5 ms·

Yep, I chucked my HP inkjet and got a single function Brother mono laser printer. I figure if I need to print in color, I am probably better off just paying to

Yep, I chucked my HP inkjet and got a single function Brother mono laser printer. I figure if I need to print in color, I am probably better off just paying to use a really good photo printer.

quijoteuniv 4y ago
This is the best solution for home use, totally agree. Is a shame that they turned inkjet technology into a scam.
- bryanlarsen 4y ago
  The printer in question is a laser printer, the M209dwe.
bobthepanda 4y ago
Curious, how often do you find yourself printing these days? At this point I print so infrequently that going to the print shop for $1 is a more sound decision than spending $100 on a printer i use a handful of times a year.
- williamscales 4y ago
  I often print off papers to read, something about the form factor just works for me. I do this pretty frequently so it's worth it. Oh and return labels for packages.
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  I use the laser printer a lot for hobbies. Example: printing a pattern that I then lay onto a sheet of balsa so I can then cut out the shape. My wife makes the Christmas cards every year carving a linoleum block, ink-roller, that sort of thing. She also used the laser printer to transfer a design. Papercraft.... Occasionally a recipe though to add to my recipe book, ha ha.
- Tor3 4y ago
  > Curious, how often do you find yourself printing these days? Main use is that I write music scores which I print (reading them off a tablet won't do). This would be several times a week. Weekly or so (sometimes more, sometimes less) I print tickets (those with bar codes or QR codes) for concerts and the like. I don't want to rely on a phone for that, my normal phone isn't actually online when I'm not in wifi range and it's cumbersome to drag up a PDF on it. Way easier to bring out a piece of paper from my pocket. And reliable. And yes, boarding passes for flights as well. Reliability is even more important there.. EditAdd: And labels for post packages. It's cheaper to prepare that online and print the label myself, then bring the package to the post office where they'll clamp a transparent plastic sheet over it. If they have to do the label at the post office it'll cost more. It's because when I enter the address etc. online then it'll go directly into their database, and that's why it's more expensive if the post office has to enter it. My wife has a small class for which she needs to print learning material she's made for her pupils, each time. She also occasionally need to make color prints, and for that we use an HP bought years ago (and deliberately never given Internet access). For the other mentioned stuff we use a b/w laser printer. None of the above is really feasible for printing at a print shop, would have to drive ten minutes and (these days) go through a toll booth as well. In fact I'm very close to buying another b/w laser printer so that I don't have to go upstairs to get my printouts - I would like to have one real close. Was looking into a low-cost (and small) Brother laser printer for that - now I see they're into shenanigans as well, will have to check carefully before I go further. So, unlike some other commenters here, I find having a printer (or several) at home is still a must for me. I use print shops only for printing photos (at dedicated photo shops).
- encryptluks2 4y ago
  Not the original poster but I also have a monochrome laser printer from Brother. I find myself printing anywhere from 500 to about 3000 pages per year. I find it paid for itself in the first year. I also have one of the "professional" network scanners for digitizing. The printer I got is an MFC with duplex automatic scanning and a flatbed. Occasionally Costco will drop the price by $100 and you get a pretty good deal. Starter toner cartridges are good for about 1500 pages.
- mschild 4y ago
  True, but print shops are harder and harder to find. I live in Berlin and the closest print shop is almost 2km away.
  - HTTP418 4y ago
    is 2km far? that is a very short bike ride, and even shorter drive. As someone who lives in a suburb i regularly drive over 2km just to pickup some takeout food
    - mschild 4y ago
      Generally no. Its about the length of walking that I do to get to work one way. But its a far enough distance to be an inconvenience. I rarely ever print something, but when I do its because there is no other option for me. That usually means its something chore related and adding a 4km round trip walk just to print out a singular page is a pain.
  - okanat 4y ago
    All DMs and Rossmanns have print service. Are you in a suburb?
    - mschild 4y ago
      Mine does, unfortunately, not offer printing services.
  - bitwize 4y ago
    Both of the major private delivery services in the USA, UPS and FedEx, offer printing in their retail locations. So does office supply vendor Staples. There is no equivalent in Germany?
    - mschild 4y ago
      Not really. Shipping companies rarely ever have their own locations and are usually located in some form of kiosk. I don't think there is an equivalent to Stapels in Germany. Another commenter mentioned that DM and Rossmann (CVS, Rite Aid kinda store) offer printing, but that's not at all locations.
- ars 4y ago
  The most common thing I print is return labels for Amazon packages. Also coloring pages for kids.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    At least where I am you can print labels at whatever shipping service they're meant for free of charge (FedEx, UPS etc.) and they also will package the return for you.
    - ars 4y ago
      By me both those companies charge to print labels.
    - sbaiddn 4y ago
      That means that I have to go there to drop it off and wait Im line to get served. If I print the label myself I can just leave it in a box in the store without waiting in line, or better yet, give it to the delivery man next time he comes around. Seems like a small inconsequential, or rare benefit. But with three kids the delivery guy is by our house every other day
    - pxx 4y ago
      This depends on the type of return and the type of location. Sometimes the location doesn't support this. Sometimes Amazon won't support this.
- xeromal 4y ago
  I print when I prep for a meeting so I end up doing it quite a bit.
- LeifCarrotson 4y ago
  I spent $100 on a Brother B&W laser in 2010. It's paid for itself many times over, and it's still doing great!
encryptluks2 4y ago
Unfortunately even Brother has resorted to similar means to locking their cartridges. I got Brother because they have been reliable, but was disappointed to see Epson and others with better Linux support when in the past I had thought Brother had good support. You can use IPP Everywhere or whatever they call it but you lose access to a lot of the printer and page options.

