Color printing - laser v inkjet?

[MMMommy]

So we have a Canon color inkjet printer. We use it for the occasional color photo printing and occasional color printout. We don't use it a whole lot, but enough that we feel we need one. Anyways, the photo quality is terrible and the machine sucks up inkjet cartridges even though we barely use it. I feel like it is always telling me that I am low on some random color, after just a few prints.

I'm not well versed on printers. I much prefer laser. I'm considering getting this one from Costco, though I don't know if this is what would be best for our needs.

https://m.costco.com/Brother-HL-3140CW-Digital-Color-Printer-.product.100043948.html

Does anyone have any economical suggestions for a color printer for infrequent color photos and printouts? Laser v inkjet?

Thanks!

[ahisma]

We have a brother black and white laser printer that I love. When I need a photo, I just send it to be printed at the drug store and pick it up. Once in a blue moon I need something printed in color, I'll send that to the school (usually it's for volunteer work I'm doing for them), or if not, to Kinkos. That seriously only happens about once a year.

[PZMommy]

As a teacher, I print a ton of stuff in color. I use an HP printer, and use their instant ink program. For $10 a month, I can print out 300 pages in color or in black and white. They send me cartridges well before I need them. I used to spend $50 on ink almost every month, so this is a HUGE money saver for me. They also have smaller packages for around $5 a month is you don't print as much.

[AnnieW625]

I bought an Epson Expression 640 printer from Target (https://www.target.com/p/epson-expression-xp-640-inkjet-printer-black-c11cf50201/-/A-51399703#lnk=newtab) a few months ago and am happy with it. I have printed a few photos with it, but for more than just the random photos for a school project I just get them printed at Walgreens or Costco. So far it isn't an ink hog either. I thought about the eco tank version as well, but it wasn't on sale and at $220 was more than I wanted to pay.

Epson Expression printers seem to be on Target Cartwheel a lot too.


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[123LuckyMom]

I've been researching printers lately, because I'm trying to decide whether to get a color laser. My issue is that I use my printer extensively at certain times of the year but infrequently at other times of the year. This is very bad for an inkjet printer which needs to be used frequently (at least weekly) in order to keep the ink and heads from having problems. Laser printers don't have that issue, but they're much more expensive to purchase and for the toner.

Color laser printers are generally terrible for photos. They don't do nearly as good a job as color ink jets. Laser printers are better, though, for text and color diagrams. If you are going to print photos primarily, I wouldn't get a laser printer. The Brothers are also not rated very well (by Consumer Reports at least) for color laser. Dell and Samsung are at the top of their list, and there's only one Dell that was rated as high as a "good" on photos. Most are rated "poor."



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[calebsmama03]

This drives me nuts, too. From reading on slickdeals it seems that many people buy printers as disposable items- the ink and toner are so $$$ that it's cheaper to just buy a new printer on sale. :( We had a laser (color) that I loved but replacing the toner was going to cost 3 times as much as the printer itself !! so i got a color inkjet and it is constantly out of ink! I'd been buying knockoff cartridges on amazon and thought maybe I'd killed it so got ANOTHER inkjet (smae kind, just updated model by Brother) and same freaking thing! I bought new OEM ink from staples, got 15-20 pages before it was printing wonky again. Did a cleaning cycle and now it's out of ink. Such a scam. I read that for those who don't print daily the ink on an inkjet will dry up in the print heads and cause issues, so your machine runs an auto clean cycle if it's plugged in, and this sucks up ink. Not sure what to replace mine with now so am following this thread.

[Percycat]

We have an epson 3in1 printer. It prints nice photos and good color copies. We never have issues with heads drying up and don't use it regularly. We have had it for years. Ink is expensive, but we can buy individual colors so we only need to replace the cartridge that is out. I love the convenience of being able to do print at home.

[MMMommy]

We have an epson 3in1 printer. It prints nice photos and good color copies. We never have issues with heads drying up and don't use it regularly. We have had it for years. Ink is expensive, but we can buy individual colors so we only need to replace the cartridge that is out. I love the convenience of being able to do print at home.

Can you tell me which model you have? Or what the current model might be of the one you have? Thanks!

[belovedgandp]

We have a Brother color laser and love it. We were doing a lot of printing back in 1999 and 2000, so have had a personal laser printer way longer than most people. For many years we had the laser and then an ink jet for pictures. But we so rarely used the ink jet it wasn't worth keeping up with the drying ink.

I know the b/w laser we had before this one was a Brother. It was still kicking after 5+ years of use. We donated it to a charity we volunteer with when we decided to ditch the ink jet and upgrade to a color laser. We've had a Brother MFC-9330 for 3+ years now without a problem.

I do like having the scanning/copy feature.

The color prints aren't great for pictures. But even those are ok for school projects which is our primary picture printing. The color printing works greats for other uses.

[123LuckyMom]

Can you tell me which model you have? Or what the current model might be of the one you have? Thanks!

I'd like to know, too. I have an Epson WF-3640, and I LOVED it until the heads went. Now it prints blurry no matter what I do, so I'm reluctant to buy another Epson. The fax and scanner still work great.


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[Percycat]

Can you tell me which model you have? Or what the current model might be of the one you have? Thanks!

This is the type we have....
https://epson.com/Support/Printers/All-In-Ones/Artisan-Series/Epson-Artisan-837/s/SPT_C11CB20201

[NCGrandma]

I'd like to know, too. I have an Epson WF-3640, and I LOVED it until the heads went. Now it prints blurry no matter what I do, so I'm reluctant to buy another Epson. The fax and scanner still work great.


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Do you remember about how long you used it before the heads went? I have that same model, and am fortunately still in the "love it" phase. I also got one for our residents' computer Lab, where it gets a lot more use, and it's also still going strong.


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[123LuckyMom]

Do you remember about how long you used it before the heads went? I have that same model, and am fortunately still in the "love it" phase. I also got one for our residents' computer Lab, where it gets a lot more use, and it's also still going strong.


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I think I bought the printer in 2015, and it's been useless since this past winter, so somewhere between one and two years, or maybe as much as two? I really don't know what happened, because it was a great printer until it just down and out failed to print anything properly. I tried cleaning the heads a billion times, adjusting the head alignment a billion times, using new ink, restoring everything to factory settings-- everything I could find to do on the internet. The print is still legible if I use a very high quality print setting, so I do still use it for things that are just for my eyes only, but for anything that needs to look good, I've been having to print at work. The only thing I can think of is that the ink dried and the heads went, but I didn't leave it sitting for that long, (maybe a two week stretch) and I don't think that should have happened. Another possibility is that it has a built in obsolescence of a time frame just beyond the warrantee or something. As I said, I did really love it, so I was very sad when it got sick, but I'm scared to buy another, and I really need a new printer. I just cannot decide what to get!


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[meggie t]

I have a Canon Pixma all in one. Purchased in 10/2010 and have never had an issue. It was $139 at the time. The ink can be pricey but I don't go through a ton of it. I only recently tried printing a picture- it came out so well! I was really impressed and annoyed I didn't do it sooner (I would print out at the drugstore for some dumb reason). Based on this, I would consider Canon when it is time to replace.