Like the OP I'm in the market for a replacement for an HP Envy 4500. A set of inks costs about the same as the printer did!
Some of the more expensive inkjets will last without blockages but they manage this by running regular cleaning cycles wasting your precious ink.
It’s the Gillette business model. Charge very little for the hardware, and milk it on the consumables.Just the cleaning process on the Envy 4500 used huge blocks of ink; unnecessarily i.m.o. How on Earth can the constituents of printer ink or the cassettes cost so much and have such an enormous inflation element. Conspiracy theories abound, esp. the 'con' in conspiracy !
The printer is a loss leader, the ink is where all the profit lies.Just the cleaning process on the Envy 4500 used huge blocks of ink; unnecessarily i.m.o. How on Earth can the constituents of printer ink or the cassettes can cost so much and have such an enormous inflation element. Conspiracy theories abound, esp. the 'con' in conspiracy !
Sticking a piece of tape over the print head when not in use helps greatly against that.All inkjets gum up if not used frequently
Sticking a piece of tape over the print head when not in use helps greatly against that.
Yes, sticky. I've used electrical tape. New ink cartridges come with a protective plastic film over the head, so I figured replacing this would keep it fresh, and it worked. I guess it prevents the ink drying and clogging the nozzles.Interesting; can you elaborate on that? To me, sticky (?) tape seems counter productive, but is this to safeguard against dust or does it simply prevent ink congealing at the jets?
It’s the Gillette business model. Charge very little for the hardware, and milk it on the consumables.
Masking tape often leaves a nasty residue if left for a long time. I imagine clingfilm would work.Used to use cling film to keep pulled carts/heads fresh on inkjets before lasers became the norm, but not used tape cos you’d expect the gluey stuff to knacker things - masking tape decorators use might do the job.
Get a Second hand mono laser with plenty of life left in the cartridge for £50.
What’s not to like!
Can you tell if the cartridge has life left and how much?
Nearly all laser printers have a login like a Router, it shows the amount of Toner and Drum life left, number of pages printer etc. The no networked USB only ones you can print a report as @cctaylor says, others have some software monitoring you can install on your computer.Sounds good. Can you tell if the cartridge has life left and how much?
I think we lose track of what a miracle home printers are. I have the same as Mike and not being organised I run out of the very expensive ink at the most inconvenient times so a laser for £50 is tempting…
Sounds good. Can you tell if the cartridge has life left and how much?
I think we lose track of what a miracle home printers are. I have the same as Mike and not being organised I run out of the very expensive ink at the most inconvenient times so a laser for £50 is tempting…
Blame Covid, a £40 mono laser in 2019 is now £100Another vote for a mono laser. They really are the best choice for occasional use and print better too.
That said, prices for entry level models do seem to have shot up since I last looked.