I usually print once a week to my hp printer from my ipad over wi-fi to keep the ink from drying up. Now it’s decided to not recognize any print jobs I send. I’ve spent as much time as I care to troubleshooting it, so if anyone has any advice, or any non-HP printer recommendations, please let me know. Thanks.
Cheap basic printer recommendations
- Thread starter NC FNS
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GLGAR
Bearcat
I have a simple Brother printer that I bought in Jan 2020. Seldom used but always ready. One ink cartridge replaced with a generic from E bay . Zero jams or malfunctions. I noticed the exact same unit in a DR's office which gets a lot of use. Cost was $89 at Walmart
We have an Epson workforce WF-2850 that has served us for several years of light duty.
Fujicon
Bearcat
"Cheap" is a relative term that means different things to different people, so this may not meet your "cheap" criterion, but I can at least recommend the Epson ET-3750 (or, if there is one, its more modern equivalent) if you're having ink issues. The Epson uses bottles, not cartridges, and they last and last and last. Produces very damn nice prints, too. Refills are available at Costco, which dulls the sting of replacement when that day does come.
OP
Cheap, as in inexpensive and low maintenance. I’ve had some in the past where I spent a lot more on ink cartridges over time than the printer itself. Had a nice epson, but the ink dried and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it working again. Latest HP has been good, but HP acts like big brother and wants too much information to just get a printer running (in my opinion).
GypsmJim
GypsmJim
THAT's the one to buy. Otherwise, ANY Epson will serve you best.
My employer preferred HP because they were cheap. I had problems every week. Personally, every HP product I ever bought ended up in the garbage.
I have a HP 5642 for years and never a glitch. it is used daily. One Epson was one too many it was a problem from the time I plugged it in till I got rid of it; which was not very long after I got it.
You said cheap, so this might not be what you're looking for, but consider the low-end Epson Ecotank. It'll be around $250 or so, but you don't buy ink cartridges for it. You just buy ink and put it in the ink tanks. The initial supply of ink it comes with will last you around a year. When you need new ink, it's around the cost of a cartridge for a regular printer, but it will last you at least as long as 10 cartridges would, so that's where you get your savings. If you don't print much though it may not be what you're looking for.
X-2. Brother HL-2070N
Not sure the age but likely even before 2016. It was about $100. I know it is at least that old as I just looked at my Amazon records I bought toner for it in 2019. I know for a fact I bought toner for it at Office Depot at least once , if not twice, before that. Since toner gets me about a year to a year and a half, it's probably more like 2013/14. Just a simple black and white printer. I've bought at least two color printers during this one's lifetime.
DBnoise
Single-Sixer
I just went thru a big hassle with HP. Since both my laptop and printer was working fine going on 8 years, unsupported now. My print to the printer was fine it scan from printer that failed. Talked with HP support and bought a 9139e printer in the all in one printer program..auto ship of ink/16.99/mo. Ordered on a Wednesday arrived on Monday. I hooked everything, install if apps was a Rosie O'Donnell and welland same flicking failure. Took 8 hours with HP tech on the phone to figure out why. I happened to get a great tech person from El Salvador, spoke good Englei esse... ha I suppose alot of other people in same boat.
You need to download some new drivers and I don't know if the drivers are public or not. The loaded them for me.
Why did my old printer work then one day nor. This was I think a purposed planned obsolescence glitch to increase the likely hood of selling a new a new printer.
After we got my new printer working although my laptop and old printer was not supported the tech guy and I narrowed down what changed. I got my old printer to scan but it is not automatically getting dumbed into a Microsoft scan file. It stops after the scan and you have to save it scanned files.
So don't know, don't care, whether it was HP did this or Microsoft did this or both. Gonna be forced to Windows 11 or stay on 10 unsupported. What sucks is 11 won't run on my laptop. So maybe my tech will get retired like me...
Over the years I have had several HP printers, but switched to Epson a few years back. The money I have saved on not having to buy ink cartridges has made me a real Epson fan. After a number of years with my last Epson printer the print quality was deteriorating despite going through all of the maintenance steps so I treated myself to a new Epson printer from Costco (I think it is the 3850 model). Cost me $320, with tax, and it even has a top document feeder for copying a multi page document. I'm more than happy with this all-in-one printer/copier/scanner with wireless WiFi connections so I can print from my laptop or my Iphone effortlessly.
Fujicon
Bearcat
I hear ya. Before the Epson I had a HP printer. Those cartridges suck your wallet dry. I grew so sick and tired of constantly running out of ink and having to pay a fortune to replace them. The HP worked, but not nearly as efficiently as the Epson I now have. That HP printer was one of those albatrosses that, after you get rid of it, you experience an overwhelmingly peaceful sense of relief that you've "unburdened from what has been."
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