[Technology] Wireless Printer recommendations

[Poyningsgull]

Looking to buy a cheap wireless printer that will link to our Android phones and laptop at home through our Wi-Fi. It won't be working very hard as we are both retired.
Grateful for any tips or recommendations from the techno wizards of NSC.

 

[happypig]

Wireless printers are, without exception, arseholes.

I've had Canon (threw it out of a window in frustration) and HP.

I think the problem is you set it up and it connects ok but don't use it for a while and the router sort of "forgets" it's there; it may even assign the IP address to a different device after a while. So when you try and print, your phone/laptop tries to send to a print queue that isn't there.

I now use a Raspberry Pi running as a CUPS printer server with the printer hardwired to that. Works ok.

 

[mwrpoole]

I have a HP Envy printer. Fairly good, the wireless works well and we can print from phones & iPads. The on/off switch is on the back of it which is slightly annoying.

https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=223N4B&opt=687&sel=PRN

 

[US Seagull]

I have a HP Envy printer. Fairly good, the wireless works well and we can print from phones & iPads. The on/off switch is on the back of it which is slightly annoying.

https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=223N4B&opt=687&sel=PRN

I have an Envy printer and it works okay for me most of the time. As mentioned above, it sometimes seems to forget it's connected or take a few moments to wake back up.

HP also have/ had an ink subscription service which automatically sends you ink as you run low. They used to have a free tier if you print less than 10 pages a month (after that they charge you $1 for the next 10 pages). They stopped that tier because, I guess, they lost money on it, but luckily I'm grandfathered in.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I bought a HP Office Jet 6950 from Amazon, not the cheapest but the wireless app has been flawless

 

[Poyningsgull]

I have a HP Envy printer. Fairly good, the wireless works well and we can print from phones & iPads. The on/off switch is on the back of it which is slightly annoying.

https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=223N4B&opt=687&sel=PRN

How many pages will it do before you need to change the ink cartrige.? We won't be using it on a regular basis.

 

[Pevenseagull]

You know the band 'Rage Against The Machine'?

That was to do with a Brother printer

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

I’d look at the HP range as they do a really good ink subscription service. Have a look on line at the rates and sometimes you get 1/2/3 months free printing when you enrol. A lot cheaper than buying cartridges from the main dealers imo.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Is it still cheaper to buy a new printer than a new set of inks?

 

[beorhthelm]

Wireless printers are, without exception, arseholes.

I've had Canon (threw it out of a window in frustration) and HP.

I think the problem is you set it up and it connects ok but don't use it for a while and the router sort of "forgets" it's there; it may even assign the IP address to a different device after a while. So when you try and print, your phone/laptop tries to send to a print queue that isn't there.

I now use a Raspberry Pi running as a CUPS printer server with the printer hardwired to that. Works ok.

generally printers are arseholes. cant think of another peripheral group that has caused me so many problems. drivers that work intermitently or only one time, settings that randomly get lost. thats before stuck jets, disappearing toner and paper jams. everything else just does plug and play and works.

advice to the OP, get a laser especially if irregular use. cost a bit more but avoids clogging and better quality print. buy clone cartridges rather than the offical ones.

 

[Poyningsgull]

I think I am coming round to buying a cheapish hp compatible toner set for my current old laser printer and worry about going wireless another time. Don't really want to get involved with an ink subscription service.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

And then you find all your spare ink cartridges have dried up when the current one gives out. Or the clones are no longer compatible

 

[GT49er]

Is it still cheaper to buy a new printer than a new set of inks?

In many cases, yes. I recently threw away a Canon printer because the cost of a set of replacement cartridges three times the price of the cheapest new printer in the shop!

I’d look at the HP range as they do a really good ink subscription service. Have a look on line at the rates and sometimes you get 1/2/3 months free printing when you enrol. A lot cheaper than buying cartridges from the main dealers imo.

I can thoroughly recommend this - saves £zillions* in the long run.

* Not literally, of course! But less than £2 a month is a lot better than £70+ for a refill for a Canon printer.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I've had the lot, HP, Canon(spit), Lexmark......as inkjet printers go, the cheapest for inks is Epson.
I have two laser printers now, Samsung ML series for general doc printing and an old OKI colour network printer. My next one, when I've saved all my pocket money, will be a wireless laser. I use compatible toners as I can't afford the printer and original toner costs....not sure on the make yet, but it'll be the one with the cheapest toners

 

[Elbow750]

I brought an Epson with refillable ink reservoirs 18 month ago. Its very good, dead easy to set up and wireless printing works seemlessly with android, iphone, mac, unlike the previous HP piece of junk. £180, but at my low rate of printing I wont need to worry about ink for many years.

I brought a new macbook from a local Independant shop on the condition they connected the printer to it for me. They said OK, so long as its not an HP!

 

[HeaviestTed]

Don’t get an inkjet, get a laser printer, black and white ones cheap enough - a toner will last years and end up costing much less over the time.

This would be perfect: https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=7MD66F&opt=B19&sel=PRN

 

[Poyningsgull]

Thanks all for the input. Have now ordered cheap compatible toner cartridges for my old laser.

 

[US Seagull]

Don’t get an inkjet, get a laser printer, black and white ones cheap enough - a toner will last years and end up costing much less over the time.

This would be perfect: https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=7MD66F&opt=B19&sel=PRN

I had a Brother black and white laser printer for many years. It was good. I bought maybe 3 knockoff replacement toners cartridges in well over a decade, probably more like 15 years, before it finally gave up the ghost.

I thought about replacing it, but since I already had the HP inkjet for the occasional color printing (with the free ink plan), I decided not to right now as my printing needs are only very occasional. With my daughter moving up through school though, I might need to rethink in the next few years.

 

[US Seagull]

generally printers are arseholes. cant think of another peripheral group that has caused me so many problems. drivers that work intermitently or only one time, settings that randomly get lost. thats before stuck jets, disappearing toner and paper jams. everything else just does plug and play and works.

advice to the OP, get a laser especially if irregular use. cost a bit more but avoids clogging and better quality print. buy clone cartridges rather than the offical ones.

I've always thought this. We can put a man on the freaking moon, we can split the atom, we can build a chat bot good enough to fool most humans, but we can't build a printer that isn't a constant freaking headache.

 

[Justice]

I Send all documents in PDF format to the client haven’t used a printer for like years. Home Printers are old people’s tech and a waste of trees.