Ask HN: Do you still own a printer?

Yes, I maintain two at different locations and am often asked by printerless friends if they can use them. Most use is bureaucratic stuff like forms for various licenses and permits and etc, but I have a manual on the use of a particular bit of software that I am writing, I find it nice to print that out and make marks in the margins for later editing.

I'll get an Epson EcoTank color printer as my next one, and maybe the https://www.crowdsupply.com/open-tools/openprinter if it ever comes out and is really open. I also would not mind a decent receipt printer. I forgot that I own a couple of Dymo label printers too, and wrote some driver software for them years and years ago. But free printers that have enough ink or toner to last a while are pretty common.

Not having a printer is like only having a phone and not a laptop. It labels you as a consumer and recipient of culture and society, instead of a participant.

I have a Brother laser printer/scanner. I mainly use it for:

- Return labels, if I'm returning an Amazon purchase

- Hard copies of important info when I travel, in case my phone dies

- Occasional times when I'm sent forms that I need to print, sign, scan and send back

It didn't cost much, has never needed maintenance, and the toner lasts a long time. Worth it for the hassle it saves when I need it.

Yes, actually I bought a Brother laserjet earlier this year. I don't need to print a lot but there are things needed every now and then. I could print at work or an office supply store or even the library but this is just more convenient. I upgraded from an inkjet so that the laserjet should basically last me the rest of my life.

I didn’t have one for about 15 years. Once every couple years, if needed to print something I would head to an FedEx office and do it there for 10 cents.

I ended up buying one during the pandemic, I can’t even remember the exact reason, but it’s been helpful. I don’t use it often, but when I do it matters. When I was buying my house they wanted printed and hand-signed documents received, printed, signed, and returned all in an evening when FedEx already closed and lockdown was in effect. Had I not had that printer, it would have been impossible.

In another case, I was ordering shoes online and they had a thing to print which would let you pick the correct size more easily. I wouldn’t have gone to FedEx for that, but I was able to print it out.

I did opt for a laser printer, so I don’t have to worry about the ink drying out, since I use it so infrequently.

I recently was faced with replacing my HP 1536dnf, and it had basically been the best device I ever owned, for reliability, compatibility, and versatility.

I was gonna particularly miss the scanner with ADF, but realizing that Android’s camera-based scanning was mature, realized I could go for a single-function LaserJet at this point.

I chose the HP LaserJet 4001dn. It may have been a huge mistake. This printer is neither compatible with Android nor ChromeOS. Can’t go beyond a simple 1-pager with these.

I have been able to access the full features and power by using ChromeOS Linux subsystem. It is actually the only reason I need or use Linux at this point, and smuggling documents to be printed is arduous. I wish it just worked from my phone! But I do not believe it is the fault of HP or the printer, but Google’s staunch rejection of dead tree interfaces.

It is what it is. I’m in a city surrounded by print services such as the library, UPS Store, FedEx, that I could probably limp along with no printer at home, but I got this one blessed by my local deacon, so it’s a keeper.

Yes, I do have a printer, and it’s useful; even though I don’t use it every day, it saves me quite a bit of money. Going somewhere else to print would be more expensive because they charge per page.

The only problem is that HP printers come with very little ink in their cartridges, and the cartridges themselves are very expensive. If you try buying a third-party cartridge with more ink, it might work at first, but sooner or later the printer will recognize that it isn't an original cartridge and throw an error.

My advice: buy a printer brand that allows you to use third-party cartridges, or at least one where the original cartridges contain more ink and aren't so expensive.

We have seven printers. I use an HP LaserJet 6P which I bought 20+ years ago. My son uses an Epson setup to print films for screen printing tee shirts. All the others were free on Craiglist over the years. I also have two FedX Kinkos nearby for color printing.

Regarding photo printing, which would be my main use case for a printer, I've read that the inkjet heads can get clogged up if you don't use them on a regular basis, and that the process for clearing them can use up a significant amount of ink. So I've just decided the premium of having a print shop do it on my behalf is worth it.

This does mean I can't exactly get my colors right, since I don't print often enough and I'm not that familiar with proofing digitally, but even if I have to get a print done twice I probably end up ahead financially.

I also have a tiny Canon Selphy that I use for small 4x6 prints, which I can recommend so people will actually get their photos into the real world and off the screen.

Yes, I've always had a printer (a Brother laser MFP) and I get cheap toner from eBay. My wife can print from her phone, though I had to install an AirPrint/CUPS driver on a Linux box to get it working.

