Keeping printer ink cartridges good

[DC_MC]

We are full time and are still in the Yuma area. I just bought new ink cartridges to do my taxes at the end of February. Today I tried to print and the black cartridge is barely printing. It’s not that hot in here cause we do run the air. How can I keep ink so I don’t have to buy a new one every time I try to print something. Anyway to rejuvenate this one?

[K_and_I]

This is resurrecting an old post, but for those of you using laser, what printer do you have? Does bouncing during travel have any negative effect?

[fj12ryder]

DiskDoctr wrote:
For lasers, keep in mind the power surge and draw 😉

Very good point for someone who plans on using them while boondocking or hooked up to questionable power sources. They do draw a lot of power when starting.

[DiskDoctr]

For lasers, keep in mind the power surge and draw 😉

[time2roll]

jcpainter wrote:
For those of you that are using B&W laser printers, a couple of questions.

• Do they scan and copy like the all-in-one ink-jet printers?
• If you are printing a document that contains color in it, will the B&W laser print the portion that is in color as B&W, or does it just not print that part?

Yes my Dell color laser scans, copies, prints in both color or B/W.
Yes a color image gets fully printed in a grayscale if B/W is selected.

Toner is still expensive but lasts seemingly forever. I pay the extra to get new from Dell but refills are available. Refills did not indicate the remaining toner so I stopped using them.

Mine has black and three separate color cartridges so you only replace what is needed. I go a couple years on some cartridges and they print fine.

I believe the model is Dell 1355 and it is old but working fine for a decade or more now.

[fj12ryder]

jcpainter wrote:

Almot wrote:
There is another very good reason NOT to use inkjet. In RV you don't usually have a designated office. Put an inkjet printed page on a wet counter or dinner table and see what happens. OTH, laser print dries out with no consequences.

I understand occasional need in color (at home) to print photos of grandchildren etc, but not in RV.

There are LOTS of other needs for printing color besides pictures.

I'll have to take your word that you need color, but we've never needed anything but black/gray for 7-8 years. Peggy prints out some photos using a small photo printer, but that's it for color. They could give me a color inkjet printer and I'd dump it first chance I got.

[jcpainter]

Almot wrote:
There is another very good reason NOT to use inkjet. In RV you don't usually have a designated office. Put an inkjet printed page on a wet counter or dinner table and see what happens. OTH, laser print dries out with no consequences.

I understand occasional need in color (at home) to print photos of grandchildren etc, but not in RV.

There are LOTS of other needs for printing color besides pictures.

[DC_MC]

Some of us live in our RV

[Almot]

There is another very good reason NOT to use inkjet. In RV you don't usually have a designated office. Put an inkjet printed page on a wet counter or dinner table and see what happens. OTH, laser print dries out with no consequences.

I understand occasional need in color (at home) to print photos of grandchildren etc, but not in RV.

[2oldman]

Gdetrailer wrote:
You could save the scammers a lot of time and money and just post your personal info out in the open..

Done.

[TurnThePage]

If you buy a model with scanning/faxing/copying features, it will behave much like the inkjet variety. A black and white laser printer would print the color portion in greyscale, just like a typical black and white photo.

I bought a Dell wireless color laser (with scan/copy/fax) years ago for about $200. It sometimes goes nearly a year with no use, and never hiccups. Generic toner refills are available for about $10 each and last a long time.

[jcpainter]

For those of you that are using B&W laser printers, a couple of questions.

• Do they scan and copy like the all-in-one ink-jet printers?
• If you are printing a document that contains color in it, will the B&W laser print the portion that is in color as B&W, or does it just not print that part?

[TBammer]

There are some informative youtube videos on this subject. I had the same problem and followed a tutorial. It had me get an ammonia based cleaner on a rag slid under the print head and letting it soak for awhile. I had mixed results and will probable buy a laser printer.

[bighatnohorse]

You might try keeping a humidifier in the room. At 6% humidity, everything dries out.

[valhalla360]

Gdetrailer wrote:

2oldman wrote:
Do your taxes online.

Even doing taxes online you SHOULD STILL PRINT OUT A HARD COPY and retain that documentation for 7 yrs.

IRS or State would have a field day if you are not able to reproduce your documents in the even of an audit..

Online stuff HAS a "habit" of "disappearing" into thin air.

I lose paper far more often than I lose electronic files. If you are worried about your harddrive failing, Pick up a $50 external and put a copy of everything on it. About once a month, I copy the entire harddrive over. Start it before going to bed and it will be done in the morning.

To the OP: If you really need something printed once every 3-6months, put a copy on a thumb drive and take it to the local print place. It will be cheaper, more reliable and you get space back in your RV.

[fj12ryder]

That ink isn't free. What do you think you're paying the monthly fee for? They even say so: "Your monthly fee pays for ink, shipping, and recycling."