[Fillmore]

Looking for a home Printer, Black and White is perfectly fine.

What I am looking for
A printer where the ink cartridge does not dry out within 3-4 months even if not used.

Issue with ink jet printers is that even if your usage is minimum the ink seems to dry out. A replacement original cartridge would cost > Rs 900 and you have to buy 2 replacements, Black + Color one.

My usage might be between 10 - 30 pages a month, Some months no printing at all. Given this have the foll questions.

1.Does a laser printer cartridge also dry out over time if not used ?
2.Are there any Ink Jet models where you dont face this issue ?

Any suggestions most welcome.
I currently have a Canon MP140 series printer. The only issue is the cartridge dries up fast and it does not make sense shelling out close to 2k every time to re-fill it.

-Fillmore

[dadu]

Inkject printer cartridge will dry out over few months, usually they have come up with caps for the bottom fixed inside the printer, when(if) the cartridge is parked, it comes and sits on top of this rubber Caps which is like a seal to prevent exposure to air and hence drying.

If you plan not to use the cartridge, You can take them out and put them in Zip lock bags in upright position for longevity.

Laser printer cartridge do no have this issue as they do not have wet ink inside.

[amitw79]

As per my understanding, ink drying up due to prolonged non-usage of the printer is a common issue with all Inkjet based printers.

Not quite sure about the case with Lasers, but I believe the toner in Laser printers definitely has a better non-usage life than cartdridges in inkjets, but then again the Lasers are expensive than inkjets.

I am also of the opinion that 1 refill of original inkjet cartridge is OK. After that you must get a new cartdridge.

[AbhiJ]

Buy the cheapest laser you get...

I think the Xerox 3117 is available for around 5000...

[pranavt]

Inkjet printers are a joke and a scam. Go buy a laser printer and no need to worry about all this.

[condor]

Inkjet printers are such that you need to use them very regularly - atleast once in a day or two. Else the cartridges will dry. A low end laser is a much better option.

[srishiva]

Samsung has one laser printer which is just above 5000.

[SS-Traveller]

Some of the inkjets (Canon, Epson, Brother) have compatible CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) available as an after-market fitment for about 2000 INR. Ink refill bottles cost about 350-400 INR each.

I've been using such a CISS for my Epson C63 for the last 2 years or so, and ink drying is no more an issue. The tips of the cartridges do clog up if left unused for a week or two, but running the "Clean print heads" cycle for 2-3 times gets everything back to normal.

And the savings on cartridge cost well compensate for the (comparatively) high initial investment.

[ampere]

The reason why inkjets sell apart from price, is that you can FAX/COPIER/SCANNER bundled into them.
Laser with the same features cost a bomb.

[Fillmore]

Thanks for all your inputs. Will look out for a low end laser.

@ampere , You are right that Ink Jets come with Fax/Copy/Scan which the low end lasers do not... Guess will use the existing printer just for Scan/Copy.

[SirAlec]

MP 140 does have a cart drying problem. i refill it, mine doesn't dry as i print very often.

You should go for a laserjet.

Some option are Samsung ML1666. Its not chip locked, you can refill the toner for about 350/-. At 4900/- its a steal.

ANd NO! laser doesn't dry like inkjet.

HP makes great printers but why i am not recommending it is that they have started using a CHip on toner that prevents it from refilling it. Chips are available in bigger city though. But its till is a hassle and refill cost + chip will cost more.

[Jaguar]

HP has some inkjet models where cheaper cartridgescan be used. For eg: the cartridge model number '21' costs ~2k whereas you get '21b' for around 400 bucks. The 'b' series I suppose prints less number of pages. You may checkout these HP inkjet models which support the less expensive 'b' series cartridges.

[SirAlec]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

HP has some inkjet models where cheaper cartridgescan be used. For eg: the cartridge model number '21' costs ~2k whereas you get '21b' for around 400 bucks. The 'b' series I suppose prints less number of pages. You may checkout these HP inkjet models which support the less expensive 'b' series cartridges.

21b has just 5ml. and you know the CPP of this cartridge. It comes out about Rs.2.5 per page.

ALso this will also eventually dry out with non-usage. which is his main reauirement.

[f1fan]

I too have a similar kind of requirement. I do need a printer at home. This is purely for times when I need to take an urgent printout. I believe I may not print more than 2-3 pages per week (Yup, I know that is too less)

I am not inclined on buying anything expensive. I do have a stand alone scanner at home, hence if the printer is not an All-in-one, then too it is fine.

Can you folks recommend a printer for my needs?

[SirAlec]

do you have any budget constraints.