Does anybody have anything to say about #Epson printers as a whole? I had a nice 7 year old workhorse of a Canon printer whose Obsolescence Chip gave up the ghost today. Looking into it, Epson seems to be the only home office calibre manufacturer that still lets you use the same universal ink cartridges instead of a dozen different non-interchangeable and non-refillable ones?
@sinituulia Some people in my family bought a fancy Epson inkjet with refillable ink tanks only to find out that while the ink doesn't come with DRM chips, now the waste ink sponge has DRM.
@jaseg 😂 Of course it does!
I feel like the options here are to either never print anything again - or get a decent price printer, hope it lasts for as long as possible and curse the inks to oblivion every time you have to buy them
@sinituulia I'm unironically still running a 2009 Canon iP4600 so I vibe with that sentiment. If I had to buy a new one I guess I'd try to get a 3~6 year old used model whose DRM chips have been cracked in the meantime so I can get cheap aftermarket ink cartridges.
@kkarhan The laser printer dust aggravates my lungs! They're not really good to have in a not AC ventilated living space, anyway. At least some years back standing next to one was equivalent to breathing in second hand smoke. 😐
I occasionally need to print photos, so the colour needs to be decent, also. Inkjets with good colour reproduction were much cheaper than laserjets with similar, at least 7 years ago.
@sinituulia I'd recommend to use an air filter like those used for collecting solder sumes...
Depending on your print volume it may be far cheaper to just go to a print shop to get quality prints made.
Considering the fact that Inkjet are designed to be eWaste, I'd rather recommend getting stuff printed unless you really can't for the reason of data protection...
@kkarhan I just need a printer (and scanner), not an industrial setup! 😂 I'm also not wealthy enough to get three things instead of one!
I'd really love to not get electrical waste products but also can't easily leave the house or go where there are people (watch me side-eye every mf out there not wearing a mask in a public setting, putting my life at risk) so it has to be in my house.
The way the EPA has been handling anything else for the past decade, it's a miracle they're not telling people they can eat lead.
In terms of said setup, I guess sniping some used devices on eBay or Craigslist may be an option.
I had an old OfficeJet to scan and fax + old deskjet that got cheap 3rd party ink and works just with a b&w cartridge inserted and that'll get replaced by a used laser all-in-one because even the cheap cartridges are hard to obtain and the cheap heads ain't designed with refilling in mind.
@sinituulia
Maybe a local print shop may be willing to mail you or allow you at-door pickup for prints?
Personally I'd just chug a huge air filter or ventilation fan and hose next to the laser and let it succ away all air with so much force that it'll take all the dust away, but I guess going with like an enclosure isn't an option due to space constraints?
Either way you'll be surprised what you can snipe on used sales sites for cheap.
@kkarhan No Craigslist in Finland! There's local versions but they're mostly on fb, so nope. I do have an air purifier, but due to old apartment outlets, it physically cannot be closer to the one spot I can fit a printer. 🙃
Often my brain goes "it is The Appointed Time" and I need to print 80 pages of instructions and pdf pattern for some other project, usually sewing, and it needs to happen within 5 minutes or it won't get done. I do not recommend the combo of ADHD, OCD and chronic illness!
Then I guess the only "viable option" besides checking if there are some refurb / remarketing business that would sell you one with affordable ink.
Depending on your space options, I'd still go with the "Printer in a Box" option with negative pressure inside and force all air out of it through some allergic-rated car filter...
Inkjet printers - at least all currently made and supported ones - are ewaste at best if not a scam.
Add comment