Looking for recommendations on a new printer.

[HAVOC]

My Lexmark X4650 finally broke. I had it about 7 years.
I'd like to replace the part that is broke. Not sure if I can find one.

If not, what's a good replacement printer? I'm looking for inkjet, color and wireless capabilities.

The picture below is what is broken.

 

[Megahertz07]

Find a ID number on the broken part. Search for it. On Amazon you will probably find it.
If there is no ID, serch for the service manual. On it should be the ID for the broken part

 

[HAVOC]

The picture above is not mine, I borrowed it from the internet. I was printing a 56 page document and when it was done I got a cartridge error.
I'm searching now for a service manual and hopefully find a part number.

 

[Digerati]

How do you know that part is broken? Do you see physical damage?

I don't think you will find a replacement part that is new. You might find a used printer you can then cannibalize the part from, but of course, it will be used too.

What is your budget for a new printer? I've been happy with my HP 7525 but it is no longer in product either.

If you do a lot of printing, I recommend investing in a higher end model. Budget printers just don't seem to hold up these days as the printer makers seem to rely on ink sales rather than printer sales.

 

[AddRAM]

Have you contacted Lexmark yet ?

In my opinion their home printers are garbage, you were lucky to get 7 years out of it, depending on usage of course.

I recommend getting an HP printer if you end up buying a new one, or Brother printers seem to be fairly decent.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I do not recommend HP due to their habit of ending support of products early, poor customer service and tech help, etc. Lexmark isn't all that great to begin with and their consumables are horribly overpriced. Brother has a good reputation, however. When my present Samsung gives up the ghost, I plan on replacing it with a Brother.

Inkjets are the pits; mostly money pits due to the cost of ink, especially if you don't use them every day or two. Laser printers, even though more expensive up front, are far more economical to use in the long run and don't get clogged heads if they are used frequently.

 

[MoxieMomma]

I do not recommend HP due to their habit of ending support of products early, poor customer service and tech help, etc.

I've had entirely different experience with HP over the years for home and home/business.
While I was not happy about their little issue with not-quite-empty ink cartridges (which has been resolved), I have found their hardware, software, ink and support to be more than fine over many years.

Their inkjet AIOs are quite robust for the cost and produce high-quality documents.
(I just recently gave away to a friend an HP AIO from 2005 (!) that still works fine and for which ink is still available. That's better than many other manufacturers...)

To each his/her own.

Just relating my experience.

Cheers,

MM

 

[HAVOC]

In reply to Intaregid, there is physical damage. There is a little plastic piece that holds the ink cartridge tight against the contacts. It broke off of both places where the ink goes.

I contacted Lexmark and they thanked me for being a Lexmark user and said there are no parts available for Lexmark inkjets. They suggested I get a laser printer. I still think inkjet is the way to go, unless someone can change my mind.

I don't do a lot of printing. I did have one larger printing job (250 pgs.) that I just took a thumb drive to Staples and had them do it.

I was looking at HP printers, mainly the Officejet Pro 8710. One more thing, the printer has to be black (so it matches the rest of my setup).

 

[HAVOC]

I've heard good things about HP printers but not their desktops. 95% of the PC's at work are HP's and they are terrible.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I still think inkjet is the way to go, unless someone can change my mind.

I don't do a lot of printing.

What would it take to convince you to go with a laser?

I don't print a lot either. I have a 9 year old Brother black and white laser that cost less than $60.

Zero defects.

I'm still using the original toner--try 9 years on inkjet cartridges.

I didn't print a lot when I had an HP color inkjet--but I was spending $30 to $60 a year on new cartridges nevertheless. My only regret is that I didn't give up on inkjets sooner.

 

[Megahertz07]

I think that the most important question are:
- How many text pages you print a week?
- Do you Print photos? How many a month?
- Do you need a combo (printer+scanner) or even (printer+scanner+fax)?

 

[MoxieMomma]

I have an Officejet 8600 Premium AIO, inkjet.
Print, copy, scan, fax.
The color of the device does not matter to me, but, yes, it (and most/all of the HP home models) is black.
I have used it under 7 and 10, with all manner of connection modes (local/USB, ethernet and wifi).
I do not use the fax much (mostly to contact politicians <LOL>), but I print nearly every day and I scan often.
I am a stickler for ink and do not use generic/aftermarket or refilled cartridges.
But the HP ink program puts deeply discounted, FRESH, genuine cartridges on your doorstep with free next-day delivery with a couple of mouse clicks.
VERY convenient.
And I have been pleased with phone warranty support the few times I've needed it.

If you search the specs by brand and model, it will help you pick the right brand and model for your needs.
Laserjets are much cheaper than they used to be, but they might be overkill for you.

HTH,

MM

 

[HAVOC]

I print maybe one text page a week. Sometimes I have bigger print jobs like the 56 pages I printed before the Lexmark broke. Some parts of the document was in color. I never print photos.

