Printer advice.

English Open Chat
#1

Greetings,

I’ve been a pretty big HP advocate because of how easily it works in Linux world. I also like something that I can operate very cheaply. I have been using an HP Officejet Pro 8500 for 3 years and something has gone out in it that makes it think there is a carriage jam. There is no carriage jam but the print head cleaning slider mechanism seems to have jammed or perhaps a belt or spring is broken. I haven’t investigated yet. I have another of the same printer at my office that I’ve had to replace once because of a faulty sprocket that snapped. I did repair it once but the second time it broke the printer decided to just start dumping ink. I like this particular printer because it has really been quite reliable but being able to service it is a virtual impossibility as HP did a great job of making it difficult to work on. So I am looking to a community that would be rather objective in looking at printers.

This is what I need out of a printer / scanner unit, all of which my current but down device has:

  1. Super Linux friendly
  2. Automatic Document feeding capability
  3. Inexpensive and relatively easy ink / toner refilling ability
  4. Multiple paper trays
  5. Speedy printing ability

A plus would be if there are failures in the unit that it can be disassembled and repaired without great efforts.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Nathan

#2

From long experience with HP I would recommend vacuuming the interior - sometimes it is simply dust in the works that causes the jam.

#3

I am using the Canon Pixma MX870. It meets most of your requirements, but it only has one paper tray. It is relatively inexpensive to replace the black ink cartridge with a high capacity version and there are multiple color ink cartridges which can also be replaced with high capacity versions. You can also purchase third-party replacement ink cartridges and ink colors so you can refill them yourself to save more money. I have been getting good print speeds and the print quality is fair when using third-party ink refills. It is GNU/Linux friendly and it will work with Ubuntu 12.04.x or 12.10 64 bit and it will also work with OpenSuSE 12.2 64 bit and Tumblweed if you download the device drivers from the Canon Europe website. I can provide them to you if you are serious about purchasing this specific printer. If you use the official Canon ink cartridges, then print quality is much improved and you can get photographic print quality with photo paper. It’s quite a bit more expensive to go with this route, but it produces the best results. One feature that it comes with is 802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi print capability which you did not mention in your list of requirements. It makes it more convenient to use the printer. This is also a multi-function device. It includes a scanner and copier and fax machine. So, you get those extra features for a modest price. I have not had any problems with it so far and it has been utterly reliable for the past two years. Paper jams or malfunctions are rare and most of the time they are my fault. They are easily solved by following the manufacturer’s directions to clear out paper jams and clean the ink cartridges.

By now, this is an older model that might be discontinued. The Canon Pixma MX882 and MX892 are the current up to date models. I don’t have either one of them, so I can not make any specific recommendations, but my past experience with Canon products has been generally good especially with regard to getting GNU/Linux support.

I expect to be accepted into my alma mater to pursue a graduate degree program. I contacted the IT department on campus and they told me that I will have to provide my own printer and supply my own printer drivers since I use GNU/Linux which they do not officially support on campus. So, I am looking to get my own basic printer and I am looking into a Canon printer.

I see that the Canon Pixma MP280 is compatible with OpenSuSE 11.2 32 and 64 bit:

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : PIXMA MP280 w/ PP-201

PIXMA MP280

It’s very inexpensive which is perfect for a graduate student.

Amazon sells it: Amazon.com: Canon MP280 All-in-one Printer (4498B030): Electronics

When I get accepted, then this will go on my Christmas shopping list. I am in the market for other budget color ink jet printers too so I will keep an eye on this thread.

#4

I see that the Canon Pixma MP280 is compatible with OpenSuSE 11.2 32 and 64 bit:

It looks like a fine printer but it is not quite what I’m looking for. I frequently use the automatic feeding feature in my printer. I also failed to mention that I do want it to be able to be a network ready printer with the ability to scan to a network folder. It’s just too bad that most printers out there don’t support file transfer over ssh…

From long experience with HP I would recommend vacuuming the interior - sometimes it is simply dust in the works that causes the jam.

I wish that were the case with this malfunction. I think it is a broken belt or gear inside the lower right portion of the printer that controls the print head cleaning module. I am going to take apart my donor machine this week and find out what I can find out. It is just extremely inconvenient to not have printing and scanning abilities right now.

#5

On 11/23/2012 08:36 AM, futureboy wrote:
>
> Greetings,
>
> I’ve been a pretty big HP advocate because of how easily it works in
> Linux world. I also like something that I can operate very cheaply. I
> have been using an HP Officejet Pro 8500 for 3 years and something has
> gone out in it that makes it think there is a carriage jam…

snip

> 1. Super Linux friendly
> 2. Automatic Document feeding capability
> 3. Inexpensive and relatively easy ink / toner refilling ability
> 4. Multiple paper trays
> 5. Speedy printing ability
>

My own experience, ink jets are very expensive to operate for 3 years… and/or
they should be considered throw away devices after 1 year of medium regular use
operation.

Why? Replacement ink jet cartridges are a significant percentage of the cost of
a new printer. So, even after buying 3 sets of cartridges, you might be better
off buying new (even with the small fill cartridges that come with a new printer).

If you want long term usability, go with a business class HP Laser. I have a
fairly old CP3505dn… and it works flawlessly… and because the quality and
speed are so much better than an inkjet, we find we kill more trees now! (I
guess that’s a downside).

Anyway, I’d rather print more and use the device more than use it less because
it’s just too slow, or painful, or costly… and ultimately end up adding to the
non-decaying landfills of the world.

I will never go back to ink jet… ever…

When I had an ink jet, I had to think very hard about printing in color because
it was just sooooo slow (many, many, many minutes per page)… With the laser,
I don’t give a 2nd thought to printing out hundreds of full color pages… just
takes seconds.

I recommend a business class laser… something with PostScript for maximum ease
of use. Most handle multiple paper bins and special temporal load trays.

#6

I have been looking at multifunction laser printers and when I do the math, I find them to be more expensive than the ink equivalents. Though, I do believe in using bulk ink. I find that as I look into other printers, I either can’t find one that has the features I want or the reviews I want. I also don’t want to spend a fortune.

HP LaserJet Pro M1217nfw looked promising but doesn’t have the scan to network folder feature.

I ultimately would have much preferred that my printer didn’t have the mechanical flaws it seems to be known for.

The search continues…

#7

I have to agree with cjcox. After going through several inkjet printers, and watch them all fail prematurely, I decided to opt for a combined laser/scanner. Frequently, I found that with periods of little or no use, the inks were drying up, and clogging the printer. I now have a Brother DCP-7055 mono laser printer/scanner, and haven’t looked back.

#8

We have brother DCP 7060D multi-function laser printer here
though can print only thru a usb port. My daughter exclusively uses this printer
for bulk printing for reports and write-ups.

Another one is a brother MFC5890-CN multi-function inkjet printer
This is the one I am using via wired connection to the router
that serves our mac and linux machines with wireless/wired connections.
It supports scanning thru network.
It support up to 11"X17" paper. This one never failed me since openSUSE 11.x.