HP wants you to print things through its cloud service, wherein you pay a subscription fee for ink and your usage is routed through its servers. To encourage you to do this, it covers the USB port …

  • Gogo Sempai
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    462 years ago

    Never buying HP printers again, not after I got a Brother one last year. It works OOTB even with linux and there’s no such lockdown bullshit.

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      You would never know it from the brand name, but Brother is a Japanese company, and the Japanese are known for making elegant, well made, and easy to use stuff. Konica Minolta is also Japanese and makes pretty good stuff, but for a basic printer I prefer Brother. And don’t bother with inkjet, get a Brother all in one laser printer, and you’ll have a very reliable machine that isn’t expensive to operate. The ink won’t dry up if you don’t use it, and the drivers aren’t constantly trying to sell you anything.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        HP small business printers are almost as bad as their home printers.

        Around 2006, I started at a company it had a couple of small business MFPs. I spent more time fixing the printers then they spent printing on them. I ended up talking them into a couple of Enterprise class MFPs They were fantastic but we spent several grand on printers. It’s kind of a shame we don’t print so much, but we scan to email and fax a lot and it was worth it to have something that just works all the time.

        I kind of regret not going with brother at this point though we probably could have gotten away much cheaper.

      • Gogo Sempai
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        22 years ago

        Damn 20 years?! That’s a commendable vouch for Brother.

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        My brother hl-2070n from like, 2006-2007 is still going strong. Drivers aren’t in macOS anymore, but the generic one works fine. I think I’ve only replaced the toner once, maybe twice since i got it. They are excellent printers, fuck hp.

    • @[email protected]
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      482 years ago

      The market for people who NEED printers is shrinking. Last concert I went to I had the QR code ticket in my phone, I havent printed map directions in at least 15 years and I literally cannot remember the last item I needed to print at home.

      But they also cant say “Oh well, we had a good 30 year run with home printers” they have to keep making more than last year, so they have to get increasingly predatory.

      • @[email protected]
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        132 years ago

        I just don’t understand why people fall for it. Who is subscribing to this nonsense? I would never purchase or use something like that when there are still other options available. It should have been a dead idea from day 1.

        • @[email protected]
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          92 years ago

          Because most people aren’t technical enough to understand there are alternatives, particularly if those alternatives involve removing a scary label telling you not to.

        • @[email protected]
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          72 years ago

          My parents who are in their 80s only use their printer for printing out the daily crossword puzzle. I made the mistake of getting them to give up their newspaper delivery and just read the paper online, not realizing it would force me to maintain a printer for them. But at least I was able to get them a cheap Brother inkjet where I can refill the cartridges with a syringe.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 years ago

              If they print every day it’s fine. Inkjets really suck if you don’t print for a while. Then the nozzles dry out and clog and then you have a mess on your hand. As long as it’s not HP you are good.

              • @[email protected]
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                22 years ago

                I got a color brother laser and am loving it. No regrets and it was affordable. When the drum, etc. reaches end of life i will have to decide if it’s worth repairing or just getting another printer. Also changing 4 toners is expensive but probably less than the ink carts since you don’t do it very often. Also never have to worry about the ink drying out, cleaning printer heads, etc.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        I haven’t had a printer since early 2020 when I was last in the office. Sometimes I definitely miss it. But not enough to buy one.

        Since then, the only thing I’ve needed to print was a visa which said I must carry a printed copy, but at the border it was digitally attached to my passport, so turns out I didn’t need it at all.

    • @[email protected]
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      272 years ago

      We let game publishers and adobe get away with charging infinite money for faux services so now everyone else wants to do the same.

  • @[email protected]
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    902 years ago

    Like 15 years ago I bought the cheapest Brother laser printer. It’s still going strong. The ink never dries out or fucks up. I’ve never felt like the company was trying to rape my asshole. Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know. I’ve boycotted HP decades ago and to this day I continue to see reasons to never change that decision.

    • Irlut
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      32 years ago

      Ink and dye printers still rule the photo print space. Laser printers simply don’t have sufficient image quality.

      Other than that I completely agree that laser printing is the way to go.

