Printer Recommendation?

[xiaobao]

Hi

I have a Cannon mx922 printer that is around 4 years old. The print head seems to be going as text is almost unreadable at times. I tried to clean the print head with all built in options and when they failed I took out the print head and tried to clean it. I am not sure if the generic ink I been putting through it caused it or if it is because I don't print as much anymore or if that's just how long cheap printers last these days(paid like $70 for it).

I am on my last black ink cartridge so I got to think what to do. I am debating if I should get a black laser printer now instead of ink jet. It is nice to have color but I find myself the few times a year I want to print out a picture I just go to Costco anyways.

I am still open to each option and really looking for these features

1. Must be all in one (Print, copy and scan)
2. Can easily buy cheap generic ink / toner (maybe generic ink reduced the life of my current printer but I ran 5 sets of ink through my current printer which would have been the cost of the printer several times over)
3. Under $150 CAD

I like those new inkjet printers that have 2 years worth of ink but they are pricey and I am worried that the ink will dry out or clog the print head. If I was still in school then I probably really look at these as a serious option.

I will also try to clean my printer head one more time before buying a new printer but I want to have some idea of what I should get.

There are a few that I seen in the laser printer department but I don't know how easy it is to use generic toner as I hear they are putting in new chips and firmware that makes 3rd party toner to not work.

https://www.staples.ca/products/276...nochrome-multifunction-wireless-laser-printer

https://www.staples.ca/products/292...ass-mf264dw-monochrome-laser-printer-2925c020

 

[glr54]

I have the 922 as well. Nice printer and it works perfectly. Two reasons why you are likely having problems is you are using generic ink of unknown quality plus you are not using the printer enough to keep the nozzles clear. At least once a week run the nozzle check to keep it clear. If the new printer will be used like your old one just buy the cheapest you can find and replace it every time you have a problem.

 

[xiaobao]

I have the 922 as well. Nice printer and it works perfectly. Two reasons why you are likely having problems is you are using generic ink of unknown quality plus you are not using the printer enough to keep the nozzles clear. At least once a week run the nozzle check to keep it clear. If the new printer will be used like your old one just buy the cheapest you can find and replace it every time you have a problem.

Yeah probably not using it enough lead to the clog, I remember other printers I had in the past would do auto cleaning but I don't think this one did.

Anyways damage is done and if I can't get the head cleaned then I need a new printer, that is why I am leaning towards laser printer as then I won't run into that issue of clogging.

I will continue to buy generic ink as even if does lower the life of the printer it is well worth it as I spent over the life of my printer about $30 in ink which if I bought Canon brand it would have cost me $350. I think if I would have kept on using it at the pace I used before then it would have lasted a lot longer as that was the case of my other printer (10 years...only got rid of it because it was not wireless and getting harder to sync to newer OS)

It just is getting hard to find printers that can take generic ink that is the problem.

 

[glr54]

The 922 performs a cleaning cycle. Depending on usage some cycles are longer than others but they do clean. Even my black ink only Canon BJ200 that I bought back in the early 90s performed cleaning cycles. I would dare say all inkjet printers do as that's just the nature of the beast to help keep them functional.

As for laser printers I've used them in an office setting but I've never owned one so I'm in no position to comment on how they hold up to infrequent use. I do know they don't do as well as ink jets when printing photographs but for color text or graphics they are fine. Looking at the links you provided it appears you don't need to print in color so then I'd say laser would be a worthwhile option to explore.

I will say I'm surprised how much they've come down in price so I just might consider one of those for myself. My wife works in an office so I'll see what she has to say and get back to you in the morning.

 

[xiaobao]

The 922 performs a cleaning cycle. Depending on usage some cycles are longer than others but they do clean. Even my black ink only Canon BJ200 that I bought back in the early 90s performed cleaning cycles. I would dare say all inkjet printers do as that's just the nature of the beast to help keep them functional.

As for laser printers I've used them in an office setting but I've never owned one so I'm in no position to comment on how they hold up to infrequent use. I do know they don't do as well as ink jets when printing photographs but for color text or graphics they are fine. Looking at the links you provided it appears you don't need to print in color so then I'd say laser would be a worthwhile option to explore.

I will say I'm surprised how much they've come down in price so I just might consider one of those for myself. My wife works in an office so I'll see what she has to say and get back to you in the morning.