I need a printer, scanner, copier. Don't need a fax but at that point the AIO's usually have fax capabilities. Some of the printing I do has color so I do need a color printer be it inkjet or laser. SD card slots and USB ports (to print from) are not needed. I want to connect it wirelessly to my network and be able to print stuff from my iPhone if needed.

I'd also like to get around the same life out of the new printer that I did from the Lexmark.

 

[Digerati]

I've had entirely different experience with HP over the years for home and home/business.
While I was not happy about their little issue with not-quite-empty ink cartridges (which has been resolved), I have found their hardware, software, ink and support to be more than fine over many years.

I've been relatively happy with HP printers and AiOs too (can't say the same for HP PCs and notebooks but that is an entirely different division of HP).

There are pluses and minuses to both inkjet and laser printers. I might suggest you check out Consumer Reports buying guide.

 

[Layback Bear]

I just did a lot of research for a printer. Ended up with a Brother's Laser.

My reasons for this choice.

1. It was priced right. Plus they come in all price ranges and abilities. (Toots and whistles)

2. Laser Jet prints great and if one does a lot of printing, it's cheaper per page.

3. With a little maintenance the damn ink doesn't dry out if one doesn't print much like InkJets do.

4. I contacted my local computer store, who sell all brands of printers and they use Brother's Laser printers in house to print boat loads of pages without any problems.
---------------------------

Printers I have owned.

1. HP, (several) they always worked well but I was going broke buying ink.

2. Kodak, (2) they also worked well but the ink would dry up unless I printed some things every week. Ink was also costly even if it didn't dry up.

3. LexMark (1). It only took one to let me know I didn't want it. Made cheap, worked even cheaper. Sounded like a thrashing machine when it did work.

I just gave away 2 Kodak printers that ended up in the junk pile.
I also gave away a old (2007) HP that still worked great if one wanted to pay the high price for the ink.

Unless one has one of those many thousand dollar printers, printers are like Bic Pens. When they stop working throw them away. It cost more to fix than they cost to buy them; if one could find the parts.

Jack

 

[ignatzatsonic]

One thing that has helped me on laser printer maintenance is to cover them up completely with a dust cover like you'd have seen on a typewriter 40 years ago. It keeps dust, pet hair, and grime out of the mechanism. My 9 year old Brother printer looks like it did the day I bought it.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

One thing that has helped me on laser printer maintenance is to cover them up completely with a dust cover like you'd have seen on a typewriter 40 years ago. It keeps dust, pet hair, and grime out of the mechanism. My 9 year old Brother printer looks like it did the day I bought it.

I do something similar with my Samsung color laser. Since I leave it on all the time (reconnecting the Wi-Fi can be a bit temperamental at times), I just cover the top only to keep dust and small critters out of the mechanism (covering the entire printer would block cooling vents). Even with that limited coverage, it still looks almost new.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I just did a lot of research for a printer. Ended up with a Brother's Laser.

My reasons for this choice.

1. It was priced right. Plus they come in all price ranges and abilities. (Toots and whistles)

2. Laser Jet prints great and if one does a lot of printing, it's cheaper per page.

3. With a little maintenance the damn ink doesn't dry out if one doesn't print much like InkJets do.

4. I contacted my local computer store, who sell all brands of printers and they use Brother's Laser printers in house to print boat loads of pages without any problems.
---------------------------

Printers I have owned.

1. HP, (several) they always worked well but I was going broke buying ink.

2. Kodak, (2) they also worked well but the ink would dry up unless I printed some things every week. Ink was also costly even if it didn't dry up.

3. LexMark (1). It only took one to let me know I didn't want it. Made cheap, worked even cheaper. Sounded like a thrashing machine when it did work.

I just gave away 2 Kodak printers that ended up in the junk pile.
I also gave away a old (2007) HP that still worked great if one wanted to pay the high price for the ink.

Unless one has one of those many thousand dollar printers, printers are like Bic Pens. When they stop working throw them away. It cost more to fix than they cost to buy them; if one could find the parts.

Jack

Laser printers are more economical to use than inkjets, especially when you use printers infrequently.

I had one inkjet, an Epson. That stupid thing would clog if I didn't use it daily. You couldn't give me an inkjet for anything other than target practice.

I had one HP printer. It worked great and was still working great when I retired it. I retired it because HP wouldn't write drivers for it to work with Win 7 (one reason I delayed leaving XP for five years). Also, while I still could get toner cartridges for it, they were chipped and everyone I could find had expired, locking me out of the "tool box" preventing me from changing settings. That (HP also proudly refuses to write drivers for older OSs on new machines they build and has been known to increase the cost of consumables for older products) and the ineffectual support I received for an HP monitor I had, I will no longer buy HP products.

My experience with Lexmarks was at work (back in day when I still worked for a living). They were unreliable and expensive to feed.

 

[Layback Bear]

Thank you ignatzatsonic and Lady Fitzgerald.

Covering the printer when not in use.
My printer is only on when in use.
I do have a long hair cat.

I just covered mine a minute ago after reading the posts.

Jack

 

[TrustMe]

My advice is not to buy a Dell. I have a color laser printer and it's not very reliable, plus to price of the toner is outrageous.