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I bought an HP Color Laser printer a few years ago to avoid the Ink Jet nonsense. Turns out it’s not Ink Jet, it’s HP. Lessons learned. The printer worked fla

I bought an HP Color Laser printer a few years ago to avoid the Ink Jet nonsense. Turns out it’s not Ink Jet, it’s HP. Lessons learned. The printer worked flawlessly until I went through my first toner cartridges (the carts shipped with the printer are intentionally smaller so you have to replace them) I noticed the 3rd party replacements were $80 for a full set whereas 1st party were $200. I got the 3rd party. It’s been such a headache ever since. The MAJORITY of prints from my iMac fail. Google suggests the Mac drivers have a bug that cause OOM errors on the printer. Funny thing is it always succeeds from Windows or Linux. So I half bought it, and just put up with it. Fast forward a few years (a week or two ago) and my wife points out that there was an HP update and the printer works perfectly! Yay! The color cartridge is basically empty and needs replacing. Worked perfectly for a week until the printer popped up an error message “non-hp chip”. All speculation and anecdotal, but I just can’t help but feel like they’ve ended their charade and are actually being “honest” with me now…

mcv 5y ago
HP is just awful. I will never buy from them. I bought a Samsung laser printer assuming they were less awful, but now support for Samsung printers is handled by HP. My next printer is going to be Brother; that seems to be the only honest printer manufacturer out there.
- kstrauser 5y ago
  I’ve replaced the mix of HPs and Canons in my house and office with Brothers. They’re like, oh, you made your own toner with crayon and coffee grounds? Ok, I can work with that.
  - GekkePrutser 5y ago
    Yeah +1 for Brother. Either they just permit third party cartridges or their protection is so minimal everyone can bypass it. Cheap toner cartridges work perfectly for me. Only issue is that the printers themselves are really hard to get now. In particular the colour lasers. If I find them it's at a crazy price. So I bought a b/w again. Must be the supply chain thing. PS the old one was not even broken after 10 years but I got sick of not having network printing :)
    - trevmeister 5y ago
      You should buy a Raspberry PI and have it act as a network print server for your printers without Ethernet. This is what I do in office environments with similar situations. It works surprisingly well.
      - GekkePrutser 5y ago
        I tried that but it was one of those "Win printers" without local processing, and there were no drivers for ARM. Someone in Germany made some open source drivers but it didn't work properly for me. Eventually I found a networked one on sale and I gave the old one away.
        kstrauser 5y ago
        I had the same experience with an old HP 1200n, which was an otherwise rock solid printer, but I couldn’t get it to play nicely with AirPrint for love or money. I tried every permutation of CUPS + strange, half-baked drivers I found somewhere. I bought a little commercial print server that listed it as compatible but printed everything in 1/2 size. It was worth the price of a new printer to have one that Just Worked with my family’s devices.
    - moepstar 5y ago
      Probably easily fixed with a Raspberry Pi (probably even a Zero W or something like that) and CUPS?
      - GekkePrutser 5y ago
        Tried that but it had too quirky drivers.. Just couldn't get it going properly. It was one of those $50 printers that renders everything on the client. Brother actually did provide Linux drivers (which is amazing compared to the likes of HP, Lexmark etc) but not for ARM, only intel. Eventually someone made open source drivers but half the time the printer wouldn't respond. It's now in the hackerspace where they use it for making overhead sheets for PCB printing. So it's still having a purpose in life, I didn't throw it away :)
- Natsu 5y ago
  Yeah, I got a Brother laser printer about 10 years ago. Still works just fine. I think it has the original toner in it.
  - GuB-42 5y ago
    Mine is 20 years old, it is a HL-1250 with an cheap ethernet dongle on the parallel port. I changed the drum and toner 3 years ago, third party, 30€ for both, works perfectly. I guess my next printer will be a Brother, if I ever need a new printer.
- doubled112 5y ago
  I have a black and white Samsung laser (SCX-3200) that just went and went. It's in the garage. USB only, generic PS and PCL emulation, $5 refill kit available where the only gotcha was you need a chip that always reads full. I was really disappointed when HP took their printers over. We replaced it with a color laser (Canon MF632Cdw) because my wife wanted to print sewing patterns, and I'm not near as impressed with it. No real problems, though, other than the mess that seems to be UFR II on Linux.
- jdlshore 5y ago
  Brother is a great choice. My wife had a black-and-white for years, and I bought a color a few years ago, replacing an HP PageWide that had been nothing but problems. Both have been fantastic.
- sebazzz 5y ago
