Can you recommend a printer for home use?

[garethd]

Hi,

I am looking for a home printer for occasional work related and kids homework use. Something that is fully linux compatible out of the box, preferably a wifi enabled one.

If you are running a printer like this, then can you please tell me:
the make / model
and roughly how do you find the running costs?


Thanks,

Gareth

[sithlord48]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

first off you want to make sure its gonna work check the open printing database for any models you may find you like

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/colla.../databaseintro

[garethd]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

Sure, thanks.

[jeremy1701]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

I have a canon MX870. It's wifi enabled. It works great with Linux. Super great. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's the single best Linux compatible printer I've ever owned, and I've owned way too many to admit. lol. :P

You'll have to install the drivers, but they're supported by Canon.

Good luck!


http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...rs/pixma_mx870

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1475336

http://support-sg.canon-asia.com/con...100272302.html

[perspectoff]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

HP makes printer drivers for Linux / (K)Ubuntu, and, in fact, many of the default printing utilities for Linux are HP utilities.

I print/scan/fax from a home office constantly. I swear by my Brother printers. I have several 7820Ns, but there are newer ones around $100. They are fully networked, and there are wireless networking models.

I only use Laser, though, and color laser is quite expensive, so I only use B&W.

Scanning can still be done in color, but printing, obviously, only in B&W/Grey.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

I have an HP 5610 multi-purpose color printer (& scanner & copier) which I keep wrapped up because the ink is so expensive I use it for special print jobs requiring color. I haven't used it in over a year. (While it prints very well, the installed color cartridges emptied out after 75 pages and the full replacement $28 cartridges printed only 300 pages.

I have a Samsung ML-1210 laser printer connected to a Linksys wifi print server which I connect ad hoc to my wifi router. I set it to a static IP of 192.168.1.99 because my wife router is set to dispense IPs beginning with 192.168.1.100. I've used it that way for over 5 years and the Samsung has never failed to connect or print. Used models for $65 are available at Amazon. The 3,500 page toner/drum cartridge sells for $61 (generic for $25).

My goto printer is the HP LaserJet Professional P1606dn duplex printer. At Amazon it is around $150. The high capacity toner/drum cartridge is around $75 and gives about 5,000 copies. This printer is FAST! Also, when plugged into my USB port it sets there with all lights off. It appears to be off and may well be. But, when you send a document to it the lights come on, it prints the document and goes dormant, all within 5 seconds. This puppy is the best printer I have ever owned. Its speed and quality of printing reminds me of the $4,000 HP lazerJets I used at work.

[Detonate]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

I have a HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless. It does great color, and HP claims it is as inexpensive as a laser to operate. Setup was easy.

[perspectoff]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

For small volume needs, sure. Not high volume.

Color is always going to be expensive. A high capacity laser cartridge for B&W (Brother) is $69; color is about $200.

Inkjet printers need both colour and B&W cartridges, which often only give 75 to 150 copies, and go from $35 to $55 each (x 4). You do the math.

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

http://h10018.www1.hp.com/wwsolution...ing/index.html

Superb linux support, but I have not been impressed with their build quality the last few years... but I suppose all equipment/appliances/tools have become cheap these days...

[woodsmoke]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

You might consider whether the cartridges have a "chip" in them that will keep you from using a refilled cartridge, you can save half or more in ink costs.

Since it is for "occasional" use then the cost of new cartridges might not be a real problem though.

Since you said "preferably" a wifi enabled one I'll suggest two from the second hand market that are a usb and a parallel.

The usb is any of the HP 500 up through 1200 that are scan and print capable and give fine results for what you seem to need.

A parallel that would only print in b/w, but you can also find color versions is something like the HP Laserjet 6P. It uses a "drum" which is up around 50 bucks at a refill place but it will run literally thousands of copies and is very fast.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

IMO if you're looking for a printer for the kids and you don't need color; the Samsung monochrome lasers are an excellent choice.

For $100us The ML-2525W has wifi, the high-yield cartridges will go about 2500 pages for about $60-70 bucks, and Samsung has linux drivers.

My ML-2510 works out-of-the-box with every linux install I've done over the last three years.

[MyR]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

Here are some Linux-compatible wireless printers: http://linuxdeal.com/printers.php?connect=wifi

Hope this helps!

P.S. if any of you can help by reviewing your printer, that would be wonderful!

[wizard10000]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

I've got an HP 2605dn color laser that works just fine with Linux. Not wireless, but that'd be easy to solve with a gaming adapter or a $35 access point configured as a wireless client. Also the duplexer is handy

Where I work I manage about 900 printers and have worked hard to get the inkjets out of the enterprise - and have been successful so far. The price of consumables is way too high for inkjet printing. Sticker shock at the price of toner cartridges is one thing - but toner's cheaper than ink, honest

I just bought a set of four toner cartridges for my printer last week - I don't print much but have been printing off the starter cartridges for about three years. Refurbished cartridges cost me $130 and the black cartridge will do 2500 pages. The color cartridges are rated at 2000 pages each.

Color toner doesn't cost any more than black toner does - the reason color printing is expensive is page coverage.

[Guest]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

I'm new to the forum and a little late off the mark but I have a Brother MFC790CW and it works fine under Kubuntu. You still have to install the drivers but they can be downloaded from the Brother site. Just follow their installation process closely. I use CUPS in the absence of anything better to manage my printer!

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Can you recommend a printer for home use?

http://h10018.www1.hp.com/wwsolution...ing/index.html

Superb linux support, but I have not been impressed with their build quality the last few years... but I suppose all equipment/appliances/tools have become cheap these days...

The wireless card on my HP c309a just died a couple weeks ago... I am VERY not happy with the build quality of HP printers the last few years.