I have settled on a monochrome laser printer from Brother. It’s very reliable. Buying a toner cartridge is not exactly cheap but not really too expensive either. They last quite long. The printer itself does what it should, without hassle.
At least for me, I rarely have the need for printing in colour. And AFAIK, inkjets need regular use to not “clog up”. So I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t suite my common use-case.
In a situation where I must have color I can go to the office, or the local library. Or even a print shop if I need something really fancy. But honestly, I think the last time I printed something in colour was over five years ago.
Sometimes my wife print photos, but that can be ordered via Internet, so we haven’t found that to be a reason to buy an inkjet either.
Forst the first part, I totally agree: I've had a Kyocera 1030D since 2008 and apart from a single component, which I repaired myself, it works as it did on the first day.
But for color printing or photos, laser printers are simply too expensive (and quality is BAD) and I know a lot of people who buy an inkjet "just to be on the safe side" and keep hearing that they break down after being on vacation, for example.
I live in Germany and with Covid the last copy stores have died.
Yeah, that’s why I believe inkjet printers are better suited for commercial shops than for home use. What home users are motivated to buy enough ink to print a bunch of pictures every 2-3 weeks just to prevent clogging?
Sad to hear about the print shops closing down. In our metro are I believe there are some left. They probably charge a lot though, haven’t tried them TBH. Then there’s always Vistaprint and similar companies where you order prints and get them sent home. The quality seems to be quite okay.
"What home users are motivated to buy enough ink to print a bunch of pictures every 2-3 weeks just to prevent clogging?"
School age children and their parents.
I bought an (inkjet) printer because the kids asked and asked! They needed a lot of prints for their school and activities. We use it constantly now that we have it, for many home and family usages where color is often needed (but not always). We have an ink subscription because it’s much easier.
When I was younger I had advanced inkjet printers for creative uses, arts, etc., but then entirely stop using one for years, until… kids.
Color printers are niche now, but for some segments of the population still very much needed.
We have a colour inkjet, it actually does seem to mostly work even though it's only used sporadically. Generally agree with your assessment though: cheap used laser. Make sure you know about the consumables, but I'm happy with knowing that it's cheaper than inkjet and not being picky about the exact cost.
In my experience, it’s often not worth it.
I have settled on a monochrome laser printer from Brother. It’s very reliable. Buying a toner cartridge is not exactly cheap but not really too expensive either. They last quite long. The printer itself does what it should, without hassle.
At least for me, I rarely have the need for printing in colour. And AFAIK, inkjets need regular use to not “clog up”. So I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t suite my common use-case.
In a situation where I must have color I can go to the office, or the local library. Or even a print shop if I need something really fancy. But honestly, I think the last time I printed something in colour was over five years ago.
Sometimes my wife print photos, but that can be ordered via Internet, so we haven’t found that to be a reason to buy an inkjet either.