  Brothers also reject third party toners. My dad has had multiple occasions that his Brother printer rejects third party cartridges.
- Claude_Shannon 5y ago
  Epson is also passable.
  - f13print 5y ago
    My parents got an antique Epson, must have fifteen years or more. Every time I visit, I'm so impressed that thing works totally flawlessly, compared to the PITA that is our Canon which is fuzzy all the time with the inks.
- 2Gkashmiri 5y ago
  i use an hp 5820 inktank printer. i just buy a squirt bottle once a year o so. never use its conected features or warranty account or wifi. just a dumb printer
- M_bara 5y ago
  Yes. I can attest to brother being nice.
lordnacho 5y ago
I've had similar experiences with HP. Buy a cartridge that is supposed to be HP, but it complains. Plus it says it's empty way before it makes sense. HP's software is also incredibly slow. I think it asks a server for something when I open it, which is unnecessary. Is there some brand you can buy where this doesn't happen? Happy to pay up.
- MandieD 5y ago
  Looks like several other HN readers have had the same lack of drama with Brother lasers that I have.
  - adhesive_wombat 5y ago
    Yep, my Brother colour laser runs perfectly on coloured sawdust or whatever the eBay cartridges contain. In fact, it works so well that I almost feel bad that I'm not rewarding Brother by throwing down over £250 on a set of 4 cartridges, but there are limits, when the off brand ones are £5 a throw.
    - hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago
      I reward them sometimes by buying the original Brother TN-2320 (for ca. €60) - but this happens once a few years as I print something like 20 pages a month.
  - peterhoeg 5y ago
    We're on our second Brother laser printer (not MFP) at home over 12 years, but I only changed the first printer because we needed colour instead of b/w - first one was otherwise perfectly fine. Works swimmingly with Linux, mac and phones (both ios and android) without any special software. 3rd party cartridges just work. It. Just. Works.
- brodock 5y ago
  Brother printers are also a good "family printer" (the one you buy so you dont have to fix the printer every N months through the phone).
solarkraft 5y ago
If I was in the market for a printer, I would strongly consider an Epson EcoTank (no cartriges, just refillable ink tanks). If they don't have one fitting my profile, I'd consider another Epson printer because they sell the EcoTanks.
- oceanghost 5y ago
  The problem with Epson is that their printers are so fragile. I've had two die from a paper jam (one never worked again, one always fed the paper at an skew). So I ended up with lots of ink in the trash in the end.
- CamperBob2 5y ago
  I've heard that their ink fades to near-illegibility in only a couple of years. Anyone know if there's anything to that?
  - ThunderSizzle 5y ago
    I only print a few times a year. I havent seen anything fade, but I do run the clean procedure a couple of times before I print again each time. I really need to set up an auto job that just prints a test page once a week to save ink on cleaning. But I still haven't had to buy more ink after a purchase over a year ago, even with all that cleaning I've had it do.
- Animats 5y ago
  I have an Epson ET-2650 printer/scanner combo. It's OK. The main problem is that if I don't print anything for a week, I have to run the cleaning procedure several times before it will print again. As for fading, one sheet that's been outdoors for two years has faded about 75%, but nothing not exposed to bright sunlight has. Runs OK on Linux over WiFi. Used to also work on USB, but that stopped working reliably at Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Also, on WiFi it phones home and tries to download firmware updates.
- hda111 5y ago
  What is needed to repair this printer when they dry out? Every ink printer I had dried out some day. Is this a solved problem nowadays?
blip54321 5y ago
The other problem with HP is the crazy EULAs and the spyware. Right now, my favorite printer is an Epson.
- Jenda_ 5y ago
  Except Epson does this too. For example, they won't print black and white when the printer thinks (based on counters) that color cartridge is low. There are even "chip resetters" to circumvent this: https://eshop.inktec.cz/product-en/epson-stylus-pro/7800_-9800/chip-resetter-for-epson-stylus-pro-4000-/553 https://eshop.inktec.cz/product-en/epson-stylus-pro/7800_-98... Honestly, it's not HP or Epson or Samsung or Canon. The entire printing industry is a giant scam.
f13print 5y ago
Only a few weeks ago, I had a total fuckup with HP. We have been using third party ink cartridges for two years without problems. Suddenly, the printer blocks, saying they have "no HP chip". So what happened? The printer (OfficeJet 7740) sits on the Wifi, since we need to access it from various computers. Apparently, it automatically updates its software (without consent, it goes without saying), and with the latest update they started blocking the ink that had always been working without problems. I heard good things about Brother, and 2022 will be the year that we get a Brother laser printer. I refuse to buy one single more ink from HP.

