Rant About Printers

Science and Technology
#1

Yes, computer printers.

I like to print things. It’s much easier to process and enjoy the information and have a copy for later, than to watch a video, and I don’t have time to sit through 3 hours.
I like to read hard copies. I can’t afford to buy every single book I want though.
So I have printed maybe 10 or so various books.
Sometimes I make my own anthologies.

My Printer (Canon Pixma G6020) got an error code yesterday while trying to clean it after printing a book I don’t feel like purchasing. It has to do with their internal ink management. My printer is now unusable and it’s only been like maybe 2 years.

Therefore.

Why Canon sucks, the printer company.

They don’t let you reset the waste ink absorber/sponge counter yourself.

They can even lock the Service mode from being accessed by you. I tried all the buttons.

They don’t appear to want to service models with this sponge anymore, as it’s too difficult

In reading other’s frustrations, you have a perfectly good printer, you simply have a waste sponge that is full of all the excess ink from the cleanings/ink flushes.

You wouldn’t have to do the ink flushes in the first place if the little tubes didn’t keep getting clogged. And I print plenty.

So they have a waste-based (no pun intended) environmentally-unfriendly series of product lines that they don’t want to service anymore , They want you to toss it and then call them to get a new printer at a discount, because yours is out of warranty.

And in reading other’s comments, they don’t officially support the waste sponge replacement anymore, people had to buy third party and perform operations themselves, which is way too much.

All for a stupid little sponge.

I can only hope that this lack of support is actually a positive side on their end, that they now only produce printers which can be easily serviced instead of tossed.

PS Amazon said we purchased the printer May 15, 2020.
So it lasted 6 years not 2…
But still really shitty system.
Time just flies.

$270 with shipping and tax / 6 years = $45 a year it cost us for the machine. Ink was cheap and so was paper.
But very cloggy system
And one faulty or full part and now they dont want to deal with it?
Very irresponsible!

I have one heavy paperweight. ha ha.

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#2

I too, have a heavy obtrusive paperweight.
Everyonce in a GREAT while; it awakens, and spits out empty pages.

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#3

What brand is it? Sorry for your loss.

I have always wanted a laser printer, and I am reading that after tens of thousands of reviews and reports, the winner of Consumer Reports from like over a decade of asking people, is Brother.
And they say laser is way more reliable than ink. So I think I will be getting a Brother colour laser jet. Hmm…

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#4

laser printer is the way to go and most importantly, all update functions turned OFF in device software and windows so they can’t mess with it and introduce bugs to make it stop working.

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#5

I had to get win 11 for this new MOBO and do you mean simply Windows Update settings?
there doesnt really seem a way to turn that off now, just Pause it for a few weeks.

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#6

HP
With a little effortI could probably fix it.
But, it breaks down so often…
I just count it as a blessing in disguise…
Less outrageous-fortune-ink! - [Thank you Jello, and razor-blades.]
Plus, less wood. [paper]

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#7
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#8

I skimmed through that, but yes he is not wrong. All the reasons we know here.
Negative-Ownership / Subscriptions . Planned Obsolescence etc etc
He mentions cell phones. I had one for I think about 4 years, small ,worked ok. I hate having them but it’s necessary for my job.
One morning it just decided to stop connecting to the network. Tried everything. Took it to the store. They tried everything, the official T-Mobile store.
Android had updated so much (new versions) of the OS that it simply wasn’t supported anymore, was all their ‘best guess’
So I had to buy a new phone just to keep going. Cheapest in the store was $200. Still have it now for a year. Let’s see how long that holds up.

New laser ink cartridges for this printer from Brother I am looking at for the Official ones ‘that wont hurt or damage your printer’ are $96 for black.
Wowzers.
A full colour and black re-stock is the price of the printer, $300 something.
But at least its not a subsciption!
ROFL

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#9

You are right, windows uses IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) that can not be stopped because it is build into regular system updates. It does not update the printer software. I only turned off automatic updates on printer software. However, I didn’t set up “windows protected print mode” and turned off “Download drivers and device software over metered connection” this worked for me while using a verry old printer

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#10

I am waiting for the inkless printer since 2016, you think we’ll ever get it?

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#11

Wonder why they are available on Amazon but only as portable units.

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#12

the one you find on Amazon has a catch 21, instead of ink you have to buy speshul thermal paper and if you don’t get the fast drying kind you get smudged prints and the thermal paper is delicate, light, heat and friction degrades the prints, not a good long term solution, if you want to print books from the internet.
They are good for printing labels though.

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#13

Oh, I see, like the special paper rolls used for credit card machines that the print eventually fades away after a while.

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#14

My 2020(?) Epson WF-7720 11x17 All in One recently stopped working with a scanner error. Why must a scanner error affect printing?

My paperweight is bigger than yours. Neener.

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#15

They’re Banning Your Tools. 18 States So Far.

“18 states have introduced legislation targeting your tools — not just 3D printers, but CNC machines, laser cutters, lathes, and anything that takes a digital file and makes a physical object. New York already signed it. California is one vote away. And the bill spreading across the country was written by the same organization, funded by the same billionaire. I’ll show you the map, name the names, and tell you what actually stops this — because a petition won’t.”

#16

I managed a business for 10 years that required hard copies of all transactions. I’ve no idea how many printers, scanners snd combos were purchased and malfunctioned.

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#17

If one has the time, estate sales and garage sales are a great place to find older printers (the one’s that came before hardware/software locks that prevented using “refills”.

At least in my area of East Texas I’ve been able to hoard a half dozen of them, and often come across the same model. We have a semi-famous “Highway 80 Garage sale” that spans hundreds of miles in April and October every year. It’s been a godsend for finding older and phased-out (read: BETTER) tools and machines. You’d be surprised at the odd useful items you can sometimes find for pennies on the dollar.

Gardening tools will likely become hot items again…Worth it for those alone.

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#18

Personally, I have solved the maintenance issue for both computers and printers. I no longer possess either in my home.

#19

Well… try the little Brother black and white laser printers (which can double as copiers, scanners, and fax machines). They’re cheap, and I have two, and so far, love them. The cartridges are more expensive, but then again, they last a long time.

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#20

Yeah I am definitely going Brother and laser!

I just want to print covers and the odd photo from time to time, in colour.

Sometimes I will buy a movie on disc without art and its fun to hunt down the case art and make those cases too.

Nerdery…this is also the weird guy here that enjoys touching up/repairing/doctoring old books with markers, tape, covers, etc lol.