Worth trying new ink in 8yo HP Deskjet or just by new one?

beckstar1975

We have an 8yo HP Deskjet that hasn't been used for at least a year so has completely dried out. The ink cartridges are dry/empty too. I tried soaking the heads briefly in shallow warm water to get them going again but to no avail. It's £20 for (non HP) replacements inks or £40 for a new HP (with the inks then about £25).

Whilst no one else uses the printer other than for odd returns labels I've been told today I need to take 20+ photos of my entire body and print them out every 3 months to try and track my moles so I will be using a LOT more ink than normal (have had melanoma in the past).

Any suggestions as to the most money-saving way to do this, and bonus points if it's not a big scanner/photocopier one - just a printer is fine!

Thank you

flaneurs_lobster

Just a thought, 6"x4" prints are 18p ea at Boots.

beckstar1975

Sadly consultant wants each one on A4 - should have mentioned that, else I'd have done that. Also they might get sniffy about body parts . . .

debitcardmayhem

Can't the consultant accept the jpg images.

or fairly cheap to run HP Smart tank w10 c£160 / Eoson eco tank 1810 c£140

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82147399#Comment_82147399

Odd, I'd have thought that sending hi-res jpegs for your consultant to view on a super big 8k monitor would have been more optimal but I'm not a doctor….

beckstar1975

I asked to be discharged from the service so I'm supposed to check for changes myself and he said it's better that I print them out to be easily able to compare rather than looking on a screen. Then refer myself back when I have proof of changes I show my GP. Though for work I use at least 2 if not 3 high res screens ever day!

Shelving that for now, for normal day to day printing would it be better trying the £20 ink or likely a lost cause and try again? I work for a massive uni with a medical school so I'm sure I can ask around for a way to keep and compare the images digitally, I was so surprised they agreed to discharge me I didn't apply critical thought!

Thanks

Slinky

Will a new printer be compatible with your existing tech? My computer is so old that a new printer would be very unlikely to work with it.

beckstar1975

thankfully have new work laptop, kids laptops less than 5 years old and all on Apple phones (all bought second hand from cex) so that shouldn’t be an issue

Ms_Chocaholic

Who's told you to take photographs of your body to check for moles. My friend had a melanoma a few years ago and when she was worried about another mole she went to a (different) hospital and they took full body photos which they can compare to if she goes back again in the future. This was the NHS.

Draqo

Changing the ink cartridges, if they're the type with the head built into the cartridge is the correct way to do this, and, I'd go down the no-name ones rather than HP originals.

However, I'd be more tempted to get a small carpenter square thing, and then take pictures of the moles with that and keep them on your phone, printing them out on an old ink jet printer somethings bound to get missed, where a decent phone camera will be significantly better and you'll be able to see sizes with a proper point of measure.

beckstar1975

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82147890#Comment_82147890

Head of Dermatology at our large London hospital. My melanoma was 3 years ago and BCC was 2 years so, but I have a condition where I have well over 100 moles and the 9 other ones I’ve had removed have all been various stages of changing . I can’t keep going back all the time so this is the compromise as currently under investigation for 2 other types of cancer, so have decided to discharge myself from this with these provisos.

Thanks @Draqo , will try new ink first and keep packaging to resell if no joy