Advice about a laser printer, please

Bouquins

Hello all ! I'm fed up with inkjet printers. Could anybody give me an advice about buying a laser printer working on Solus ? I don't need color printer; just black.
Thanks in advance; have a nice day !

Lucien_Lachance

i have a HP_LaserJet_M14a, it works well, however i have to install it from http://127.0.0.1:631/admin/ in browser, via regular gui doesent work

GumbyDamnIt

Regardless of whether it's an ink jet, or a laser, IMHO, the printers which are targeted at consumers are largely junk.
I have an antique Brother laser printer that I purchased used, for cheap, that still has a lot of life left on the drum. I don't know for sure how old it is, but judging from the documentation, I'd say 2003. This thing is like the Energizer bunny! It just keeps going and going!!!
While I wouldn't necessarily suggest an antique, a gently used corporate model makes a lot of sense and it will last a lot longer than a $150 consumer model from the big box store.
Whatever you get, you'll obviously need to ensure that it has Linux/CUPS support.
Just a thought ...

WetGeek

GumbyDamnIt the printers which are targeted at consumers are largely junk

Indeed, they're largely razors, in a sense.

I learned in one of my college marketing courses about the "Gillette Principle." Many decades ago, the Gillette management team figured out that the best way to make a fortune was to give away their razors for about what it cost to make them, but then to sell the (disposable) blades at a fantastic profit. (That lasted until Schick won a federal restraint of trade suit that allowed them to sell competing Schick blades for Gillette razors.)

After all, a razor could (and did) last a lifetime or more, but razor blades did not. They were bought again and a again, for as long as the purchaser continued to shave.

Compare that with an inexpensive printer that uses toner cartridges or inks that need to be bought over and over again. Fortunately, these days most printers can use inexpensive alternatives that work well.

GumbyDamnIt

WetGeek

Agreed; inkjet and toner cartridges are stupidly expensive. Corporate model printers are likely to have high capacity inkjet and toner cartridges, which are sold for an even higher premium. I found a vid on the youtube explaining how to refill and reset my Brother's toner cartridge, which also saved a boatload of money. With a full toner cartridge, I expect that this printer will last another decade.

kyrios

WetGeek I learned in one of my college marketing courses about the "Gillette Principle." Many decades ago, the Gillette management team figured out that the best way to make a fortune was to give away their razors for about what it cost to make them, but then to sell the (disposable) blades at a fantastic profit. (That lasted until Schick won a federal restraint of trade suit that allowed them to sell competing Schick blades for Gillette razors.)

Out of curiosity do you know how much does the Schick blades cost and how long do they last?
Heum kinda getting off topic...

synth-ruiner

we use a Brother laser printer at work which works fine with Solus, but I forget the model number. DCP-something. I'll have to check when I'm back in the office...

WetGeek

GumbyDamnIt Corporate model printers are likely to have high capacity inkjet and toner cartridges, which are sold for an even higher premium.

You're right about that. I have a Canon printer with a 13x19 paper capacity (for gallery prints), for which the Canon inks cost nearly $150 a set (10 colors required, not just 4). A similar set from an ink cartridge maker -- not a printer maker -- costs about $36 per set of 10. Ink isn't expensive, and neither are plastic cartridges.

Canon, of course, does all they can legally to "encourage" users to buy their cartridges, including not allowing some of the Canon software and accessories that came with my printer to work at all, if "off brand" inks are used. E.g., the adapter and software needed to print on DVDs. The truth is, the inexpensive inks worked just as well, and caused no harm at all to my printer.

Incidentally, I'm not picking on Canon. HP ink cartridges for my HP all-in-one printer cost a large multiple of the cost of the "off brand" ones that work every bit as well. That printer displays a message on its touch-screen to the effect that non-HP inks are being used. I can live with that.

As I said, all razors.

elfprince

Except perhaps, the older - the bigger and heavier? 😆

brent

my 2 cents is everyone here hit it right on the head but if I was shopping. I as in a cheap, poor man, I probably would aim, as Gumby/Synth alluded to but did not say, at the used market, circa '03-'09 etc etc. rather than pay $80 for something new and likely fragile...my faith in current manufacturing is nil. My faith in older manufacturing is gigantic.
@WetGeek your Gillette theorem is true, cartridges and then drums will always hang us out to dry but some interesting workarounds a la Schick Lawsuit exist like "HP ink cartridges for my HP all-in-one printer cost a large multiple of the cost of the "off brand" ones that work every bit as well..." Interesting you brought up the slash price cartridges, I do hear mixed things. Worst is "awful" the best is "I ran 3 business with this method and saved $$$." There is a franchise called "cartridge world" (I think) near me. I called them one day. a sizable yearly fee for refills on the penny...another interesting business model but all but I was only interested in the pennies part🙂.

I find a lot of value in threads like this.

WetGeek

brent There is a franchise called "cartridge world" (I think) near me.

I don't know where you're based, but in my part of the world, Amazon is the source for stuff like this. All of the examples I gave (and toner and ink for previous printers as well) came from there. I've never had a problem with any of it, and I've probably saved the cost of a good printer by now.

brent

WetGeek brick and mortar will always my preference. harder now with the Fry's electronics chain closed.

Bouquins

Thanks to all, and I apologize for not responding sooner; I was very busy with work. I've learned something very interesting about Gillette and Schick; it rings a bell because I wet shave each morning with an antique Gillette, and for sure it will last many lifetimes !
@synth-ruiner: could you please tell which model you use ? Thanks a lot again to all, and again, big apologies !

synth-ruiner

Bouquins @synth-ruiner: could you please tell which model you use ?

sorry for the delay! it's a Brother DCP-L3550CDW.

WetGeek

kyrios do you know how much does the Schick blades cost and how long do they last?

Sorry, but I don't use them. When I used a razor, it was either from Dollar Shave Club or Harry's. After a lifetime of getting my neck chewed up by various electric shavers, I finally found one that actually works well, and does not irritate my neck at all. It's a Braun, and costs about $120US, but I've stopped using razor blades altogher.

Now, back to our originally scheduled thread ...

I found another example of the Gillette Principle of marketing. Replacement brush heads for my Braun Oral B electric toothbrush cost about $3 each, when ordered from Braun. Off-brand brushes that are nearly identical and work just fine are $1 each. Braun sells the toothbrushes at a reasonable price, but then they clean up on the replacement brush heads.

jppelt

WetGeek Love Harry's but now I am way off topic. I tend to gravitate towards HP as hp-setup usually works with linux. There is the new refillable ink systems that saves money. This site seems to have good info. HP has a version too.

WetGeek

jppelt I tend to gravitate towards HP as hp-setup usually works with linux

HP is another reliable manufacturer. It's an HP mid-tower desktop that sits near my television and streams content to it from a Vivaldi browser and sometimes the Videos and Music shares from my NAS, as it's connected to our internal network.

Since this is about printers, I'll also mention that my all-in-one printer is an HP. They sell based on the Gillette Principle as too, but there are high-quality off-brand inks available for them as well. On its little touch-screen, my HP printer announces "Non-HP ink in use," in an effort to shame me into buying the HP inks for 3 or 4 times the cost.

Unfortunately for HP, I have no shame when it comes to overpaying for consumables like printer ink.

jppelt

WetGeek I've never bought an HP computer - just printers. For the last 10 years or so I've gone small linux outfits. I have a few ZaReasons, went out of business after moving to MI. I now buy my personal computers from System 76. My wife and kids have Apple but one of my sons is now on a S76 although he settled with Fedora as his DE of choice. No accounting for taste 😆

Bouquins

Thank you very much; and I apologize for the delay, too !