Printer Issues

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DJ Bobcat

DJ Extraordinerror
Nov 8, 2014
9,290
14,262
Oklahoma City
My main printer crapped out yesterday. It was a 4-5 year old HP OfficeJet. It was a pretty darn good printer while it lasted, but the print mechanism just quit working. Not worth trying to get it fixed. I have a backup, but the ink in that on was out, and I had not bought refills, as I was in no rush to buy ink for my backup... BIG MISTAKE!

The reason for posting this thread is to ALERT you to shortages that might affect you. NO PLACE in town had ink cartridges for my relatively new backup printer. They were not only out of the cartridges for my HP printer, but they were out of HP cartridges for MOST HP printers, and they were also out of their own branded cartridges for many HP printers. So I had to order the ink cartridges for my backup printer. We’ll see if I get them anytime soon.

Here’s the kicker... I also wanted to buy a replacement for my primary printer that crapped out. I found some good HP models that would meet my specs, but guess what? None were available. All out of stock. The salesman said they had a run on them early in the pandemic, and sold out. Now they can’t get replacements because they come from CHINA! The ink cartridges come from CHINA too.

There were other brands of printers in stock, but not very many that met my specs. Before buying ANYTHING, I checked to see if there was an ample supply of replacement ink cartridges. In many cases, there was not. I ended up buying an Epson Work Force model that will work fine, and I also purchased a quantity of replacement ink cartridges.

The fact is, I don’t really do that much printing, but when you need a paper copy, not having printing/copying capability is a PITA. It was a ordeal, just to get something I could use.

Just thought I’d let everyone know so you can plan accordingly.😊
 
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Get them refilled at Costco .. decent ink, fast turnaround.
 
Instructions for setting up Epson printers SUCK!😂 If you want to do the very basic setup, and you let the software guide you, it works fine. But if you want to do anything a little more complicated, they give you NO information.

I went through the setup, but I wanted to set the IP address manually. The Default IP address would have conflicted with another computer I have on my network, but was not turned on. I don’t use DHCP, but I haven’t taken the time to enter reservations into my router for the IP Addresses in use... too lazy.😂 I replaced my router back in November, and just haven’t gotten around to it. Anyway, the setup utility had a screen for changing the TC/IP info, but when I tried to set the address of my default gateway, which the setup had not discovered, it kept telling me that address was incompatible. BS!!!... I knew it was NOT incompatible. I ended up just taking the default address just to get through the setup, but then the software updates failed. Guess why? Because you can’t get to the Internet without the default gateway being set, and without DNS servers entered. I ended up setting up the TC/IP configuration from the printer‘s front panel, but there were no instructions for how to do that. It took twice as long as it should have.
 
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We DO have a Costco here now... Just opened within the last 6 months. I’ve never been. Their restrictions on customers during the lockdown went WAY beyond what was required, and I just wasn’t interested in dealing with the hassle.😊
That seems to have faded here. I refilled my HP OfficeJet cartridges there and no issues.
 
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Looks like the Print Cartridges for my backup printer are out for delivery. I ordered them from Amazon, which I HATE to do, but I do it if I need something fast.

I even tried to order the HP OfficeJet Printer I wanted as a replacement for my primary printer from Amazon, but both printers I would have considered were out of stock.
 
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My ink cartridges arrived, and I installed them in my backup printer. So now my new printer and my backup printer are both working. From having no working printer to having two working again in 24 hours ain’t bad.😂

The old HP printer is gone... I put it in the dumpster. Not sure how someone gets sentimental over a printer, but I guess I did. It was kinda sad. I printed a lot of cartoons on that printer, and it was a good one for a few years. I’ll miss it.☹️
 
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When I hooked up my HP Officejet Pro 8610, I signed up for HP's Automatic cartridge replacement program - something like $4.00 per month. It has worked VERY well, but I probably don't print as much as Bobcat.

The printer monitors it's own cartridges, and when ink starts to get low, it notifies HP to send the appropriate cartridge, which then automatically shows up in the mail. So far, it has been completely hassle free.
 
Printers are the worst hardware to work with and I just don't get it. My current AIO (Canon MX920) has pretty much been trouble free but every time I get called to setup a printer for someone it's a headache. OEM drivers or install processes is usually worse than just plugging in via USB and letting Windows install drivers. If you do that thought setting up wireless printing is a headache. Either you have to punch in the WiFi password on the printer's panel (urgh) or go through the OEM's install process on Windows.

The same thing happened with Webcams. Logitech cameras that were $75 are now selling for $200 or more.
Yeah I had the original Microsoft Life Cam HD (looks like a tube). It was one of the best cams I ever had. I lent it out and never got it back. Now they're going for $100+ used on Amazon. I've replaced it with a Microsoft Life Cam 3000 but it's just not the same. The mic isn't great.
 
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