Well it may do it, if it does it does it quietly and I never hear it or it does it when I am not around. My older printer you could hear when it was doing cleaning and it liked to do it at like 10pm at night.

Yeah I am prepared to forfeit color as I am not in school anymore so don't really need color and for photo needs I found that it is cheaper for me to go to Costco and get them to print my photos.

The appeal of a laser printer is that they should not clog like a inkjet but the downside is they still are a beast and not very compact compared to most inkjets.

I got time to decide but I still have no clue which way to go, I would like to find a printer that allows generic ink as I been doing that for the last 12 years and the savings are just worth any downside, but I am having trouble finding a printer that I can say for sure will take generic.

I have come up with 3 options right now

Option 1.

Get 1 of the laser printers and hope that I can use generic toner if it does not accept it then have to buy genuine toner and know that at least I will get many years out of it with my printing needs and not need to worry about the head getting clogged.


Option 2

Pay more CAD $50 to $100 more vs a laser printer and get one of the "eco" tank ones that come with 2 years worth and hope that these styles of printers don't clog from not much use as I probably will get more than 2 years out of and varying on the model refills bottles are like $20 for genuine.

https://www.staples.ca/products/253...-et-2650-ecotank-all-in-one-supertank-printer


Option 3

They have on sale cheap HP printers like for CAD $30. I get one of these and enroll into the instaink program which gives you 15 free pages a month that might be more than enough most months.

if I need to print more than upgrade to whatever plan I need for the month.

Downside is I got to coordinate with the wife and monitor usage to make sure I choose the correct plan when needed.

Also them being cheaper printers I don't get features like double sided printing or auto feed copying and I am sure pictures quality is not the greatest but these are all features I really don't need.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/hp-des...sWhAG6LT1RKFiWRVQzBYQ&wmlspartner=CAqD7bLWUPI

 

[glr54]

I picked my wife's brain a bit this morning. She works in a small doctors office with 2 doctors so only 3 bodies in the office. She's not sure how much printing is done in a month as no one keeps track. If she had to guess maybe 80 pages a day on average. If a printer runs out of paper the person using it simply adds more and carries on. The same with the toner. When the toner light come on they just take it out, shake it, put it back in and its good for a few weeks more before it actually runs out. They have two all in one laser printers in the office. One is a Samsung the other an HP. She says they've had the Samsung for years and is much more reliable than the HP. About once a year or so the drums get changed.

So thats probably not much help. For me I think once the ink runs out on the 922 it'll get replaced with a B&W laser. What brand I don't know. Will have to do some more investigating when that time comes. I have a dedicated photo printer so no need for color on an all in one. Not having to go through wasteful cleaning cycles will be nice. A drum and toner cartridge should last me several years - I hope.

 

[turnpaper]

Hi

I have a Cannon mx922 printer that is around 4 years old. The print head seems to be going as text is almost unreadable at times. I tried to clean the print head with all built in options and when they failed I took out the print head and tried to clean it. I am not sure if the generic ink I been putting through it caused it or if it is because I don't print as much anymore or if that's just how long cheap printers last these days(paid like $70 for it).

I am on my last black ink cartridge so I got to think what to do. I am debating if I should get a black laser printer now instead of ink jet. It is nice to have color but I find myself the few times a year I want to print out a picture I just go to Costco anyways.

I am still open to each option and really looking for these features

1. Must be all in one (Print, copy and scan)
2. Can easily buy cheap generic ink / toner (maybe generic ink reduced the life of my current printer but I ran 5 sets of ink through my current printer which would have been the cost of the printer several times over)
3. Under $150 CAD

I like those new inkjet printers that have 2 years worth of ink but they are pricey and I am worried that the ink will dry out or clog the print head. If I was still in school then I probably really look at these as a serious option.

I will also try to clean my printer head one more time before buying a new printer but I want to have some idea of what I should get shipping label printer.

There are a few that I seen in the laser printer department but I don't know how easy it is to use generic toner as I hear they are putting in new chips and firmware that makes 3rd party toner to not work.

I have a new client running a successful holistic business out of her house. She has a mid-range brother color laser printer that is not keeping up with the demand she needs. It burned out after just six months. She prints about 500 waterproof labels a week for her products. What color laser printer can keep up with that sort of demand? I had the Canon Color imageCLASS MF741Cdw as my first thought until I heard of the amount of printing per week. Price isn't a huge issue if it is the right fit. The client is getting a grant to pay for it. Thanks in advance!