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Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

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Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#41

Post by tibbon »

I still use one. It took me getting a HP color laser that did double-sided printing, with good network support - to enjoy printing. No "your yellow has run out, you can't print black" bullshit. I actually get a large number of pages per toner. The toners aren't joined.

It just works, and is reasonably fast enough for home use.

I find its really useful for organizing home things, printing off the odd invoice to mail a check in, role playing games, printing off sheet music, etc.

I don't use it daily or weekly, but when I use it I'm glad I have it. I like that my friends can connect easily on the network now without too much weird driver stuff. If they are on my wifi they can even print from their phone in general easily.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#42

Post by 300bps »

dicriseg wrote: post #27

I haven’t. I have a Brother laser printer that’s probably 10 years old now, if not closer to 15. I don’t use it frequently, but it comes in handy occasionally. My wife prints a little more than I do. Toner is cheap and lasts forever. I think I’ve been through 4-5 toner carts and 1 drum replacement. If it died, I’d get another. As infrequently as I use one, when you need it it’s nice to have.

Agreed on all points and to add for people who use inkjet style printers: stop. Switch to a low cost black and white laser printer. Unbelievably fast printing, toner never dries out like ink does, printer doesn’t have to dance for 30 seconds before it can print, toner last forever compared to ink.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#43

Post by walterbell »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #17

A few decades ago when multiple high-res monitors became affordable. (However, partner is addicted to printing important documents, so we have one.) Before that was fine to print at the print shop for a while until I learned copiers and printers are keeping internal copies of files and scans that are not deleted. Very few folks are aware of this, but the world keeps on spinning somehow. So I've been using our home pr…

> I have no way of knowing

tcpdump (or maybe a web search) can show which domain/IP is being used for printer firmware checks, then you can whitelist that target+DNS and block other traffic.

Wi-Fi, however, is a dumpster fire. There are printers with USB, ethernet and zero wireless radios.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#44

Post by robbintt »

dicriseg wrote: post #27

I haven’t. I have a Brother laser printer that’s probably 10 years old now, if not closer to 15. I don’t use it frequently, but it comes in handy occasionally. My wife prints a little more than I do. Toner is cheap and lasts forever. I think I’ve been through 4-5 toner carts and 1 drum replacement. If it died, I’d get another. As infrequently as I use one, when you need it it’s nice to have.

I also have a brother laser printer. I bought it used in 2011. Brother laser printers from that era are alright. It got used this morning.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#45

Post by mixmastamyk »

rootw0rm wrote: post #29
mixmastamyk wrote: post #17

A few decades ago when multiple high-res monitors became affordable. (However, partner is addicted to printing important documents, so we have one.) Before that was fine to print at the print shop for a while until I learned copiers and printers are keeping internal copies of files and scans that are not deleted. Very few folks are aware of this, but the world keeps on spinning somehow. So I've been using our home pr…

Just hook it up via USB?

There's one in the house, centrally located. Could be done, but would make it dependent on one computer. Our desks are small as well. :-(

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#46

Post by walterbell »

Printers (3-D teleportation! reanimation! duplication!) are sci-fi magic. Thanks to smartphone cameras, scanning and OCR are now free.

Using DRM-free ethernet-without-wifi Brother laser and Dymo label printers.

Looking into combo 3D printer / laser engraver / CNC cutter, to join the revolution in photogrammetry and Lidar cameras.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#47

Post by StewardMcOy »

I believe the last time I printed something out was in 2011. I had been keeping a printer for years just to file my state taxes. In 2011, Intuit's Free File Fillable Forms became available not just for federal taxes, but for state taxes as well.

It never sat right with me that I should have to pay a private corporation to eFile my taxes, and they've always been simple enough that I didn't need a professional to prepare them, so I stubbornly printed them out and mailed them in every year. I didn't like that FFFF was provided by Intuit, but at least I wasn't giving them money directly.

Then, for the 2020 tax year, they stopped providing the service for state taxes, but I no longer have a working printer. I had to go to a local print shop to get everything printed out. It was still cheaper than eFile software, but it was a drag.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#49

Post by 0_____0 »

robbintt wrote: post #44
dicriseg wrote: post #27

I haven’t. I have a Brother laser printer that’s probably 10 years old now, if not closer to 15. I don’t use it frequently, but it comes in handy occasionally. My wife prints a little more than I do. Toner is cheap and lasts forever. I think I’ve been through 4-5 toner carts and 1 drum replacement. If it died, I’d get another. As infrequently as I use one, when you need it it’s nice to have.

I also have a brother laser printer. I bought it used in 2011. Brother laser printers from that era are alright. It got used this morning.

3rd testimonial in support. 2016? changed toner once. In a world of devices that need constant care and feeding, this one Just Works.

Re: Ask HN: When did you stop using a printer and why?

#50

Post by cagey »

dicriseg wrote: post #27

I haven’t. I have a Brother laser printer that’s probably 10 years old now, if not closer to 15. I don’t use it frequently, but it comes in handy occasionally. My wife prints a little more than I do. Toner is cheap and lasts forever. I think I’ve been through 4-5 toner carts and 1 drum replacement. If it died, I’d get another. As infrequently as I use one, when you need it it’s nice to have.

Ditto. Our Brother laser printer gets used primarily to print package labels for e-commerce returns. Secondarily, for forms required to interact with certain bureaucratic entities (paper is either required or easier than dealing with a crap website; also sometimes it's useful to print blank forms for drafts).

Almost all of what we print is either outbound or transient (and shredded once its immediate purpose is fulfilled). 99% of what needs to be preserved long-term gets scanned (and shredded).

The above has been our operating mode for at least 10 years.

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