[–] Dr_Shekel_Nigger 0 points 11 points 11 points (+11|-0) ago (edited ago)
Inkjets are awful. HP is particularly awful.
I print a lot actually, and have found that Brother black and white Laserjet printers actually are very reliable and the toner cartridge lasts a long, long time. Their catridge "technology" is also more universal in that one style is applicable over more models and over a greater amount of time before it's made "obselete" by the newer product line.
For color...I go to an institution or shop
[–] theangrygoyim ago (edited ago)
I hate these printer companies purposely not including a USB cable with the printer.
[–] Pawn 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I own a brother laser printer that has never failed me. I only print black and white and I still have the original cartridge from when I bought it cause it has about 600 pages worth of printing. I basically have a lifetime's worth of printing for $50. I dont think I will ever run out of toner cause I dont think I will ever print 600 pages.
[–] srgmpdns 0 points 29 points 29 points (+29|-0) ago (edited ago)
Let's also not forget that almost every modern inkjet printer prints a nearly-invisible code that identifies you, with tiny yellow dots:
https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-display-tracking-dots
[–] [deleted] 0 points 9 points 9 points (+9|-0) ago (edited ago)
[–] lanre 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Here's my opinion: Not sure on printers, but computers purchases are linked to whatever credit card/name bought them, so it stands to reason that printers would be as well. Thus printer X prints yellow dots identifying itself as printer x, and then the feds ask the electronics dealer who sold that printer for their sales records and then go track down the buyer. So it'd probably go like this: fed identify it as a lexmark printer, serial # X. They go to lexmark, get their sales records, and find out it was sold in the New York City area to Y Electronics store. So they go to Y Electronics and ask for customer sales records for that printer model, and then hopefully they can link the serial # to a name. And then work from there. If not, they can investigate each of the customers (maybe dozens or a few hundred at most) depending on how serious the crime/situation is.
Here's how the government tracked down Reality Winner, who's the most recent example I can think of of someone being caught by the little yellow dots.
[–] slwsnowman40 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Except the serial number is allegedly one of the items included. It'll be harder to track down to you since you got it second hand.
[–] fortuitouslyunfallen 0 points 12 points 12 points (+12|-0) ago
You're thinking about it wrong. Doesn't matter if it's connected to the internet. The police would have, or be able to gain access to a database with all that data. Where and when the printer was manufactured down to the store. From there they could check who bought it originally, then they could track that person down, find out who they sold it to etc etc. If the owner didn't know (i.e. sold it at an estate sale), they could check who was connected to the cell tower near that vicinity and go about questioning those people. That's one example, they would have other ways of getting the information.
[–] ChanceofRain 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
Great video, very well presented, and all sadly true.
I have a major brand wireless printer that I've owned for a couple years that works just fine. When I installed it, the first thing I did was print a b/w photo of Jimi Hendrix. Still haven't opened the spare cartridge I bought at the time either. The trick is to never use it. The only time it's come in handy was for printing tickets for concerts or airlines. I think in two years I've printed maybe 5 or 6 pages.
[–] notYOURfriend 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
Inkjets are terrible for any printing whatsoever. Print daily and you'll run out of ink really fast, print monthly and you'll waste a ton of ink cleaning and calibrating the printer before even printing anything - if the print heads haven't dried up completely by then.
Laser is the only way to go, especially considering how cheap color lasers are nowadays.
[–] Crikes 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I used to have a HP Laserjet or Laserwriter 4P, I think. Each toner cartridge would last forever and if you didn't need color, was as good a quality as I've ever seen. I no longer have one but a friend was telling me that she still uses hers as it's the cheapest ink. You can still get these old printers, & cartridges. However, it doesn't seem like any printers made in the last 15 years or so still use them.
I suspect I know why, but what I'm wondering is, could someone create a new printer without the unnecessary BS, that could use these cartridges? Is it simply that printer companies make all their money on ink, that no one has done this kind of thing? Could this be a lighthouse, or kickstarter, type project any of you would support? Maybe Open Source Ecology could make a printer.
[–] ardvarcus 0 points 13 points 13 points (+13|-0) ago
I used to have an ink jet printer. It would waste pages of ink "cleaning itself" every time I turned it on. I couldn't just print in black, it demanded that I use the color as well, even when printing black text. I couldn't buy cheap no-brand ink, it demanded that I use its in-house ink that cost five times as much. I couldn't print when even one of the ink cartridges was empty, even though I wasn't using that color. That's when I put the printer out on the curb on garbage day and swore that I would never buy another Epson product as long as I live ... and I've kept my promise.
Sounds like my story (same brand even). Someone had given me a few of them, same bullshit every time. "Oh, you just turned me on? I just realized it's that time of the month so wait a minute while I have some heavy ink flow into my pad, to you know clean things out.... OK, all done, I just wasted a dollar of ink!"
Got a used laser for $30 and haven't ever looked back.
[–] uvulectomy 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Yeah, I have an Epson like that. Great print quality, but absolutely refused to print...even black text... because the cyan cartridge was empty. Never bothered buying more, because fuck that shit.
Fortunately I got it for $25 when I worked for a certain shitty electronics/appliance retailer. The scanner still works, so it's still somewhat useful. But fuck ever buying ink for the bastard, or buying another Epson ever again.
[–] slwsnowman40 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
HP's are like that.
[–] dayofthehope 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Use a reprap (open source 3d printer) to print out a 2d printer. Problem solved.
[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[–] clamhurt_legbeard 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
4d printer
[–] dayofthehope 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
The reprap is a project to create a 3d printer that can print itself. It can print something like 70% of its parts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine
[–] Mylon 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Another reprap. At least, that's the project goal of the reprap.