10 ms·

I thought this was illegal and why the third party cartridge market is so big. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend inkjet printers for normal home users: for plain tex

by jug 6y ago

I thought this was illegal and why the third party cartridge market is so big. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend inkjet printers for normal home users: for plain text, I'd use a B&W laserjet printer and if I had to print in color (like broschures or food recipes with photos), I'd use a color laserjet. For quality photos, I'd send them in to a professional service: it's still pretty cheap compared to inkjet printing... I've had it with inkjet cartridges drying or having to be wasted as the printer takes them through a "restoration procedure" if it was long enough since you last printed, and you have to second guess your printer whether it's really just spending your ink, or if it does indeed do only what is absolutely necessary to not have them dry up.

AtlasLion 6y ago
I use inkjet printers and I am very satisfied. I am using an Epson printer with what they call EcoTank. Just tanks with different color inks that you can refill yourself.
- roomey 6y ago
  Have to say this was a life saver during lockdown. 100s of full colour pages later and still not a dent in the ink levels. Really amazing
- colejohnson66 6y ago
  How’s the ink life? As in: does it “dry up”? Because inkjets have a tendency to do that over time.
  - abfan1127 6y ago
    my ink jets always dried up. I print once a month or so. by inkjets would clog, then I'd have to use my ink to unclog it. I switched back to a laser printer. so much more durable.
- spicymaki 6y ago
  Two major problems with the Epson EcoTank printer: 1) The Epson EcoTank has a fixed printhead system where if the printhead gets damaged or clogged, then replacing it can become expensive. Over time or if you do not print continuously, the printhead can become damaged and/or clogged. HP/Canon keeps the printhead on the cartridge itself so the printheads are replaced continuously. 2) There is an infamous problem "Epson Ink pad is at the end of its service life error". The Ink pad absorbs excess ink during printing and needs to be replaced after a while. Unfortunately to reset the error you need to send it back to Epson for servicing (even if you replace the inkpad itself). Epson claims that this error is also tied to the service lifetime of other parts in the system and they would need to be replaced as well (AKA: planned obsolescence). The cost of shipping + servicing + parts replacement is more than just replacing the printer all together. Even though the EcoTank fixes the ink refill issue it forces you to buy a whole new printer after a certain amount of use.
lsaferite 6y ago
This is a LaserJet printer he's talking about FWIW.
- nemetroid 6y ago
  Yeah, the headline should be "...ban[s] 3rd-party toner cartridges".
  - kdeldycke 6y ago
    Good point. And sorry for the imprecision. Just fixed it: https://github.com/kdeldycke/kevin-deldycke-blog/commit/6306578e6af69953f710127ef421cc77db304180 https://github.com/kdeldycke/kevin-deldycke-blog/commit/6306...
- pzs 6y ago
  I bought an original HP cartridge for my Laserjet printer because I read that 3rd party cartridges may have issues with displaying the amount of ink left. Everything was all fine until the other day I did some cleaning on my desk and put my printer on the floor for 15 minutes. Since I put it back on my desk, it has been complaining that the cartridge is close to being empty, whereas it should be at about 70%. I removed the cartridge and put it back but nothing changed. In light of the post, it may be interesting if anyone else had a similar issue with either the original or the 3rd party cartridge.
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    There is no level sensor in cartridges. It simply counts pages and time. After a fixed number of pages, or a fixed number of days, it says "ink is low".
    - skyyler 6y ago
      There absolutely is a level sensor in many toner cartridges these days. Are you still using a 90s model LaserJet?
jasode 6y ago
>I thought this was illegal and why the third party cartridge market is so big. Are you talking about the Lexmark case? That was the Supreme Court ruling against Lexmark's claim of patent infringement by a 3rd-party ink refiller.[1] That ruling doesn't apply to 1st-party manufacturers using electronics/software/DRM to make 3rd-party accessories incompatible. That's why it's currently legal for Apple's T2 chip to not validate 3rd-party repairs and Keurig coffee maker to check for approved K-Cups. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=impression+vs+lexmark https://www.google.com/search?q=impression+vs+lexmark
mwexler 6y ago
It's often the "all-in-one" nature that make these printers so attractive. Yes, master of none, but most consumer grade lasers tend not to have copiers/scanners or (shudder) fax capability. The (deceivingly) low entry price for "all that power!" seals the deal. It also avoids having multiple printers, which is tough in a small room. So most folks take the quality hit knowingly, even as they don't prepare for the companies to change the rules, on an already purchased product, midstream.
- busterarm 6y ago
  Yeah, but you can get a decent small-form factor scanner for ~$50 these days. Tbh they're so cheap that often I'll buy one to use for a little while and give it away to some art student only to buy another later when I need one again. Just to save space. It's still cheaper than using those horrid inkjet all in ones.
foobarian 6y ago
Agree with you on all points but have to comment on the high quality photos. I think there is a huge market for ability to print them at home due to how many people have families/share photos in hard copy form. The turnaround time for getting those printed even at a local shop is prohibitive and totally worth it having a top of the line inkjet printer. Color laser does not come close.
legohead 6y ago
We use an inkjet because we need color. My wife is a teacher and prints often enough that the ink never dries up. What you need if you want to print ink often is an inkjet with CISS (continuous inkjet supply system). You used to have to hack these together with third party gear (which I've done), but now the companies sell their own models. Take a look at the Epson EcoTank products. We've have one for a couple years, and it works very well. Ink is cheap and lasts a long time. And no way the printer can tell if you're using third party ink or not :)

by jug 6y ago

AtlasLion 6y ago

I use inkjet printers and I am very satisfied. I am using an Epson printer with what they call EcoTank. Just tanks with different color inks that you can refill yourself.

