RV Printer

[mittshel]

Looking for a printer for our fifth wheel. Only need to print black. A recipe or map directions once in a while. Any ideas. Thank you. Betsy.

[Edd505]

Got the smallest & cheapest Walmart had, HP. Been a year and if it doesn't print I just run the clean and start printing.

[doxiemom11]

We had a printer in the RV, but unless you print on a regular basis, you will find that your ink cartridge has dried out every time you try to use it. Not worth a new cartridge each time. Just go to the library to print something.

[LilyIncex]

laser printers are good! I wanted to make a gift for my mum on her birthday and to buy her a new printer. I was looking for a quality color printer with ink cartridges and, of course, for a good price. My wife gave me the advice to look over this website mrdepot.ca where I could find a lot of office products. On the website, I could easily find what I exactly want. Moreover, they have free and fast delivery! U may be sure that they are a good company to deal with. Now I use only their services. So if u still want to buy a new printer, don’t be afraid to look through their website!

[atreis]

Another vote for the small Brother laser printers. They're very good.

[mittshel]

Thanks for all the help. zigzagrv-that is valuable info for my home printer. Thank you.

[RayJayco]

zigzagrv wrote:
Just a hint for dried out ink cartridges: I use a plastic cup the cartridge will fit in, about 1/8" water in the bottom with a drop of soap. Put cartridge in with printhead in water/soap mix. About 10 minutes is all it needs. Remove and wipe printhead dry with paper towel. As you wipe it off, you will see ink begin to flow again.

Also Windex (with ammonia) or ammonia is a great way to clean the cartridges...

If you do decide on inkjet, don't worry about printer price, check the ink price as they will just about give you printer and make it up on repeated ink purchases.

Some of the newer (HP!!) now have chips that time the cartridge out...

[Matt_Colie]

Betsy,

In the case that you have not figured out that this is actually a hard question to answer, let me try to provide some guidance that may help you decide.

Laser printers are cheaper to run and have more "sense of humor" for long idle times. They require significant AC power to run. They could care less about temperature of storage or operation. It has been my experience that some do not like to be transported in rough riding vehicles. This makes them get all messed up and they don't like this.

Ink jet printers can be run on very little power (but most do require AC). The ink cartridges are as expensive as the toner for most lasers. They also do not like to be ignored for long periods and even less so in hot places/times. If you are looking at ink jet, get one that has the print heads in the cartridge, the when a print head clogs, you can change out a cartridge.

My home office (the business is now closed, but I still have the printers) has a networked color laser that is fast and does a wonderful job (even being 15yo now), but it is heavy and a power hog. The coach was a mobile office for some of its life and I still carry the scanner/copier/printer that is now way over age also. But I carry the cables in the paper feed and the spare cartridges in the outfall tray. I can and have run it on a 60 watt inverter (it is actually about 30 watts). It is so light that I can put it in a top locker.

Paper is the hard thing to carry. Either get a plastic box the right size or hope a friend can provide a smaller than ream stationery box. Remember to pack a few envelopes and some photo paper if you get a color printer.

I hope this is some help.

Matt

[zigzagrv]

Just a hint for dried out ink cartridges: I use a plastic cup the cartridge will fit in, about 1/8" water in the bottom with a drop of soap. Put cartridge in with printhead in water/soap mix. About 10 minutes is all it needs. Remove and wipe printhead dry with paper towel. As you wipe it off, you will see ink begin to flow again.

[CA_Traveler]

Wow John, What is a CD anyway? :@ A thing of the past!

Canon ink printers were a reliability disaster for me. Plus they use color ink to enhance B&W. Sells more of their expensive ink. HP not any better.

Switched to a Cannon multi function B&W laser at home. Starts printing in a few seconds, much faster, etc. If necessary I can print color at various stores.

[wa8yxm]

I woudl recommend AGAINST a laser printer they are voltage senistive (DO not like lower voltages) and may not properly fuze the print if voltage is low. Draw a lot of power too.. ink jet is more to my liking for mobile use.

ANY ink jet save Epson.. Not thrilled with Epson. Have used HP and Canon Both with no issues. B*W only or color is your choioce (I like color)

I also choose Canon because I from time to time "Print" CD's and they can do that. (Get an inkjet printable CD or DVD and they will label it at least the ones I buy will. not all do)

[valhalla360]

Finally got rid of the printer all together.

If we really need something printed, take it to kinkos (or similar).

But 99% of the time viewing it on the laptop or tablet screen works just as well.

[CA_Traveler]

We use a Epson XP-310. Print, copy, scan and wireless. Buy 499ink at $4.99/cartridge. Made a slide out tray so it's out of sight when not used.

[ItsyRV]

I have a Ricoh Sp-112 compact laser printer; probably the smallest laser printer ever made. Alas, they are no longer made and no manufacture has filled the void. The main reason is ink-jets have come down so much in price you can practically get one free. Couple that with the availability of compatible ink jet cartridges, you can buy a years supply of ink cartridges for the cost of a Happy Meal. Even our local pharmacy has compact inkjet printers next to the deodorant on aisle 4.

The key is getting one that doesn't require some proprietary inkjet cartridges with chips. Compare the purchase price and the price of a bundle of compatible inkjet cartridges and pick the one that meets your needs. There are just so many, at very low prices, it really comes down to what you like.

[GordonThree]

I'll cast my vote for a small laser. Brother are good but kinda fiddly with separate consumable toner and drum pieces. Most HP use a combo toner and drum.