Printer recommendation?

[dixonpete]

I need to buy a new printer for my parents who happen to be happy PCLOS users.

I'd like it to be cheap, compatible with PCLOS and be amenable to ink re-filling. I'm thinking an HP Deskjet. They probably wouldn't print more than 10 pgs/month and even non-color ( black only) would be acceptable. Color is usually just a source of expensive ink costs in my experience.

Anyone know of the ideal printer for them?

[OldGuy]

I'm using a HP Deskjet 3050 j610, no sheet feeder, but scans one sheet at a time.  It's both color and B&W, and works well with my KDE PCLinuxOS.  It was suggested by another months ago on the forum.  I got mine new on eBay for about $30.  A friend told me he has seen them for $50 in stores.

Can't suggest about refilling, sorry, I use my printer lightly and haven't ran out of ink yet.

Hope this helps...

[dixonpete]

My local computer store has the HP Deskjet 2050 on sale for $25. Should work well too, right?

[OldGuy]

My local computer store has the HP Deskjet 2050 on sale for $25. Should work well too, right?

I'm not sure on that one, but I'm sure if someone has one here, they will drop a positive or negative on that model.

My friend buys from Walmart, because if he doesn't like what he bought, they have a 30 day return policy.

[horusfalcon]

If non-color, you might consider an LED or laser printer - using recycled toner cartridges can net ridiculously low per-page costs, and they don't tend to clog up like inkjets do under infrequent use.  (Up-front costs can be a lot higher, though...)  The Okidata B4250 comes to mind.  Toner is cheap, the cartridge is a refillable design, and they're rugged as, well now...

I don't know about the HP Deskjet 2050... hang on.  This might be of interest:

http://linuxhcl.com/browse/product?id=7600

It got a 4.5 of 5 average rating at LinuxHCL and that ain't bad.  (Of course, neither of the two reviewers submitting were using PCLinuxOS...)

Good luck in your search.

Later On,
D

[The Chief]

My friend buys from Walmart, because if he doesn't like what he bought, they have a 30 day return policy.

Not only that, but when it runs out of ink, you can buy a whole new printer for less than the cost for a set of ink cartridges.  Always have the latest technology...

[horusfalcon]

My friend buys from Walmart, because if he doesn't like what he bought, they have a 30 day return policy.

Not only that, but when it runs out of ink, you can buy a whole new printer for less than the cost for a set of ink cartridges.  Always have the latest technology...

Dude... I hope you're not serious.  That seems to me to be such a wasteful attitude.  I tend to keep printers for as long as I can, and even repair them when they fail if I can get parts.  Cartridges that are designed for refilling are better (not many of those around these days, though... the revenue stream for selling new cartridges is too lucrative), and refilling your own is a better way to go economically and ecologically speaking.

A better way to go about it is to shop for supplies when you shop for your printer, get a picture of the total cost of ownership.  Only go "cheap" on the printer if you have to, as units from the same manufacturer that are just a bit more expensive generally have better performance, better features (e.g., duplex printing, better scanning) more durability,and a lower per-page cost for supplies. 

Still, you have to go with a printer that meets your needs.  If you print maybe once or twice a week, a cheaper inkjet/bubblejet printer (or an LED or laser) may be the way to go.  Try not to toss it in the landfill when you're done with it, though. 

I've still got an old HP Deskjet 560c that I lost the power supply for... It was a great printer in it's day, and I hope to get it going again.  Then there's the HP 7475A Plotter (with a full pen set) that I have in the living room.  I think I've still got a computer around here somewhere with an RS-232C serial port...

Later On,
D

[Bandalarga]

I need to buy a new printer for my parents who happen to be happy PCLOS users.

I'd like it to be cheap, compatible with PCLOS and be amenable to ink re-filling. I'm thinking an HP Deskjet. They probably wouldn't print more than 10 pgs/month and even non-color ( black only) would be acceptable. Color is usually just a source of expensive ink costs in my experience.

Anyone know of the ideal printer for them?

i own a dcp-585cw all-in-one device.
brother supplies perfect drivers, that do the job, as they do in windows.

[The Chief]

My friend buys from Walmart, because if he doesn't like what he bought, they have a 30 day return policy.

Not only that, but when it runs out of ink, you can buy a whole new printer for less than the cost for a set of ink cartridges.  Always have the latest technology...

Dude... I hope you're not serious.  That seems to me to be such a wasteful attitude. 

Not an attitude, a simple fact of life.  The manufacturers make their money on the ink and have adopted the Gillette model.  Gillette actually gave away his safety razors, so you would buy his razor blades.

We aren't quite at the free printer stage yet, but we're close.  Next time you're in Walmart, take note of the cheapest printer they have in stock, then wander over and check the price of a set of ink cartridges for it.  You will be surprised.  Either very close to the same price as the printer or a few dollars  more.

[erripe]

Manufacturers know that consumers know about the price of cartridges. Yesterday i buy a new Brother laser printer and it come with a starter cartridge, half the capacity of a normal cartridge.

[dixonpete]

The printer I'm still thinking about is $25 on sale right now. The ink would be $60 probably with black and the colors. Talk about a clean shave eh?

[/quote]
Dude... I hope you're not serious.  That seems to me to be such a wasteful attitude. 
[/quote]

[Yankee]

Manufacturers know that consumers know about the price of cartridges. Yesterday i buy a new Brother laser printer and it come with a starter cartridge, half the capacity of a normal cartridge.

We used to trade-in the empty cartridges and got a discount on filled
cartridges thru the office supply store, hence recycled cartridges.

Anybody have a machine with a good old fashioned ink reservoir
filled with a special bottle of ink  ?

                                                           

[horusfalcon]

Yup... I get that it's not so much an attitude as an inescapable thing that's being forced on us by the printer manufacturers.  Makes me wonder if it wouldn't be worthwhile to develop a more sustainability-conscious line of printers or printer modifications?  Just a thought...

Later ON,
D

[NoIBnds]

I would go with a Sumsung laser printer. You can get a inexpensive one for anywhere from $79 to $99 US and up, and the ink lasts for years and you don't have to worry about the ink drying out. I have had one for many many years and went through the original ink (they are always less filled) then I put a new one in and am still using it. Works great with PCLOS.

At Amazon-- Samsung ML-2165W Wireless Monochrome Printer   $85 US

[DCOH]

The HP 2050 works well with any version of linux. I have PCLinuxOS XFCE, Fedora 16 and Fedora 17 installed on my computer and the 2050 works in all, I also have an HP 3915 that works well. I purchased the 2050 at Walmart for about $35.00, a black cartridge is about $15.00 and I believe a color runs about $20.00.