Printer compatibility

I ran across a thread on a non-techy forum about printers. Generally people unhappy with being ripped off buying inkjet cartridges that are expensive, drying up from under usage, etc. Prices of new printers being only a little more than the cost of a set of cartridges it seems that a lot of usable printers are heading for landfill. A few people mention that if they buy a new one they will also have to buy a new laptop into the bargain because new models won't work with W7. Is this true?
I'm still running W7 on two desktops and the wife's laptop using a Brother DCP-7055W laser printer that was released ten years ago. The latest spec. shows it will work with everything from Windows 2000 to W11. After years of disatsfaction with HP, Canon, and Epson I am recommending Brother. Big and clunky maybe but they seem to be reliable and not too fussy about what OS you try to feed them with.
From reading here it seems printers always seem to be a probem area.

Aardvarkly said:

I ran across a thread on a non-techy forum about printers. [...] A few people mention that if they buy a new [printer] they will also have to buy a new laptop into the bargain because new models won't work with W7.

Wow, people jumping to conclusions! How surprising.

Even in tech forums (even this one), it's not uncommon to see people take their experience with a single encounter of something and extrapolate that to a broad generalization for everything similar -- hardware, software, OSes, et al. So that kind of fallacious reasoning is especially unsurprising in non-techie forums.

I just did a spot-check of a few currently available Epson ink-jets on sale at Office Depot/Max, and many have Win7 drivers available from the Epson website. I didn't check other brands, but do your homework and I expect you'll find some models here and there that still have Win7 drivers.

You didn't mention whether you're mainly focused on ink-jets or lasers, but with ink-jets I don't know how you'd work around the increasing propensity of manufacturers to put copy-protecting chips in their cartridges. If somebody finds a loophole, it's like playing whack-a-mole with the manufacturers while they close the loopholes.

OTOH, It's not something I personally worry much about because I always use genuine cartridges in my Epson printers anyway, after noticing quality differences in the printouts with third-party cartridges. YMMV, of course.

As for laser printers, I also recommend Brother.

I generally won't argue with someone else's brand preferences, except for HP. Stay away from HP!

HP has started going to an online-only requirement in several models, whereby the user is required to connect the printer to the internet, is required to create an online HP account, and drivers are not downloadable and can only be installed over the internet. It wouldn't surprise me to someday find HP remotely disabling printers if the owner hasn't re-upped some subscription or other.

I have been using HP printers for maybe 25 years. I agree you do have to do your homework when buying a new printer to make it has a driver for whatever operating system you are using.

I currently have an HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 printer. I tried 3rd party ink cartridges but was unsatisfied with them. Since I don't print anywhere as much as I used to then HP ink cartridges although expensive are worth the cost.

Currently HP is trying to get me to download a firmware upgrade. I have heard that this upgrade forces you to use HP ink cartridges. Even though I currently use HP ink cartridges I still want the freedom to choose.

My biggest complaint with the HP support site is they try to get you to download the HP Smart app. When you use it, it tries hard to get you to buy an ink subscription. Instead I use the HP All-in-One Print and Scan Driver and Accessories. It has everything I need and best yet doesn't bother me with attempts to sell me an ink subscription.

I've owned several printers spanning decades starting with the original HP Deskjet. The best inkjet printer I've ever owned. The ink tank and print head were one unit. This means that practically any print problems could be solved by replacing the ink cartridge.

Today ink tank and print head are separate units. That means run the printer through 'clean print head' cycle several times, often resulting in replacing cartridges an equal number of times in the process.

IMO inkjets are straight garbage and wouldn't recommend anything but laser. I have an HP laser from 2014, works with Windows 7 and up. No HP account required or online setup. Static IP and default gateway 0.0.0.0. Been a workhorse and use HP cartridges. Reliable - something I could NEVER say about any inkjets I've owned (Canon, HP, Epson). I've heard good things about Brother lasers from users in other forums so when my trusty HP laser gives up the ghost I will replace it with a Brother.

YmodemYNot said:

No HP account required or online setup. Static IP and default gateway 0.0.0.0. Been a workhorse and use HP cartridges.

Who says you have to have an HP account and do an online setup? I have never had to do that.

MisterEd said:

Who says you have to have an HP account and do an online setup? I have never had to do that.

Not in the past, no. But that's changing. I've had personal experience with this shift, and in other forums other people have mentioned they're also starting to see this, particularly with the lower-priced printers HP is currently producing.

In my case, our local neighborhood association thought they could save on printing costs for the neighborhood newsletter by buying a cheap laser printer and simply using it as a stand-alone copier. So they bought a HP MFP m234, but couldn't get it to get past the "Setup" screen. It turned out there is no user-downloadable driver. One has to use the HP Smart app or Easy Start setup, which will find and download the driver from the internet for you — but only if you first create a mandatory user account at hp.com and then connect the printer directly to the internet. Our organization didn't want it connected to the internet or even connected to a computer. They just wanted a copier. But they couldn’t even do that because it was stuck in step-by-step Setup mode until the mandatory “installation” steps were completed.

They subsequently came to me for help, and I created a fake HP account and completed “installation” in a Win10 virtual machine, after which we were able to disconnect from the internet and use it as a stand-alone copier. It still complains about not being able to find the internet, but at least it now functions as a copier.

According to HP, an HP account is required only if you use the Easy Start Setup package.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers...604?sku=9YF91A

(I did a search for HP MFP m234 and that was the result).

If you select 'Installation Software and Full/Basic Driver-Supports print and scan functionality only (2)' you will get the option for offline install.

Brother is a good printer manufacturer and I do recommend them. And you DO want a laser printer. Inkjet is marvelous bullshit.

Go to YouStupid (YouTube) and look up Louis Rossmann. Better yet, side load the GrayJay App...

If a printer driver doesn't work due to incompatibility, do what I do. Use the network printing feature if supported. Installing the Printer Driver to Print Using the IPP Port | User Guide | IM 350, IM 430


I use Microsoft's IPP driver in Win 10.