. My B&W document printing needs are ALL SET.

I accept that a color laser printer would be better than an inkjet. I'm assuming they are more than I want to spend on this project. Unless you know of a color laser printer or non-inkjet for $200ish or so (not used or refurbished) I'm probably going to have to stick with an inkjet.

I will probably be using this a lot over the next couple of months and then very occasionally after that. Cost of ink refills shouldn't be an issue unless they're ridiculously expensive. I understand refills may cost more than the printer does.

I am, like you, of the opinion that most inkjet printers are absolute crap. I'm hoping to find one that is a little less crappy that will work for my needs. Thanks!

posted by bondcliff to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Best answer: For years I went through one HP after another, with nothing but frustrations. They basically give those things away in order to sell you the expensive cartridges. Finally, I decided to try an Epson with the "Ecotank" ink system. I don't print things daily, but I've probably gone through 6-10 reams of paper on that machine and have not even had to refill the black ink. And I don't do much color printing but the colors have not dried up. So yes, most inkjet printers are absolute crap. Except Epson with Ecotank. I believe the unit comes with the first batch of ink per your specs.
posted by beagle at 11:14 AM on June 4, 2020

Best answer: USB is now more hassle than AirPrint. The steps to set up an AirPrint printer are: 1) plug it in; 2) turn it on; 3) add it to your network; 4) it is auto-discovered and just works from all your computers.

AirPrint needs no drivers. Forget everything you thought you knew about printers.
posted by scruss at 11:25 AM on June 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

I’ve found that Canon printers work quite well on a Mac-based network. Far better than the insane migraine headache called HP, anyway.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:47 PM on June 4, 2020

I know you said you don't like HP, but our current printer, an HP Office Jet 6950 from Costco has been an absolute rock during quarantine where it has seen heavy use at printing as well as lots of scanning. I have used every printer brand over the years (had two Brother printers break at once one tax day) and this one has stood up to the most abuse.
posted by w0mbat at 9:33 PM on June 4, 2020

A brand new Brother HL-L3230CDW colour laser printer cost us £129 ($150-ish) earlier this year. We have yet to use up the toner it came with. It has wifi and does duplex. It's not fast or small, and is not the finest colour laser I've ever used, but it does the job.
posted by Hogshead at 5:53 AM on June 5, 2020

Response by poster: I ended up buying an Epson EcoTank ET-2720. Setup was pretty straight forward, just a pain to put my WiFi password using the printer buttons, but once it was set up it works great. I've been able to print from all my computers, my phone and my iPad without any issues at all.

Print quality isn't super great but it's good enough for what I need it for. We'll see how long the ink lasts.
posted by bondcliff at 10:51 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]