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        This is true but you can always order photos online from Shutterfly, etc. or go to local drug store

        • Irlut
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          22 years ago

          Sure, but that’s also less fun than doing it yourself!

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        I went with a laser and small dye sub printer. If you only need occasional 6x4 photos it’s probably the best option.

    • Lemmington Bunnie
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      2 years ago

      We got a Brother laser as well. Only print a few times a year, and the toner is always good to go when it does get switched on. Love my Brother!

    • @[email protected]
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      72 years ago

      Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know.

      Space. At least for me, space is the reason. I’m flatting at the moment and can only keep the printer in my room, and it’s already quite cramped with all my gear here. If I could get a compact color laser MFD within the same dimensions as my current Brother inkjet, I’d switch in a heartbeart. Most of the compact laser printers I’ve seen are either monochrome, or don’t include form-feed scanning, or have some or the other shortcomings.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        My Canon ink jet has done well for years on cheap third party ink. It does color and even decent photo, and created many excellent school presentations for my kids. However it’s likely my last printer.

        I don’t even know the last time I printed something, it’s always been for the kids’ schools and now they’re old enough to have no more of those

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        Initial cost as well. If you only print very small amount, you’re not going to spend couple hundred bucks on the laser printer and then 100 or so bucks on a cartridge for it if you’re not going to print often

        • Dark Arc
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          52 years ago

          The thing is since inkjet printers dry out you spend way more on cartridges over time. Sure toner is more expensive, but you but it way less frequently.

          • @[email protected]
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            32 years ago

            Yep just replaced the black toner on my 10+ year old brother. $16 dollar for an off brand.

          • @[email protected]
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            12 years ago

            Yes, but they usually last a few years before they completely dry out to where you can’t use them. I’ve been using the same ink cartridges in my printer for going on 3 years now and it still works

            • Dark Arc
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              12 years ago

              True, but they require a lot of test prints until you get back to an acceptable print quality in my experience

              • @[email protected]
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                12 years ago

                Think I’ve bought 4 cartridges since getting mine six years ago, so about £120. £20 a year isn’t bad… We don’t print much, but getting a laser mono is 5x the cost of our printer for the cheapest brother…

                • Dark Arc
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                  2 years ago

                  The cheapest brother is $120 (USD) https://www.brother-usa.com/products/HLL2300D

                  If you want color, sure that’s more ($250). Still not a long shot from what you paid for your HP, plus that ink (and I’d wager you’d still be going without a single follow up purchase of toner).

                  For context (per their own product claims):

                  • Brother Genuine TN227 High-yield replacement toner delivers rich, vivid professional laser print quality you can rely on for up to 3,000 pages (black) and up to 2,300 pages (color) (2)
                  • Additional replacement toner option available for this model: TN223 Standard-yield (1,400 pages black/1,300 pages color) (2)
    • @[email protected]
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      12 years ago

      5 years ago with a reasonably priced Samsung colour laser scanner combi. No complaints. When I turn it on, it just prints.

  • @[email protected]
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    42 years ago

    I’ve been really happy with my samsung laser printer - bought it 10+ years ago, works flawlessly to this day

  • @[email protected]
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    472 years ago

    A gentle reminder to those coming in to complain about their prior printers: In some areas, libraries have a computer area where you can print out a reasonable number of pages. It’s not totally convenient, but generally a far better option than maintaining your own cartridge-muncher.

    • @[email protected]
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      22 years ago

      I don’t have a printer at home, and I’ve been just fine. Nowadays you don’t even need to print tickets, so who cares about a printer any more. You get them in your email, and all you need to do is show the QR code off your phone when you show up at the event, enter the theater, board the plane or whatever.

      • @[email protected]
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        32 years ago

        I have less experience with shows (never had an issue but also don’t go to a lot) but in terms of flights: it is still very worth having a printed ticket. Because maybe one in ten times the scanners will have an issue due to shitty outdated scanners coupled with gunk on phone screens.

        But also? Don’t print your plane tickets at home. Just spend 2 minutes with the kiosk while you take off your belt and whatever else you have to do and print out the slip of paper before you go to screening.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          Oh, I totally forgot about the kiosk. It prints you those barcode stickers, boarding passes and whatnot.

