# Do your research before buying a cheap printer anywhere **URL:** \ **Category:** Technology\ **Created:** [March 20, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482 "2023-03-20T15:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Russ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e36b37/32.png) [@Russ](https://community.clark.com/u/Russ)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/1 "2023-03-20T15:29:27Z")
For years I used to buy cheap HP printers at Costco. They are cheap because HP makes their money on ink. The ink supplied with the new printer rarely last more than a week or 2. Costco used to have an ink cartridge refill program which was $10/ink cartridge. My other problem with HP was the ink jets were clogging about once a month and I had to go through cleaning cycles. When Costco discontinued the ink refill program I got rid of the HP printer and bought from Costco a Brother ET-3760. It was a little over $300 on sale but I could not be happier. I have had it for 2 years now still running on the original ink tanks supplied and I have 2 black ink tanks in spare that came with it. I have never had to clean the jets no problems. The lack of having to deal with printer issues when I need it is worth more than the added cost of this printer. ---
**Author:** ![butler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@butler](https://community.clark.com/u/butler)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/2 "2023-03-20T16:21:20Z")
You can buy good laser printers for under $300 so I don’t know why anyone would choose an inkjet printer anymore. Its also much easier to get third-party cartridges for laser printers… ---
**Author:** ![rjratnip](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/rjratnip/32/1821_2.png) [@rjratnip](https://community.clark.com/u/rjratnip)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/3 "2023-03-20T18:45:07Z")
I did that years ago. We have both laser and inkjet printers because my wife likes to print pictures, Christmas cards, etc. The laser gets used the most. It’s a Brother and cost $100. I used to refill the toner cartridges, but that was pain. So, now I get third party ones that cost \<$25. A Brother Toner cartridge cost almost as much as a new printer. I think I’ve had this printer 15 years and just replaced the drum. I think I’ve either refilled the toner cartridge or gotten a new one about 5-6 times in that timeframe. ---
**Author:** ![geezerpk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@geezerpk](https://community.clark.com/u/geezerpk)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/5 "2023-03-20T20:27:10Z")
[https://www.amazon.com/s?k=color+laser+printers&crid=2R1VGY4FXY8US&sprefix=color+laser+printer%2Caps%2C249&ref=nb\_sb\_noss\_1](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=color+laser+printers&crid=2R1VGY4FXY8US&sprefix=color+laser+printer%2Caps%2C249&ref=nb_sb_noss_1) ---
**Author:** ![robertpri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@robertpri](https://community.clark.com/u/robertpri)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/6 "2023-03-20T21:35:38Z")
> [@rjratnip](#): > > because my wife likes to print pictures Be sure to get photo ready print paper. More expensive, but makes a huge difference. ---
**Author:** ![c200ns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@c200ns](https://community.clark.com/u/c200ns)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/7 "2023-03-20T23:53:32Z")
Might of meant you can buy a laser color for $300. ---
**Author:** ![c200ns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@c200ns](https://community.clark.com/u/c200ns)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/8 "2023-03-21T00:07:03Z")
I really couldn’t agree with you more. Nothing but problems with those cheap printers once they put that chip on the ink cartridges. If your color indicated low it wouldn’t even let you print in black and white. I bought a Brother Black Laser printer for like $65 years ago and have no problems with. I have replaced the toner myself just for kicks but like you mentioned 3rd party toner is cheap and never had a problem with it. I don’t think you can go wrong with Brother printers. ---
**Author:** ![NancyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@NancyM](https://community.clark.com/u/NancyM)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/9 "2023-03-21T00:14:57Z")
The guy at my local Cartridge World store recommended Brother printers. They are so much better than HP or Dell. ---
**Author:** ![geezerpk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@geezerpk](https://community.clark.com/u/geezerpk)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/10 "2023-03-21T01:51:35Z")
I bought a Canon Laser cheapee a 1/2 dozen years ago. It’s not a true Postscript printer so some photos, etc. don’t print exactly that great, but it’s still the running the factory supplied original cartridge. ---
**Author:** ![robertpri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@robertpri](https://community.clark.com/u/robertpri)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/11 "2023-03-21T02:31:51Z")
> [@NancyM](#): > > recommended Brother printers Yes, and third party ink carts work well. ---
**Author:** ![RasputinII](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/rasputinii/32/334_2.png) [@RasputinII](https://community.clark.com/u/RasputinII)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/12 "2023-03-21T03:02:53Z")
> [@Russ](#): > > For years I used to buy cheap HP printers at Costco. They are cheap because HP makes their money on ink I bought an [Epson ET-4800](https://www.amazon.com/Epson-EcoTank-Color-Inkjet-Printer/dp/B09PN23Y7V) for $ 273.99 and a refill cost [$ 27.99 for all four colors at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/epson-522-ink/s?k=epson+522+ink). [That will give me 4,500 black and white pages or 7,500 color pages.](https://www.amazon.com/epson-522-ink/s?k=epson+522+ink) Do the math. ---