mcv 5y ago

HP is just awful. I will never buy from them. I bought a Samsung laser printer assuming they were less awful, but now support for Samsung printers is handled by HP. My next printer is going to be Brother; that seems to be the only honest printer manufacturer out there.

kstrauser 5y ago
I’ve replaced the mix of HPs and Canons in my house and office with Brothers. They’re like, oh, you made your own toner with crayon and coffee grounds? Ok, I can work with that.
- GekkePrutser 5y ago
  Yeah +1 for Brother. Either they just permit third party cartridges or their protection is so minimal everyone can bypass it. Cheap toner cartridges work perfectly for me. Only issue is that the printers themselves are really hard to get now. In particular the colour lasers. If I find them it's at a crazy price. So I bought a b/w again. Must be the supply chain thing. PS the old one was not even broken after 10 years but I got sick of not having network printing :)
  - trevmeister 5y ago
    You should buy a Raspberry PI and have it act as a network print server for your printers without Ethernet. This is what I do in office environments with similar situations. It works surprisingly well.
    - GekkePrutser 5y ago
      I tried that but it was one of those "Win printers" without local processing, and there were no drivers for ARM. Someone in Germany made some open source drivers but it didn't work properly for me. Eventually I found a networked one on sale and I gave the old one away.
      - kstrauser 5y ago
        I had the same experience with an old HP 1200n, which was an otherwise rock solid printer, but I couldn’t get it to play nicely with AirPrint for love or money. I tried every permutation of CUPS + strange, half-baked drivers I found somewhere. I bought a little commercial print server that listed it as compatible but printed everything in 1/2 size. It was worth the price of a new printer to have one that Just Worked with my family’s devices.
  - moepstar 5y ago
    Probably easily fixed with a Raspberry Pi (probably even a Zero W or something like that) and CUPS?
    - GekkePrutser 5y ago
      Tried that but it had too quirky drivers.. Just couldn't get it going properly. It was one of those $50 printers that renders everything on the client. Brother actually did provide Linux drivers (which is amazing compared to the likes of HP, Lexmark etc) but not for ARM, only intel. Eventually someone made open source drivers but half the time the printer wouldn't respond. It's now in the hackerspace where they use it for making overhead sheets for PCB printing. So it's still having a purpose in life, I didn't throw it away :)
Natsu 5y ago
Yeah, I got a Brother laser printer about 10 years ago. Still works just fine. I think it has the original toner in it.
- GuB-42 5y ago
  Mine is 20 years old, it is a HL-1250 with an cheap ethernet dongle on the parallel port. I changed the drum and toner 3 years ago, third party, 30€ for both, works perfectly. I guess my next printer will be a Brother, if I ever need a new printer.
doubled112 5y ago
I have a black and white Samsung laser (SCX-3200) that just went and went. It's in the garage. USB only, generic PS and PCL emulation, $5 refill kit available where the only gotcha was you need a chip that always reads full. I was really disappointed when HP took their printers over. We replaced it with a color laser (Canon MF632Cdw) because my wife wanted to print sewing patterns, and I'm not near as impressed with it. No real problems, though, other than the mess that seems to be UFR II on Linux.
jdlshore 5y ago
Brother is a great choice. My wife had a black-and-white for years, and I bought a color a few years ago, replacing an HP PageWide that had been nothing but problems. Both have been fantastic.
sebazzz 5y ago
Brothers also reject third party toners. My dad has had multiple occasions that his Brother printer rejects third party cartridges.
Claude_Shannon 5y ago
Epson is also passable.
- f13print 5y ago
  My parents got an antique Epson, must have fifteen years or more. Every time I visit, I'm so impressed that thing works totally flawlessly, compared to the PITA that is our Canon which is fuzzy all the time with the inks.
2Gkashmiri 5y ago
i use an hp 5820 inktank printer. i just buy a squirt bottle once a year o so. never use its conected features or warranty account or wifi. just a dumb printer
M_bara 5y ago
Yes. I can attest to brother being nice.

