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Inkjet Scam

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Salamander_King, Dec 17, 2018.

  1. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    AFAIK, that's always been the case.
     
  2. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    We have the same color laser printer, but you are paying way too much for toner. Are you buying OEM? We got a full generic replacement set for $26 and free shipping. Works great and highly rated.

     
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  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I always buy OEM cartridges to insure quality.

    I know, at least in the past, some of the third party "compatible" supplies were supplies that failed the OEM's standards of quality. (Disclaimer: I worked for Pitney Bowes on their copiers years ago.)
     
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  4. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I usually buy refilled cartridges and never have a problem with them. My HP Printer is a business model with two cartridges and there is a XP model with more ink. I have come to the conclusion that I have low ink usage and the standard cartridge is the best choice for me so they get changed more often.
     
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  5. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Yup. So people buying whole new printers just to get 'cheaper' ink cartridges, ought to shortchanging themselves even more than the printer maker already was.

    Though I won't hold it against them if they try to take advantage when some manufacturers make a mistake and include too much ink with new printers. The volume of packaging waste isn't pretty though.
     
  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'll bookmark that link and think about it. I've had lots of problems with 3rd party ink jet ink. So I'm pretty leery of trying it in a laser printer. Even as it is, I'm paying way less per year than I did with the ink jet printer and probably printing considerably more.

    How long have you been using it and how many pages printed?
     
  7. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    Probably only on a couple hundred pages on the color laser printer since using the aftermarket toner.

    We’ve used half a dozen high rated aftermarket toner cartridges in our other Brother monochrome printers for many years without problems.

    Agree, aftermarket toner can sometimes be a mistake. One needs to stay away from the cheapest/low rated stuff. So far anything with 4 stars or more on Amazon has surpassed our expectations.

    We only paid a couple hundred for the color laser printer, so if something catastrophically failed, we wouldn’t be too upset. More likely, bad toner cartridges could just be replaced.
     
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  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Just to update on this old thread. After almost a year of use, finally the original low capacity manufacturer cartridges that came with a $39.99 Canon inkjet printer run out. I had already purchased pop cartridge ink sometimes ago, not an authentic ink cartilage but just a tank of ink to be placed into the empty cartilage. It was bit messy, but the process wasn't very difficult. It took only 5-10 min total. The hardest part was plying open the cap of the original cartilage. Once open, all I had to do was to remove the foam insert and place the "pop cart" into the empty cartilage.

    I think it was ~$20 for both black and color ink compared to ~$50 for genuine Cannon cartilage. And the amount of ink in the refill is something like ~5 times (rated 950 pages) of what original low capacity cartilage has (rated 180 pages). At our current rate of use, this refill should last next 5 years.

    20191201_161918-COLLAGE.jpg
     
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  9. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    In a "previous life", I went through the "bulk printer ink" phase and bought ink by the pint and "refilled" with a syringe.
    While that worked reasonably well, the print heads eventually clogged due to, I think, not being used often enough.
    I soon tired of the hassle and the mess.
     
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  10. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, the print quality of black and white by inkjet is marginal at best even when the print heads are clean. When my current el cheapo inkjet printer ($39.99 printer + ~$20 additional refill ink) quit working, I will probably replace with yet another el cheapo monochrome laser printer (~$70 printer + ~$15 toner). The $39.99 inkjet I have can also work as fax, scanner, and copier, but those functionalities are no longer needed with currently available various phone apps.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    which model uses $15. toner?
     
  12. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    HP LaserJet Pro M15a Monochrome Compact Laser Printer - Walmart.com currently on safe for $70. Genuine HP 48A | CF248A | Toner Cartridge | Black this printer uses is ~$50 from most places, but you can find various aftermarket compatible toners starting around $15 and up.

    I did not look hard, but I am sure there are other laser printers out there that fit the bill as well.
     
    #72 Salamander_King, Dec 3, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2019
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  13. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    That cartridge includes toner, the photosensitive drum, and high voltage components.
    I have usually found better quality on complex supplies sticking with OEM where possible. I do have an old LaserJet 6MP where I need to use third party cartridges because the OEM ones are no longer made or sold.
     
  14. utsug

    utsug Active Member

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    I've been buying inks from this website. For the past years I've been using inkjet printers and their ink is comparable to OEM. But got tired of the mess of replacing and cleaning the heads so I switched to laser printer. I bought some toners from them as well but haven't use it yet. I usually shake the cartridge if it says its low and need replacement.

    https://bestinkandtoner.com/
     
  15. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, printer technology advances so quickly. Keep using an older printer is a challenge. I still have an old dye-sub printer I use to use to print photos. I have long stopped using the printer for the color ribbons and special papers were so expensive. Maybe they are cheaper now if they still make them, but I doubt it.
     
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  16. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I used an "all in one" monochrome laser for a few years.
    I think it is probably the best compromise for cost, convenience and reliability.
    I did learn that it probably is best to get a brand where the "drum" is a part of the cartridge.

    THEN.....my wife decided that we could not survive without color.
    So now I'm back to inkjets.......and don't worry too much about the cost.
     
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  17. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    We've been using a Brother color laser for 4-5 years. Not as cheap to run as monochrome laser and not as good for photos as an inkjet, but a great compromise for us.
     
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  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I still have >10 years old Phaser 8560 solid ink color printer somewhere in the storage. The printer is way too big and heavy, too expensive to service and operate (very expensive solid ink). After all, our needs for hard copies just aren't as high as in the past. For now, $39.99 inkjet refilled with bulk ink will do the job.
     
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  19. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    We print so seldom that I was always fighting with clogged print heads with our ink jets.
     
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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    My inkjet clogging issues have ebbed of late, but always waiting in the wings, is Windows can't find the printer. I'd lay that on Microsoft's doorstep, likely due to the rolling updates?
     
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