Coud anyone spec me a cheapish printer from Amazon, specific requirements❓

WiFi would be handy.
Subscription isn’t really relevant (I think?) as it might not print a single page for weeks/ months on end, then need to do 50 pages in a day type usage. This concerns me as my old Epson used to dry up the cartridges if not used regularly.

I recently borrowed my lads HP and didn’t like the experience, a load of apps, total bugger to get it on the WiFi etc etc but I might reconsider based upon advice.

Lastly… Really need to scan some deteriorating photos from the 70’s/80’s too so I have a digital copy before they are totally gone. Will a cheap printer still scan said pics to a “decent” quality? I’m not looking at museum grade scanning! Oh, I have lots of associated negatives too but I’d need a specialist scanner for that if course.

Any thoughts guys and thanks for the help as always. Can upgrade the budget if the reasons are compelling.

I’ve worked in IT for over 15 years, and words cannot express what I think about printers.

So I shall just express my opinion via the medium of interpretive dance.

Could you stretch to a brother mono laser?

You won’t ever have to do the hateful printer dance again.

No apps, just type the wifi password into the little LCD screen on the printer on day one.
Obviously no good for printing photos.
Ours just sits there on the wifi until it’s pressed into service without fuss.

Also available with Scanner

If only the occasional page then hp instant ink really works.  The problem with inkjets is that they need a cleaning cycle if they think they might have dried up and that uses way more ink than just printing a page.  With the instant ink you just leave yourself on the very cheapest subscription and if you need to you bump it up for a month to print your 100 pages then put it back down again. You can normally roll over unused pages each month to a buffer of 50 pages or so as well.

For scanning the hp printers are not too bad as well but I use a separate photo scanner for that as it does negatives as well but isn’t cheap

WiFi is nice as then you can print from your phone which is useful

The apps are just part of modern life, it’s ok

Pretty much any hp instant ink that scans and does double sided printing will be ok for you though I would think. I think mine cost 70 quid years ago now

What @leffeboy says, HP of some variety. The apps can be a faff but that’s the price of not needing cables and printing over the Web. Not had a single dried up cartridge on our HP since buying it during lockdown. They are also very proactive in sending new ones ahead of time and providing free envelopes to send the old ones back.

I ditched a succession of HP and Epson inkjets as they were just unreliable. Replaced with a Brother mono laser – it just works.

I got an Epson eco tank a few years ago, mainly to avoid the great ink rip-off scandal. It cost more to buy, but has cost virtually nothing to run ever since. The built in scanner is good, scans usually need size reduction in Photoshop, typical printer quality. The usp for eco tank printer is the ink, which lasts ages and is very cheap to buy.

The only downside is photo print quality is pretty rubbish, but I get A4 photo books from Bonusprint so not an issue for me. I don’t use it much but the Mrs uses it for work, and the kids use it loads for school work.

Maybe newer models are better with photo printing.

We’ve had our HP since Jan 2019, on InstantInk. It was the cheapest available in Tesco. Still works fine. Never had a blocked nozzle, never run out of ink.

£1.49 for 10 pages a month.

It just works.

I recently borrowed my lads HP and didn’t like the experience, a load of apps, total bugger to get it on the WiFi etc etc but I might reconsider based upon advice.

I inherited my girlfriend’s HP when we moved in together, I’m sure they were laughing their tits off when they named it “Envy.” It was a right prick to set up on wireless because of course it was, it’s a printer and as Matty alludes to, they’re inherently bastards. I voiced my opinion on printers over on Mumsnet years ago, where fruity language is more acceptable than on STW.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3058228-household-objects-that-are-pricks?page=13

That said. Once it was set up and working, it hasn’t missed a beat. As well documented on STW, Instant Ink is brilliant. The scanner is decent, Windows’ inbuilt Scan app just works. Print quality is, well, it’s not the corporate colour laser MFDs but it’s no worse than any other home printer I’ve come across. I’d have another.

Lastly… Really need to scan some deteriorating photos from the 70’s/80’s too so I have a digital copy before they are totally gone. Will a cheap printer still scan said pics to a “decent” quality? I’m not looking at museum grade scanning! Oh, I have lots of associated negatives too but I’d need a specialist scanner for that if course.

“Decent,” yes. If I did want proper high quality I’d take them to a photo company that does such a thing, especially if it was a one-off gig.

I have a negatives/slides scanner which I’d be willing to part with for a modest fee. I (totally not following my own advice) bought it for a one-off job and it’s sat in a cupboard ever since. The results weren’t stellar but the source material was older than me.

Another vote for a Brother Mono laser. Got one hooked up to the network via ethernet and it’s flawless. Can print from phones, laptops computers. Brilliant.

Thanks guys, I’m keeping an eye on the thread. 👍

@Cougar, I’ll have a think about the negative scanning option, they might be worth doing if the prints themselves have degraded substantially. I’m guessing negatives “age better”? Which model negative scanner is it mate?

Instant ink, is it a rolling contract I can just cancel for a few months and activate when needed?

Do they just send out new carts when the printer flags HP that the ink is low?

Cheers guys.

With getting the HP thermal printer over the £10 cheaper inkjet? Not even heard of home thermal printers!

https://amzn.eu/d/50PEund

Another happy Brother mono laser printerer here. It just works – whether it’s been 2 minutes or 2 months since you last printed, no muss no fuss, just works.

For scanning photos, have you looked at Microsoft Lens phone app? It’s free, saves to pdf/ jpeg/ other formats; and is surprisingly good.