lordnacho 5y ago

I've had similar experiences with HP. Buy a cartridge that is supposed to be HP, but it complains. Plus it says it's empty way before it makes sense. HP's software is also incredibly slow. I think it asks a server for something when I open it, which is unnecessary. Is there some brand you can buy where this doesn't happen? Happy to pay up.

MandieD 5y ago
Looks like several other HN readers have had the same lack of drama with Brother lasers that I have.
- adhesive_wombat 5y ago
  Yep, my Brother colour laser runs perfectly on coloured sawdust or whatever the eBay cartridges contain. In fact, it works so well that I almost feel bad that I'm not rewarding Brother by throwing down over £250 on a set of 4 cartridges, but there are limits, when the off brand ones are £5 a throw.
  - hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago
    I reward them sometimes by buying the original Brother TN-2320 (for ca. €60) - but this happens once a few years as I print something like 20 pages a month.
- peterhoeg 5y ago
  We're on our second Brother laser printer (not MFP) at home over 12 years, but I only changed the first printer because we needed colour instead of b/w - first one was otherwise perfectly fine. Works swimmingly with Linux, mac and phones (both ios and android) without any special software. 3rd party cartridges just work. It. Just. Works.
brodock 5y ago
Brother printers are also a good "family printer" (the one you buy so you dont have to fix the printer every N months through the phone).

solarkraft 5y ago

If I was in the market for a printer, I would strongly consider an Epson EcoTank (no cartriges, just refillable ink tanks). If they don't have one fitting my profile, I'd consider another Epson printer because they sell the EcoTanks.

oceanghost 5y ago
The problem with Epson is that their printers are so fragile. I've had two die from a paper jam (one never worked again, one always fed the paper at an skew). So I ended up with lots of ink in the trash in the end.
CamperBob2 5y ago
I've heard that their ink fades to near-illegibility in only a couple of years. Anyone know if there's anything to that?
- ThunderSizzle 5y ago
  I only print a few times a year. I havent seen anything fade, but I do run the clean procedure a couple of times before I print again each time. I really need to set up an auto job that just prints a test page once a week to save ink on cleaning. But I still haven't had to buy more ink after a purchase over a year ago, even with all that cleaning I've had it do.
Animats 5y ago
I have an Epson ET-2650 printer/scanner combo. It's OK. The main problem is that if I don't print anything for a week, I have to run the cleaning procedure several times before it will print again. As for fading, one sheet that's been outdoors for two years has faded about 75%, but nothing not exposed to bright sunlight has. Runs OK on Linux over WiFi. Used to also work on USB, but that stopped working reliably at Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Also, on WiFi it phones home and tries to download firmware updates.
hda111 5y ago
What is needed to repair this printer when they dry out? Every ink printer I had dried out some day. Is this a solved problem nowadays?

blip54321 5y ago

The other problem with HP is the crazy EULAs and the spyware. Right now, my favorite printer is an Epson.

Jenda_ 5y ago
Except Epson does this too. For example, they won't print black and white when the printer thinks (based on counters) that color cartridge is low. There are even "chip resetters" to circumvent this: https://eshop.inktec.cz/product-en/epson-stylus-pro/7800_-9800/chip-resetter-for-epson-stylus-pro-4000-/553 https://eshop.inktec.cz/product-en/epson-stylus-pro/7800_-98... Honestly, it's not HP or Epson or Samsung or Canon. The entire printing industry is a giant scam.

f13print 5y ago

Only a few weeks ago, I had a total fuckup with HP. We have been using third party ink cartridges for two years without problems. Suddenly, the printer blocks, saying they have "no HP chip". So what happened? The printer (OfficeJet 7740) sits on the Wifi, since we need to access it from various computers. Apparently, it automatically updates its software (without consent, it goes without saying), and with the latest update they started blocking the ink that had always been working without problems. I heard good things about Brother, and 2022 will be the year that we get a Brother laser printer. I refuse to buy one single more ink from HP.