      • @[email protected]
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        32 years ago

        I’m the same way, which then puts me in a tizzy when I actually do need a printer: For instance, needing to print a notice to other apartment residents near me (eg, “Do not move this item, it is a trap for rodents!”), or needing to print shipping labels to send in an item for return/repair.

  • @[email protected]
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    1122 years ago

    EU needs to get their shit together and clamp down on this, absolute abomination of a company

    • Echo Dot
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      72 years ago

      I’m sure they’ll get to it. Trouble is there’s so many bullshit moves that companies engage in and it takes time to ban all of them.

      I think the EU should ban apple devices. They claim to be pro privacy but what they really are is pro not giving everyone else your data but keeping it themselves, that’s not privacy, that’s false advertising.

      • @[email protected]
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        222 years ago

        That bothers me less though.

        Apple “Ok yeah we’re gonna keep your data and mine it. But just us” is a whole lot better than “Lol, your shits for sale” which is Google.

        • Echo Dot
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          2 years ago

          How is it better? It’s still data mining.

          People love to love apple but they’re just a company they don’t care about you.

          I don’t understand why they get special privileges, I don’t understand why people vehemently argue in their favor of them when they’re clearly just as bad as Google. They’re just better at making you think otherwise.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            I use a Samsung because I dont give a fuck about my data personally. Its better because I expect companies that have me as a paying customer to use my data internally, its the onselling to literally anyone with enough money that bothers me.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 years ago

            Because Apple’s core business is selling their stuff to you. Google’s core business is selling you to other companies.

            Google’s consumer software and products literally serve no other business purpose than surveillance to figure out how to turn you into a more lucrative advertising target.

            Apple has realized they can capitalize on this by making privacy a core selling feature for their stuff — one that Google cannot challenge them on as privacy is directly at odds with the core premise of their entire business.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 years ago

    I have a question about that. It’s a US thing, isn’t it?

    I had to install one for a relative and I never needed an app or software or connecting the printer to internet. I simply ran the windows tool and it installed the drivers while the printers couldn’t access the internet. Everything works perfectly. But, I’m in Europe.

    • Frodo
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      12 years ago

      That works for most printers I’ve used in the US too.

  • ArugulaZ
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    332 years ago

    DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! Removing this sticker will reveal a consumer-friendly communications port that will deprive HP of even more money than it’s already milking you for with overpriced ink!

  • @[email protected]
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    512 years ago

    Kinda baffling that anyone’s still buying HP - isn’t it common knowledge that they’re one of the worst printer brands?

    • @[email protected]
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      62 years ago

      HP has decent enterprise models. So office drones will have a positive image of HP. Also old people who have been out of touch with the market for 20 years or so.

    • Nate
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      132 years ago

      Used to sell printers. It’s the old people 100%

  • ArugulaZ
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    162 years ago

    Wow, HP. Way to make even Lexmark look like a paragon of corporate virtue in the home printer market.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 years ago

    People will still buy it when they suffer economically or techonological ignorance. If there was another system where people could vote on a business death penalty… HP and other printer IP holders have already earned my vote.

    • @[email protected]
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      182 years ago

      Nothing like having to pull out the official ink to clear a paper jam and be told afterwards that the ink you just took out is not the same official ink or gasp reused so the printer punishes you by using more ink so you buy the official ink next time that you already bought.

      Fuck HP.

  • @[email protected]
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    72 years ago

    Yet another reason I’m glad I got my Canon Pixima 5000 series a while back. Individual cheap replacement ink carts with no electronics in them. I can (and have) buy 5 sets of carts for $20 that last me years.

    If it wasn’t for photos, I’d have picked up a cheap laser printer.

    • mechoman444
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      22 years ago

      Remember it’s not cloud storage it’s just somebody else’s computer.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 years ago

    Country make atomic bomb.

    USA invade the country.

    “Hide the atomic bomb button with a sticker”

    See ? We don’t have an atomic bomb.

    USA : it seems like it but you got oil tho.

    Shit , we forgot to print the “not an oil pump” stickers. We’re fucked !