roomey 6y ago
Have to say this was a life saver during lockdown. 100s of full colour pages later and still not a dent in the ink levels. Really amazing
colejohnson66 6y ago
How’s the ink life? As in: does it “dry up”? Because inkjets have a tendency to do that over time.
- abfan1127 6y ago
  my ink jets always dried up. I print once a month or so. by inkjets would clog, then I'd have to use my ink to unclog it. I switched back to a laser printer. so much more durable.
spicymaki 6y ago
Two major problems with the Epson EcoTank printer: 1) The Epson EcoTank has a fixed printhead system where if the printhead gets damaged or clogged, then replacing it can become expensive. Over time or if you do not print continuously, the printhead can become damaged and/or clogged. HP/Canon keeps the printhead on the cartridge itself so the printheads are replaced continuously. 2) There is an infamous problem "Epson Ink pad is at the end of its service life error". The Ink pad absorbs excess ink during printing and needs to be replaced after a while. Unfortunately to reset the error you need to send it back to Epson for servicing (even if you replace the inkpad itself). Epson claims that this error is also tied to the service lifetime of other parts in the system and they would need to be replaced as well (AKA: planned obsolescence). The cost of shipping + servicing + parts replacement is more than just replacing the printer all together. Even though the EcoTank fixes the ink refill issue it forces you to buy a whole new printer after a certain amount of use.

lsaferite 6y ago

This is a LaserJet printer he's talking about FWIW.

nemetroid 6y ago
Yeah, the headline should be "...ban[s] 3rd-party toner cartridges".
- kdeldycke 6y ago
  Good point. And sorry for the imprecision. Just fixed it: https://github.com/kdeldycke/kevin-deldycke-blog/commit/6306578e6af69953f710127ef421cc77db304180 https://github.com/kdeldycke/kevin-deldycke-blog/commit/6306...
pzs 6y ago
I bought an original HP cartridge for my Laserjet printer because I read that 3rd party cartridges may have issues with displaying the amount of ink left. Everything was all fine until the other day I did some cleaning on my desk and put my printer on the floor for 15 minutes. Since I put it back on my desk, it has been complaining that the cartridge is close to being empty, whereas it should be at about 70%. I removed the cartridge and put it back but nothing changed. In light of the post, it may be interesting if anyone else had a similar issue with either the original or the 3rd party cartridge.
- londons_explore 6y ago
  There is no level sensor in cartridges. It simply counts pages and time. After a fixed number of pages, or a fixed number of days, it says "ink is low".
  - skyyler 6y ago
    There absolutely is a level sensor in many toner cartridges these days. Are you still using a 90s model LaserJet?

jasode 6y ago

>I thought this was illegal and why the third party cartridge market is so big. Are you talking about the Lexmark case? That was the Supreme Court ruling against Lexmark's claim of patent infringement by a 3rd-party ink refiller.[1] That ruling doesn't apply to 1st-party manufacturers using electronics/software/DRM to make 3rd-party accessories incompatible. That's why it's currently legal for Apple's T2 chip to not validate 3rd-party repairs and Keurig coffee maker to check for approved K-Cups. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=impression+vs+lexmark https://www.google.com/search?q=impression+vs+lexmark

mwexler 6y ago

It's often the "all-in-one" nature that make these printers so attractive. Yes, master of none, but most consumer grade lasers tend not to have copiers/scanners or (shudder) fax capability. The (deceivingly) low entry price for "all that power!" seals the deal. It also avoids having multiple printers, which is tough in a small room. So most folks take the quality hit knowingly, even as they don't prepare for the companies to change the rules, on an already purchased product, midstream.

busterarm 6y ago
Yeah, but you can get a decent small-form factor scanner for ~$50 these days. Tbh they're so cheap that often I'll buy one to use for a little while and give it away to some art student only to buy another later when I need one again. Just to save space. It's still cheaper than using those horrid inkjet all in ones.

foobarian 6y ago

Agree with you on all points but have to comment on the high quality photos. I think there is a huge market for ability to print them at home due to how many people have families/share photos in hard copy form. The turnaround time for getting those printed even at a local shop is prohibitive and totally worth it having a top of the line inkjet printer. Color laser does not come close.

legohead 6y ago

We use an inkjet because we need color. My wife is a teacher and prints often enough that the ink never dries up. What you need if you want to print ink often is an inkjet with CISS (continuous inkjet supply system). You used to have to hack these together with third party gear (which I've done), but now the companies sell their own models. Take a look at the Epson EcoTank products. We've have one for a couple years, and it works very well. Ink is cheap and lasts a long time. And no way the printer can tell if you're using third party ink or not :)