Looking for a printer that works

[Jason]

Looks look my printer may have given up the ghost. Seems that the paper feed rollers aren't grabbing the paper making a god-awful noise trying. Of course, I so seldom print, I don't find this out until *after* I've bought replacement inkjet cartridges! Seems so wasteful to buy something new even though it will come with a bit of ink. Does anybody have an old printer they no longer use? I don't care what kind though it'd be cool if it used to use #61 inkjet cartridges.  It'd be ideal if it was Linux compatible. Hoping for free, but willing to pay a small amount, say $20 if it works since I'll have to get cartridges for it.

If nobody has one they're trying to get rid of, any recommendations of a good model that hasn't given them trouble or has cheap ink cartridges?

[ssfc72]

If you have to get another printer, I would advise you to pick one that you can get generic replacement, ink cartridges, from the Internet.

For my old Kodak ESP 5250, all in one printer, I get my ink cartridges from this online store, at a very inexpensive price.
https://www.123ink.ca/b-2964-gg

The colour and black cartridges work well, in this printer.

Bill

[buster]

My understanding is that HP always seems to work with Linux. And as Bill has noted the cost is really the ink, not the machine itself.

I've never bought a printer. Have always been given castoffs from others, sometimes after fixing their computer. (This since say 1997. Started with an noisy, free dot-matrix.) Have an old HP that takes generic ink. I like it, mainly because it works. Works quite well in Linux too.

What about Habitat for Humanity?

[dougal]

I volunteer at ptbo restore and we recycle lots of printers, mostly 'cause we can't test them for lack of functional cartridges when they come in.wish it wasn't so.

[Jason]

Always bought HP but I can't say they have a good record for me. I haven't bought many of them, maybe three over a 20 year period but noticed that though I hardly ever use them they seem to break down regardless. Be happy to try a different brand.

Thanks for the mention of Kodak printer, Bill. I don't know if this model is available anywhere except used. But perhaps there is a newer model that uses similarly-priced cartridges.

Dougal, when you say you recycle them, do you mean they just end up in a landfill or is there a place that actually takes printers and recycles them?

[bobf]

Did you ever get a replacement printer, Jason? I have one here that purports to take the #61 cartridges, though I've no idea whether it works or how well at all. Still, if you have an already-purchased cartridge, it may give you the perfect opportunity to test it out. The front of the printer paper load tray, though, has been deformed by heat, but it may just be a cosmetic thing... *OR*!! It could be exactly the same printer you were using, and can swap it over! (How's your karma today?! <^8#)

The things folks pass on to me, sometimes...!

[Jason]

Thanks, Bob. I'd like to try it out, sometime. Maybe next MUG since you can't make this one?

And it's the HP Deskjet 3510. Actually requires both cartridges which I have. I'm going to try this week to take it apart. There might be pieces of paper stuck inside or something preventing the paper pull. But if that doesn't work, I'd appreciate yours. I can probably trade you another desktop for it - Pentium Dual Core 2.4Ghz I believe. Have to make sure I have enough parts to put it back together. lol

[dougal]

sorry I missed your question Jason about the 'recycling' at Restore...we accept all eclectronics for ewaste....as well as resale if we can demostrate their ability to function...sometimes we don't get the remote controls or cables that are specilfic to the machines, very frustrating from an enviromental and frugalality standpoint. slight aside: the tower that i named as 'old' is 10yrs young

[Jason]

Thanks, Dougal, though my question was more what happens to the printer you can't sell. Is there a company that actually takes old printers and does something with them or do they just end up in the landfill?

[dougal]

we have an e-waste recycle bin tha's picked up and the story is they salvage parts and materials in toronto area facility....reading about China deciding to get out of offshore recycle purchasing has the industry searching for what to do with all our unwanted stuff. maybe canada will start to do it internally. don't see us buying less in the near future though as a strategy

[Jason]

Interesting. It must be fairly energy intensive to recycle electronics. I imagine they probably are trying to get at the precious metals in the circuit boards, probably the only stuff on it worth keeping.

[bobf]

OK, Jason... I've checked; the printer with the (misleading) card sitting on top of it is actually a:

HP Officejet 6600 e-All-in-One Printer - H711g

and it does NOT use 61/61XL cartridges. It appears to use 4 cartridges, C/M/Y 933 cartridges, and 932 black. It appears pretty full-featured, excepting an ethernet port and duplex printing. It has wifi capabilities, and a little screen on the front of it...

I still haven't plugged it in, and have no idea of its utility. Not matching up with your cartridges, I'll leave it until I talk with you this evening to see whether you'd even like to try it...

[Jason]

Interesting that it uses 4 cartridges but you don't have any so no way to test it, right? How much would you want for it if I were to take a chance, buy the cartridges (I see they have combo packs for the colour ones, and it worked? Do you know if the previous owner (you were given it, right) knew if it worked the last time he/she used it or had any problems with it?

Not sure if I'd do that yet, just weighing my options. It looks like, from doing some searches, that it's a better quality printer than mine and might be worth taking a chance on. Seems to also have generic cartridge packages that are cheaper than what I paid for the cartridges I have now. I wonder if they're refillable, too. Ah, tis but a dream.