**Author:** ![Maymey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Maymey](https://community.clark.com/u/Maymey)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/14 "2023-03-21T14:56:15Z")
Interesting. I haven’t thought about color laser printers forever. I’ve had monochrome laser printers for several decades. Color laser printers were very expensive when they first came out,. I haven’t considered them since. I’ll have to check into it. Can they print on photo paper? ---
**Author:** ![c200ns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@c200ns](https://community.clark.com/u/c200ns)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/15 "2023-03-21T15:08:48Z")
I was told the same thing by LD Products in Long Beach when I went in to return a third party inkjet cartridge for an HP Printer years ago. Iwas told Brother works the best with the 3rd party ink cartridges, so it’s been Brother ever since. ---
**Author:** ![H200h](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@H200h](https://community.clark.com/u/H200h)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/16 "2023-03-21T15:58:40Z")
The printed characters from a laser printer don’t run if you happen to get the page wet. You can buy this [Brother laser color printer for $299](https://www.staples.com/brother-hl-l3270cdw-single-function-color-laser-printer-with-nfc-wireless-and-duplex-printing/product_24342682?cid=PS:GS:CO:PLA:Brother:Printers&gclid=CjwKCAjwq-WgBhBMEiwAzKSH6NQxMXoGiRDdKMaDp5DOEndXqGYfKLmgOtH3cxUwBA61H_pPaGgE5BoCWHMQAvD_BwE) and get a [2300-page color toner 4-pac for $90](https://trueimagetech.com/search?type=product&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&options%5Bunavailable_products%5D=last&q=brother). I’ve had one for a couple of years now and find the ease of use and connectivity among the best I’ve experienced. It has 250 sheet paper capacity, auto duplexing and also does great job of printing photos & art. I’d recommend getting a printer with a rated copies-per-month duty cycle well above what you expect to use it for. It will result in better long-term reliability for you. ---
**Author:** ![butler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@butler](https://community.clark.com/u/butler)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/18 "2023-03-22T04:41:23Z")
> [@c200ns](#): > > I was told the same thing by LD Products in Long Beach when I went in to return a third party inkjet cartridge for an HP Printer years ago. > Iwas told Brother works the best with the 3rd party ink cartridges, so it’s been Brother ever since. I had an older HP Officejet 8610 that I gave to one of my kids to take to college. They actually made firmware available that you could install to remove the stupid “dynamic security” feature, which then allowed third-party ink cartridges (which I happen to buy from LD Products) ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Figure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Go\_Figure](https://community.clark.com/u/Go_Figure)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/19 "2023-03-26T02:14:22Z")
This is a timely discussion. I was printing on the hand-me down HP Laser from a co-worker the other night and suddenly it sounded like a stump grinder. Fortunately I had another hand-me down laser from a friend that I had trouble setting up - and the need made me find my error… But, it is missing the big paper tray and a pain, and I was just thinking it was time to go shopping. Sib raves about his Brother printer. ---
**Author:** ![robertpri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@robertpri](https://community.clark.com/u/robertpri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/20 "2023-03-26T02:49:12Z")
> [@Go\_Figure](#): > > Sib raves about his Brother printer. So do I. [hate this ten digit thing] ---
**Author:** ![H200h](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@H200h](https://community.clark.com/u/H200h)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/21 "2023-03-26T15:17:59Z")
> [@robertpri](#): > > So do I. [hate this ten digit thing] So do I … ---
**Author:** ![Russ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e36b37/32.png) [@Russ](https://community.clark.com/u/Russ)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/22 "2023-03-26T16:39:41Z")
I started this thread a few weeks ago and I am surprised how far the subject has strayed. I am embarrassed to also state an error I made in the posting. The printer I purchased from Costco was an Epson ET-3760 eco tank. I said it was a brother. Anyway if I had to complain about it, it would be that the use of it is not as intuitive as I would like but thats not a big deal. What is important is that it has printed flawlessly for 2 years now on the original in the box ink. ---
**Author:** ![H200h](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@H200h](https://community.clark.com/u/H200h)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482/23 "2023-03-26T19:39:06Z")
> [@Russ](#): > > I started this thread a few weeks ago and I am surprised how far the subject has strayed. Is it unlike other conversations you’ve experienced? It’s a community conversation and people like to share experiences and opinions. Starting a thread is like planting a seed. BTW: Did you gain anything from the conversation brought about by your OP? [Next page](https://community.clark.com/t/do-your-research-before-buying-a-cheap-printer-anywhere/2482.md?page=2)