Printer for senior

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Jul 22nd, 2021 10:00 am

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Jul 20th, 2021 9:36 am

Hans_Moleman [OP]: Deal Addict; Jan 8, 2007; 4686 posts; 2503 upvotes; Ontario

Jul 20th, 2021 9:36 am

Printer for senior

Hey folks, my dad is in need of a printer and I'm hoping some of you fine people have already done research to help narrow my options down.

He had an Epson Artisan 730 that finally bit the bullet and needs to replace it. He will print family photos from time to time but otherwise it's just general documents, music notes, some CD covers (he teaches music to kids). No wifi capabilities needed, but it needs to connect to his laptop via a cable (they don't have wifi... Don't ask... Lol). All in one (scanner) is needed.

What are a couple of good choices these days that won't break the bank? I order cartridges for him from shopper+.

Thanks in advance!

8 replies

Jul 20th, 2021 10:13 am

Manatus: Deal Fanatic; Mar 21, 2010; 6666 posts; 3893 upvotes; Toronto

Jul 20th, 2021 10:13 am

Does it need to be in colour? If not, Brother black and white laser printers are inexpensive and reliable.

If you need colour, I would have suggested maybe looking into one of the HP inkjets that come with Instant Ink, as long as the amount he prints is relatively predictable each month (you pay for a plan that allows a number of pages per month, and they send ink as and when required). However, those need to be connected to the internet in order to work, I think.

You could get a colour laser, but the cost of those often doesn't make sense unless you have a high volume of printing.

Jul 20th, 2021 10:33 am

JHW: Deal Addict; Nov 24, 2004; 4634 posts; 1224 upvotes; Toronto

Jul 20th, 2021 10:33 am

Brother printers are often recommended as good value for money, especially when using after-market ink or toner. I see Staples has a Brother inkjet all-in-one for about $150. You might try looking that up to see whether after-market ink is available.

In general, laser is almost always preferable vs. inkjet, but if printing colour photos or images is important, you'll find laser to be disappointing. The trick with inkjet is that you need to be printing with all colours pretty consistently, to avoid clogs.

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Jul 20th, 2021 10:36 am

Hans_Moleman [OP]: Deal Addict; Jan 8, 2007; 4686 posts; 2503 upvotes; Ontario

Jul 20th, 2021 10:36 am

Inkjet and colour.

Hoping for a few model # recommendations if anyone here is happy with theirs.

Jul 21st, 2021 8:14 am

wysiwyg: Deal Addict; Nov 2, 2002; 2393 posts; 1231 upvotes; Toronto

Jul 21st, 2021 8:14 am

I switch myself and also my parents to a brother BW laser printers. My parents couldn’t be happier and don’t miss the colour at all. The old inkjet cartridges always needed replacing and went through cleaning cycles every time they wanted to print something. With laser, the cartridge lasts several months (close to a year?) and print instantly. Think twice whether they really need colour.

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Jul 21st, 2021 9:33 am

GoodFellaz: Penalty Box; Jun 24, 2015; 8249 posts; 2778 upvotes; 0 downvotes

Jul 21st, 2021 9:33 am

almost all of the current printers I've seen that are advertised as wireless HAVE a USB connection for a computer. they just don't say it on the packaging but there are still plenty of people who use them hardwired

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Jul 22nd, 2021 1:51 am

sheyenne: Deal Addict; Aug 14, 2019; 3286 posts; 1762 upvotes

Jul 22nd, 2021 1:51 am

Manatus wrote: ↑ Does it need to be in colour? If not, Brother black and white laser printers are inexpensive and reliable.

I second that. Their toners don't produce nearly enough pages as Brother claims, even in economy mode. Brother tech support is good.

I recommend using only Brother OEM toners and drum units. I've run into issues with third party ones including Moustache brands at Costco which damaged the printer and drum unit too. The drum unit is expensive to replace and often costs as much as a new laser printer.

I would recommend a MFC (Multifunctional Printer) which includes a scanner and fax too for those odd times you need to fax.

I like color printers, but the inks are costly and dry out quickly unless you print regularly.

Jul 22nd, 2021 9:50 am

JHW: Deal Addict; Nov 24, 2004; 4634 posts; 1224 upvotes; Toronto

Jul 22nd, 2021 9:50 am

sheyenne wrote: ↑ I like color printers, but the inks are costly and dry out quickly unless you print regularly.

You can get colour laser printers, where there is nothing to "dry out" (the toner is already dry). But they tend to be expensive and big, and the quality for photo printing is not the same as what you can get with inkjet.

Jul 22nd, 2021 10:00 am

JAC: Deal Expert; Apr 16, 2001; 16414 posts; 3237 upvotes

Jul 22nd, 2021 10:00 am

Depends on his volume of photos. Epson ecotank or Canon megatank is the cheapest solution, followed by Brother inkvestment.

Automatic down-votes: Eufy, D-Link, TP-Link, Newegg, Canada Computers, any Chinese-owned cellphone, laptop or IoT device.

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