Buying a compatible printer

first78

I've got a laptop and need a printer. I was thinking a wireless one would be best but have no idea which one is best. I'm confused how I get a printer to talk to a laptop as I have no disc drive for putting software onto the laptop with a CD and the printers I've looked at say they come with a CD. I'm very confused and would appreciate any help!

neilmcl

If you can connect to the internet then there's no need for an installation CD as all software can be downloaded. Also, if you're running Windows 10 then it's very easy to install a printer regardless. Your main focus should be on what you want to use the printer for and how much paper you plan on printing.

Neil_Jones

first78 said:

I've got a laptop and need a printer. I was thinking a wireless one would be best but have no idea which one is best. I'm confused how I get a printer to talk to a laptop as I have no disc drive for putting software onto the laptop with a CD and the printers I've looked at say they come with a CD. I'm very confused and would appreciate any help!

You don't need the disc.  Use it as a coaster instead.  Download the drivers from the website of the manufacturer.

A wireless printer can be useful if you intend to print from mobile or a tablet or the laptop that doesn't always sit in the one place.  If you have no intention of doing any of these (and the laptop/printer stays in the same place) the wireless ability (which is pretty much standard these days) is mute.

neilmcl

Neil_Jones said:

first78 said:

I've got a laptop and need a printer. I was thinking a wireless one would be best but have no idea which one is best. I'm confused how I get a printer to talk to a laptop as I have no disc drive for putting software onto the laptop with a CD and the printers I've looked at say they come with a CD. I'm very confused and would appreciate any help!

You don't need the disc.  Use it as a coaster instead.  Download the drivers from the website of the manufacturer.

A wireless printer can be useful if you intend to print from mobile or a tablet or the laptop that doesn't always sit in the one place.  If you have no intention of doing any of these (and the laptop/printer stays in the same place) the wireless ability (which is pretty much standard these days) is mute.

Or even moot 😂

Neil_Jones

neilmcl said:

Neil_Jones said:

first78 said:

I've got a laptop and need a printer. I was thinking a wireless one would be best but have no idea which one is best. I'm confused how I get a printer to talk to a laptop as I have no disc drive for putting software onto the laptop with a CD and the printers I've looked at say they come with a CD. I'm very confused and would appreciate any help!

You don't need the disc.  Use it as a coaster instead.  Download the drivers from the website of the manufacturer.

A wireless printer can be useful if you intend to print from mobile or a tablet or the laptop that doesn't always sit in the one place.  If you have no intention of doing any of these (and the laptop/printer stays in the same place) the wireless ability (which is pretty much standard these days) is mute.

Or even moot 😂

Damn auto-collection

first78

Thanks Neil. Could you, or anyone else recommend a particular printer, or even a decent make? I am ideally looking for something under £50 as long as the cartridges won't be too extortionate to buy. Only going to be using it for printing letters and occasionally colouring pages or activity pages for the kids. 

Neil_Jones

Printer cartridges work in one of two ways:

1) You pay peanuts for the printer, you'll pay more for the ink.  HP and Canon work like this.

2) You pay more for the printer in the first place, ink is cheap.  Epson and Brother work like this.

Some manufacturers do "instant ink" or "readyprint" or similar type programmes which mean you don't have to go out to Tesco and buy more, but a lot depends on how much printing you want to do and how often as these can be relatively cheap.

Inkjet printers dry up if you don't use them regularly.  Lasers don't, but colour lasers are more expensive to buy and run, but they do far more pages to a toner than an inkjet ever will.

neilmcl

first78 said:

Thanks Neil. Could you, or anyone else recommend a particular printer, or even a decent make? I am ideally looking for something under £50 as long as the cartridges won't be too extortionate to buy. Only going to be using it for printing letters and occasionally colouring pages or activity pages for the kids. 

As mentioned above, it really comes down to cost of printing and the initial outlay. Going by what you've described I'd probably recommend going for an HP printer and use their HP instant ink service in which you pay a small monthly fee and get free ink refills and limited number of pages you can print on a monthly basis. Their printer purchases come with free trials of the service.

This one for example - https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/printers-scanners-and-ink/printers/hp-envy-6010-all-in-one-wireless-inkjet-printer-10213446-pdt.html

If you prefer to pay for ink refills normally then Canon are usually good for cheap compatible cartridges.

Also bear in mind Black Friday sales, Amazon will no doubt have some good deals on printers next week.

EssexExile

I needed a new printer in a hurry and I bought a dearer version of that HP, the 6022. It replaced an old HP that lasted 15 years. As long as you are psychic, needed for setting it up, it seems to work fine. No CD involved. I've enrolled for Instant Ink but haven't had it long enough to know how well that works.
I'm a very occasional printer usually & I've never had an HP cartridge dry up on me.

bob_a_builder

Just to note to point out that the Free  low user < 15 ppm  option on HPs Ink for Life scheme is ending 
https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/12/hp_free_printing/

rach_k

Don't forget that you can buy compatible ink cartridges from ebay.  I print quite a lot and buy dirt cheap compatible cartridges at around £1 each.  For general home use, they are perfect and you're not tied into anything or limited in any way.  I have an all-in-one type Brother, which I use for printing stuff for the kids, crafts and printing for the PTA - it's fine for all that.  I've used compatibles in Epson and HP printers too, with no issues.  

If you will be buying compatibles, see which cartridge the printer you are looking at uses and then search for that on ebay - check there are lots of sellers offering them cheaply.  I usually buy a pack of 16 cartridges (4 of each colour including black) for the best price, which means you can make sure you always have another one in a drawer in case you run out mid-project.