Anyone reading this, from a sysadmin: Go for brother. Ink or laser. No issues, never had a single problem in the last 10 years.
Lexmark was okay for a while until their imaging units started crapping (700 series).
Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
371–380 of 485 posts
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#372As many techies will probably always say anytime inkjet product shenanigans come up: just buy a laser printer. And I now add: and don't let it connect to the Internet, and don't install proprietary drivers or software for it on your computers. Also, remember the names of companies doing sketchy things, and do your part to provide negative feedback when you can, and to give positive feedback to better companies. (Exam…
> As many techies will probably always say anytime inkjet product shenanigans come up: just buy a laser printer It's Canon/HP/$MANUFATURER shenanigans - nothing inherent to inkjets. I think the better solution is to buy from more ethical printer companies, like Brother.
Personal story about a sister-in-law that worked for Brother for 5+ years, all her stories made it seem like a employee focused and ethical company.
She got really sick really fast, Brother fired her as suddenly the "position no longe existed", cancelled her health insurance, and - speaking with their lawyers - they knew that she might very well not live to see the end of a civil case trying to reinstate her position/insurance. She did not get to see a day in court, had to fight to get subpar health care for the short duration of the rest of her life.
Just one story, and I'm sure there are many cases where they treated their sick employees better, and there are always two sides of every story, "would have increased the total cost of everyone's insurance" etc... that said no Brother product will enter my abode again.
I almost never comment on anything, but seeing ethical and Brother in the same sentence just got me. Apparently that story is still raw after 4 years.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#373Earlier quoted context omitted.
You gave authorized access in the EULA. What we need is real penalties for contracts of adhesion.
Do printers have an End User License Agreement? The last printer I bought, I was able to setup and print with, without (explicitly) agreeing to any license. Is the EULA part of a software install process?
There's usually a clause somewhere in small print where you agree to some massive EULA on some url through just the act of buying the product.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#374Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a contrary experience and I stopped buying laser printers. I had to toss two Brother lasers in the trash because Brother's customer service on warranty repairs required more hoops than I was willing to deal with. Meanwhile, I ended up with an HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 that was recommended years ago by The Wirecutter and I use HP's ink subscription service. It's never failed on me. It never jams. No fuser or toner t…
Since you’ve updated your comment, I think the key difference is that most people try to stick to B&W laser printers as those seem to be rock solid. Rather than going for new printers or printers that have an insane sale like a $450 for $150, look for reviews from forums for people who have been using the printer model for years (or join and ask on such forums if you can’t find anything). It sounds like the printer y…
Color laser printers are also pretty solid these days without paying through the roof. It sounds more like OP just got unlucky with two lemons in a row.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#375Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't the recent Brother printers require a chip id for toner cartridges? I believe you can transfer the chips but it still seems user unfriendly.
Not aware of that. There seems to be a very old cartridge model that has a chip. Do you any link/source?
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#376As many techies will probably always say anytime inkjet product shenanigans come up: just buy a laser printer. And I now add: and don't let it connect to the Internet, and don't install proprietary drivers or software for it on your computers. Also, remember the names of companies doing sketchy things, and do your part to provide negative feedback when you can, and to give positive feedback to better companies. (Exam…
Laser printers, at least in my experience, suck for photos. Not that people print photos any more but if you're using your printer for any kind of small framed photos or crafts than a laser printer really isn't a solution
I send photos to Costco for printing. Cheap and easy.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#377Earlier quoted context omitted.
> As many techies will probably always say anytime inkjet product shenanigans come up: just buy a laser printer It's Canon/HP/$MANUFATURER shenanigans - nothing inherent to inkjets. I think the better solution is to buy from more ethical printer companies, like Brother.
The inherent problem with inkjets is the ink drying out over time, requiring replacement even if you only use it occasionally.
This or the printer constantly dumps ink to prevent this problem. Both are not ideal
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#378Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a contrary experience and I stopped buying laser printers. I had to toss two Brother lasers in the trash because Brother's customer service on warranty repairs required more hoops than I was willing to deal with. Meanwhile, I ended up with an HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 that was recommended years ago by The Wirecutter and I use HP's ink subscription service. It's never failed on me. It never jams. No fuser or toner t…
You probably print a lot if an ink cartridge service is cost effective for you. I’ve had 2 b&w laser printers my entire life, both Brother (after getting annoyed with Epson inkjet printers that were “affordable” in high school). The first got me through engineering school printing maybe 300+ pages a year, so like 2000 pages. Did not replace the toner once and don’t recall any meaningful problems. That printer stayed…
> You probably print a lot if an ink cartridge service is cost effective for you.
I did the math and showed my work. $0.04/page over the last 5 years.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#379Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a contrary experience and I stopped buying laser printers. I had to toss two Brother lasers in the trash because Brother's customer service on warranty repairs required more hoops than I was willing to deal with. Meanwhile, I ended up with an HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 that was recommended years ago by The Wirecutter and I use HP's ink subscription service. It's never failed on me. It never jams. No fuser or toner t…
It's your tone.
Apparently not.
Re: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink
#380Earlier quoted context omitted.
> As many techies will probably always say anytime inkjet product shenanigans come up: just buy a laser printer It's Canon/HP/$MANUFATURER shenanigans - nothing inherent to inkjets. I think the better solution is to buy from more ethical printer companies, like Brother.
Personal story about a sister-in-law that worked for Brother for 5+ years, all her stories made it seem like a employee focused and ethical company. She got really sick really fast, Brother fired her as suddenly the "position no longe existed", cancelled her health insurance, and - speaking with their lawyers - they knew that she might very well not live to see the end of a civil case trying to reinstate her position…
I'm sorry your sister went through this, and that I unintentionally picked at your emotional scab. My PoV is that of a customer, and Brother is relatively less customer-hostile.