271–276 of 276 posts
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B&W Brother lasers are the "least-bad" if you don't need color.
> B&W Brother lasers are the "least-bad" if you don't need color. Over a decade in on my B&W Brother HL-something-or-other-im-away-from-the-desk. No shenanigans, just good printing.
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"Mono-component" toner is toner that is magnetic in its own rite, so it doesn't need separate developer (iron powder) to make it magnetic. I believe the original mono-component toners had magnetite in them, but I believe now there's non-magnetic mono-component toner too.
Xerography is electrostatic, not magnetic. Magnetic printers, with magnetic toner, have been built [1] but never really caught on. It was one of those dead ends from the early years of trying to build a faster printer. Somehow I managed to encounter, early in my career, the first CRT phototypesetter prototype (Harris-Intertype), the first electrostatic liquid printer prototype (Clevite-Brush), the Data Interface Magn…
In classic xerography, yes, the toner is moved around electrostatically. But it also needs to have magnetic properties (either intrinsically or by means of developer) to form a magnetic “brush” which is presented to the drum. Think of iron filings mixed with toner on a piece of paper and a magnet on the other side. The right static charge will be able to pull the toner out while leaving the iron filings behind.
Somewhat related, I recently bought a Brita water filter jug which has a little led on the lid which glows red when the disposable filter cartridge has “expired” and needs replacing. Before I even started to use the thing I knew what to expect. Sure enough it starts to glow red after a ridiculously short period of time of using a brand new filter cartridge. I’ve been ignoring it for a few weeks now and checking for a…
Save a cup from the end of the first filter and taste test against the first cup from the new filter?
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Just make sure you never do a firmware upgrade unless it's absolutely required, and, if possible, disable DNS lookups for FW upgrade with something like pihole. E.g., for Epson, that is epsonpfu.ebz.epson.net
My first and last Epson (inkjet) ended its life on my balcony after I took to it with a cricket bat, Office Space style. Never again. Leaks, overpriced cartridges, crappy software. Had a Brother laser since then (HL-3170CDW) no complaints, just works, toner lasts forever.
But I second Brother lasers - I have two for over 10 years, and they soldier on like on day 1.
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What is the appeal of these compared to just getting a 10 inch under the counter filter set? I have a double filter set, with two different multistage filters. The water is extremely well filtered and it's relatively cheap to change the filters a couple times a year as per manufacturer recommendations. It took me 35 minutes to install, but it's been running fine for years.
You make a good point. I'd imagine the large upfront cost + the effort required to install.
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I actually want a printer, but know this and have put off buying one for about a year now because I can’t be bothered to spend hours working which is the least shitty.
B&W Brother lasers are the "least-bad" if you don't need color.