My kid is constantly asking me to print out colouring-in pictures that she has us create using AI or find online (princesses, mermaids, dolphins, etc.)

There are also the occasional documents that need signatures or need to be seen by others. I might print out checklists or useful information to put in the car. I even have a list of PS3 games, and whether they support co-op, that sits in my TV cabinet so I can check it when friends come over before starting up a game.

When printing is so accessible, you tend to do it much more often.

Yes, I own a printer. I use it to interface with older people in my community. They don't like computers and appreciate paper messages. I also print things for my kids, like sheet music or mazes.

I only had an ImageWriter II dot matrix printer in my retro setup.

Our printing needs are minimal, maybe 1 or 2 times a year we'll just go and print at 7-11, which has better options than a home printer anyway (A3 size paper, both laser and inkjet photo printing options, sticker paper etc)

Recently my father-in-law passed away and he had 3 inkjet printers and we inherited 2 of them. For the first few weeks there was a flurry of "we can print now" and there was some arts and crafts being done, but since they they've been laying dormant.

Yes, I have a brother color laseprinter in my home office. There is just stuff to print now and then and it is the easiest and (after some years) the cheapest option (except for printing at the office). It is just handy some times. Print sth for customers, for the doctor, return labels, etc. And in times of AirPrint printing from the mobile got easy as heck. And the toner works over a long time. Printer is around 5 or 6 years old now - still happy.

Yes, I will never give up my old Brother laser printer. Prints fast like a champ. It's one of the most no-BS devices I've ever owned. I only print occasionally, and I don't think I've ever had to change the toner cartridge in the 13 years I've owned it. I don't care if newer printers are "better". I'm not gonna pay any of these companies for their ink-wasting DRM-protected cartridges.

Yea.. i bought one 7 years ago but except it's just sitting there because of ink price. But for you i think you shouldn't buy one especially when you do the important work twice a year. However , letting you kids use it is a different story. Can be useful for creatively making something or just teaching the kids

We have one, and it is useful sometimes. Is it worth the price? I'm not sure. Don't forget that most libraries will print documents for you too. It's probably something like 25¢/page, so it's not really a great deal, but if you don't need to print often it's probably worth it. Plus it supports the library, so that's nice.

Yes, ironically most of it for homework on the days the school is physically closed. Sometimes I need to sign or stamp a document and it's easier to print and scan. We use the scanner more.

Having one where you fill in the ink rather than buying a whole RGB cartridge has been a great decision. I used to replace a whole cartridge up just for reds.

Everyone keeps saying how great laser printers are, but I vastly prefer my Brother inkjet (ask me why). I use it only maybe once or twice an year, usually to print copies of flight tickets and important documents, and very rarely scan copies of original documents.

No, I just use the one at work when needed. I encouraged my parents to get the absolute cheapest Brother laser printer, which has worked great for a lot of years at a very reasonable cost (both for the printer and per page).

Yes! I bought a brother laser printer to use as part of my D&D hobby. I love paper and pencil for D&D to the point that my notes are all printed and staple bound in a digest sized packet for each session.

My wife bought one over my strenuous objections. I think it broke shortly after she bought it. I noticed it disappeared recently from its sitting place so looks like the situation has resolved itself.

Not for me. But I have a small pocket photo printer. For docs, go to nearest shop when it's needed - but very seldom though

we have a small black&white laser from Brother which the family use about once a week. It is very low cost and convenient. The one we have now replaced a larger model which had scanning and fax, but it's so easy to 'scan' with your phone now it's not really necessary and the machine is so much smaller because of it.

You never need to print sensitive stuff like ids/passports/medical-reports? I wouldn’t print that in public places

Yes, I own a printer. It is quite useful. I have had it for years. It is an old HP Color Laser Jet Pro.

i love reading from printed or physical books. I am an avid reader but throughout my whole life i have only completed 2-3 pdf books, sadly they take away at least 10% of the joy of reading from physical copy

Yes. I write some things that need editing/rewriting. I do that better on paper than with a screen.

Yes, an Epson EcoTank.

No! I print at the library for free.

yes, 2 multifunction printers with scanning and faxing and copying capability

Nope. I haven't had a home printer in probably 15 years. If I need something printed, I usually use Fedex online printing. There is a Fedex store near where I live, and across the street from a shopping center I visit frequently anyway, so it's usually no big issue to swing by there and pick stuff up.

There is also a printer at work that I could use in a pinch.

Nope