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voracread@lemmy.world

I just paid $10 to print 2 black and white pages. What printer should I get to never do that again? (piefed.social)

submitted 2 days ago by Kraiden@piefed.social to c/asklinux@lemmy.world

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Title. I'm annoyed. It's 18c a page, and $9ish shipping, but still.

It's been a looooooong time since I've done anything with printers, so I don't know what my options are.

Really I only have 2 requirements

works well with Linux
ink prices are sane

any suggestions?

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[–] rekabis@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Anything old enough to not have DRM.

I have a 1999 HP 4050DTN Laserjet that is still relatively bulletproof and works with pretty much anything that takes PS6 drivers. The larger OEM toner cartridge is good for 20,000 sheets at 5% coverage. And sure, after a quarter century of use the fuser is finally starting to go, I just don’t print all that much anymore - and certainly haven’t been needing crisp output - so I haven’t gotten around to replacing it as of yet.

If you want something in near-photo-quality colour, I would recommend the Epson tank-based inkjet printers. Because they use tanks, and not cartridges, the ink can stay viable and not dry out for much longer.