It's time to talk about printers.
15/05/23 Filed in: printers
It's time to talk about printers and why the companies that make them are right up there with the greediest, despicable, corporations that have ever existed.
I hate all printers. All printers are evil. I hate all printers. Ink jets are the worst. Here's why:
Printer companies know the industry has changed massively over the last 10 years and that people no longer print. So they are doing everything they can to squeeze as much money out of their dying product before printers are gone completely. Most of us only print a couple pages a year yet we invest hundreds of dollars to do so. It really doesn't make much sense to own a printer anymore. We used to print pictures to frame. We used to print directions for a trip. We used to print our tickets to go to the concert. We used to print our homework to turn in.
Recently I had to replace my ink cartridges and it cost me $130. Even the days of suggesting you just buy a new printer instead of ink are past. Now, printer companies sell new printers with "starter ink". In other words, the new printer will tell you to buy more ink within a few weeks of purchase.
Some ink jet printers will not allow you to replace just one cartridge, They force you to replace them all.
Some ink jet printers tell you are out of ink based on print count instead of actual amount of ink. (Printed 100 pages but still ink left? FU, buy more ink.)
Some printer companies have embedded chips directly on the cartridge which will shut off it detects that ink has been added. This now prevents refilling instead of replacing.
Some ink jet printers check that same chip and if it's not a genuine chip from their company, they'll not allow it to operate.
Printers won't let you change cartridges between printers. In 2023, we really have to design new cartridges for every single new device? And you thought phone cables and adapters were ridiculous.
Apparently ink is the most valuable resource on the planet. If I sent you to the store to buy enough ink to fill a one gallon container (3.78 liters), you'd spend around $3000. What did it cost them to make that much ink themselves? Maybe 10 cents?
It's time to stop buying ink jet printers. Laser jet ink is power-based which means it has a significantly longer shelf life and so far the industry has left them alone. Oh, they'll find ways to hold us hostage in the laser jet world as well I'm sure but for now, ink jet printers are their focus. They're cheap to make and massively profitable for them at the moment.
All printer companies are evil but some are less evil than others. I've gone through them all. I've gone through periods of many years where I would only recommend Epsons. Then I moved over to Cannons,. Over the last few years, it's been HP. But now they've fallen from grace as well, and in a very big way. So what do I recommend now?
If you have to buy a printer, get a Brother Laser. They don't always interact with the Mac as seamlessly as I'd like but those small bumps in the road are outweighed by the reliability of them.
Brother Monochrome Laser: Good
Brother Color Laser: Better
Brother Color Laser: Best
I hate all printers. All printers are evil. I hate all printers. Ink jets are the worst. Here's why:
Printer companies know the industry has changed massively over the last 10 years and that people no longer print. So they are doing everything they can to squeeze as much money out of their dying product before printers are gone completely. Most of us only print a couple pages a year yet we invest hundreds of dollars to do so. It really doesn't make much sense to own a printer anymore. We used to print pictures to frame. We used to print directions for a trip. We used to print our tickets to go to the concert. We used to print our homework to turn in.
Recently I had to replace my ink cartridges and it cost me $130. Even the days of suggesting you just buy a new printer instead of ink are past. Now, printer companies sell new printers with "starter ink". In other words, the new printer will tell you to buy more ink within a few weeks of purchase.
Some ink jet printers will not allow you to replace just one cartridge, They force you to replace them all.
Some ink jet printers tell you are out of ink based on print count instead of actual amount of ink. (Printed 100 pages but still ink left? FU, buy more ink.)
Some printer companies have embedded chips directly on the cartridge which will shut off it detects that ink has been added. This now prevents refilling instead of replacing.
Some ink jet printers check that same chip and if it's not a genuine chip from their company, they'll not allow it to operate.
Printers won't let you change cartridges between printers. In 2023, we really have to design new cartridges for every single new device? And you thought phone cables and adapters were ridiculous.
Apparently ink is the most valuable resource on the planet. If I sent you to the store to buy enough ink to fill a one gallon container (3.78 liters), you'd spend around $3000. What did it cost them to make that much ink themselves? Maybe 10 cents?
It's time to stop buying ink jet printers. Laser jet ink is power-based which means it has a significantly longer shelf life and so far the industry has left them alone. Oh, they'll find ways to hold us hostage in the laser jet world as well I'm sure but for now, ink jet printers are their focus. They're cheap to make and massively profitable for them at the moment.
All printer companies are evil but some are less evil than others. I've gone through them all. I've gone through periods of many years where I would only recommend Epsons. Then I moved over to Cannons,. Over the last few years, it's been HP. But now they've fallen from grace as well, and in a very big way. So what do I recommend now?
If you have to buy a printer, get a Brother Laser. They don't always interact with the Mac as seamlessly as I'd like but those small bumps in the road are outweighed by the reliability of them.
Brother Monochrome Laser: Good
Brother Color Laser: Better
Brother Color Laser: Best
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