Yep, I chucked my HP inkjet and got a single function Brother mono laser printer. I figure if I need to print in color, I am probably better off just paying to use a really good photo printer.

quijoteuniv 4y ago

This is the best solution for home use, totally agree. Is a shame that they turned inkjet technology into a scam.

bryanlarsen 4y ago
The printer in question is a laser printer, the M209dwe.

bobthepanda 4y ago

Curious, how often do you find yourself printing these days? At this point I print so infrequently that going to the print shop for $1 is a more sound decision than spending $100 on a printer i use a handful of times a year.

williamscales 4y ago
I often print off papers to read, something about the form factor just works for me. I do this pretty frequently so it's worth it. Oh and return labels for packages.
JKCalhoun 4y ago
I use the laser printer a lot for hobbies. Example: printing a pattern that I then lay onto a sheet of balsa so I can then cut out the shape. My wife makes the Christmas cards every year carving a linoleum block, ink-roller, that sort of thing. She also used the laser printer to transfer a design. Papercraft.... Occasionally a recipe though to add to my recipe book, ha ha.
Tor3 4y ago
> Curious, how often do you find yourself printing these days? Main use is that I write music scores which I print (reading them off a tablet won't do). This would be several times a week. Weekly or so (sometimes more, sometimes less) I print tickets (those with bar codes or QR codes) for concerts and the like. I don't want to rely on a phone for that, my normal phone isn't actually online when I'm not in wifi range and it's cumbersome to drag up a PDF on it. Way easier to bring out a piece of paper from my pocket. And reliable. And yes, boarding passes for flights as well. Reliability is even more important there.. EditAdd: And labels for post packages. It's cheaper to prepare that online and print the label myself, then bring the package to the post office where they'll clamp a transparent plastic sheet over it. If they have to do the label at the post office it'll cost more. It's because when I enter the address etc. online then it'll go directly into their database, and that's why it's more expensive if the post office has to enter it. My wife has a small class for which she needs to print learning material she's made for her pupils, each time. She also occasionally need to make color prints, and for that we use an HP bought years ago (and deliberately never given Internet access). For the other mentioned stuff we use a b/w laser printer. None of the above is really feasible for printing at a print shop, would have to drive ten minutes and (these days) go through a toll booth as well. In fact I'm very close to buying another b/w laser printer so that I don't have to go upstairs to get my printouts - I would like to have one real close. Was looking into a low-cost (and small) Brother laser printer for that - now I see they're into shenanigans as well, will have to check carefully before I go further. So, unlike some other commenters here, I find having a printer (or several) at home is still a must for me. I use print shops only for printing photos (at dedicated photo shops).
encryptluks2 4y ago
Not the original poster but I also have a monochrome laser printer from Brother. I find myself printing anywhere from 500 to about 3000 pages per year. I find it paid for itself in the first year. I also have one of the "professional" network scanners for digitizing. The printer I got is an MFC with duplex automatic scanning and a flatbed. Occasionally Costco will drop the price by $100 and you get a pretty good deal. Starter toner cartridges are good for about 1500 pages.
mschild 4y ago
True, but print shops are harder and harder to find. I live in Berlin and the closest print shop is almost 2km away.
- HTTP418 4y ago
  is 2km far? that is a very short bike ride, and even shorter drive. As someone who lives in a suburb i regularly drive over 2km just to pickup some takeout food
  - mschild 4y ago
    Generally no. Its about the length of walking that I do to get to work one way. But its a far enough distance to be an inconvenience. I rarely ever print something, but when I do its because there is no other option for me. That usually means its something chore related and adding a 4km round trip walk just to print out a singular page is a pain.
- okanat 4y ago
  All DMs and Rossmanns have print service. Are you in a suburb?
  - mschild 4y ago
    Mine does, unfortunately, not offer printing services.
- bitwize 4y ago
  Both of the major private delivery services in the USA, UPS and FedEx, offer printing in their retail locations. So does office supply vendor Staples. There is no equivalent in Germany?
  - mschild 4y ago
    Not really. Shipping companies rarely ever have their own locations and are usually located in some form of kiosk. I don't think there is an equivalent to Stapels in Germany. Another commenter mentioned that DM and Rossmann (CVS, Rite Aid kinda store) offer printing, but that's not at all locations.
ars 4y ago
The most common thing I print is return labels for Amazon packages. Also coloring pages for kids.
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  At least where I am you can print labels at whatever shipping service they're meant for free of charge (FedEx, UPS etc.) and they also will package the return for you.
  - ars 4y ago
    By me both those companies charge to print labels.
  - sbaiddn 4y ago
    That means that I have to go there to drop it off and wait Im line to get served. If I print the label myself I can just leave it in a box in the store without waiting in line, or better yet, give it to the delivery man next time he comes around. Seems like a small inconsequential, or rare benefit. But with three kids the delivery guy is by our house every other day
  - pxx 4y ago
    This depends on the type of return and the type of location. Sometimes the location doesn't support this. Sometimes Amazon won't support this.
xeromal 4y ago
I print when I prep for a meeting so I end up doing it quite a bit.
LeifCarrotson 4y ago
I spent $100 on a Brother B&W laser in 2010. It's paid for itself many times over, and it's still doing great!

encryptluks2 4y ago

Unfortunately even Brother has resorted to similar means to locking their cartridges. I got Brother because they have been reliable, but was disappointed to see Epson and others with better Linux support when in the past I had thought Brother had good support. You can use IPP Everywhere or whatever they call it but you lose access to a lot of the printer and page options.