Spec a home office printer please

Soldato
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I haven’t updated my office printer for quite some years. It’s an Epson Workforce 3 series and it’s beginning to show it’s age.

I need an all in one printer (ie scan, photocopying, printing) that can also produce decent photos. Inkjet or laser is fine. Print speed is important. It needs to produce around 20ppm in normal printing operations. The use of compatible inks/ toner is pretty vital unless official supplies are cheap.

Budget is between £200 and £300.

I’ve been looking at the latest Epson Workforce printers but I keep reading that they’ve been borked to not allow compatible inks.
 
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No one? What if I ask for a printer that’s water cooled with RGB lights? ;)
Toying with the idea of the wforce 7720dtwf, 2 paper trays, A3 printing and scanning, OSD like a small tv, and the compatible carts are very reasonable at 19 quid for 2 sets of XL black and xl cy/mag/yell. Prob plenty for like 3000 mono a4 and 1200 colour. Epson have to be used daily and have plenty of work, keep them busy and they stay happy. The company I've been using won Which? award etc for compatible inks, I used their ink years back on decent photo paper and the photos are still as good like 7-8 years later. The printer is a beast though, looked at one before, they weigh like 15kg, and are the size of a kitchen oven!! I got 2 kids just starting secondary school, so I'm sure plenty of work will come it's way, missus also is a manager so always printing 20 page docs for 10 or 15 every week. I'd go laser but colour A3 is like remortgage time! Hope it helps.
 
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Toying with the idea of the wforce 7720dtwf, 2 paper trays, A3 printing and scanning, OSD like a small tv, and the compatible carts are very reasonable at 19 quid for 2 sets of XL black and xl cy/mag/yell. Prob plenty for like 3000 mono a4 and 1200 colour. Epson have to be used daily and have plenty of work, keep them busy and they stay happy. The company I've been using won Which? award etc for compatible inks, I used their ink years back on decent photo paper and the photos are still as good like 7-8 years later. The printer is a beast though, looked at one before, they weigh like 15kg, and are the size of a kitchen oven!! I got 2 kids just starting secondary school, so I'm sure plenty of work will come it's way, missus also is a manager so always printing 20 page docs for 10 or 15 every week. I'd go laser but colour A3 is like remortgage time! Hope it helps.

As I said in my original post, I’m leaning towards the Epson Workforce printers myself but I’m put off by the fact that Epson have managed to block compatible cartridges with a firmware update. It seems that if you buy an Epson, especially a new one, there’s a good chance compatible carts are a no go :(

How many pages will you print each month?

Not too many. Perhaps a couple hundred a month. However, when I print the pages, I need them fast which is why I’m looking at mid range printers.
 
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If you turn off the firmware update you should be golden? Just keep the microscopic fill 'starter' cartridges that come in the box, install software and turn the damn firmware update option to never. Anytime you need to install, keep them crap 2ml filled cartridges handy (even if they are dry as a bone!), stick them in, install, turn off feature, then go back to the compatibles? There are ways to roll back firmware too, I've had a look myself, doesn't seem to complicated, just like doing a bios flash . If you can install the software without the printer even being turned on, and you can get to the firmware switch then that also is great, it's rare that the firmware is updated because of a bad problem on the printer, it's purely to screw the compatables.
Regards to print speeds they seem to have a good rep.


As I said in my original post, I’m leaning towards the Epson Workforce printers myself but I’m put off by the fact that Epson have managed to block compatible cartridges with a firmware update. It seems that if you buy an Epson, especially a new one, there’s a good chance compatible carts are a no go :(



Not too many. Perhaps a couple hundred a month. However, when I print the pages, I need them fast which is why I’m looking at mid range printers.
 
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As I said in my original post, I’m leaning towards the Epson Workforce printers myself but I’m put off by the fact that Epson have managed to block compatible cartridges with a firmware update. It seems that if you buy an Epson, especially a new one, there’s a good chance compatible carts are a no go :(



Not too many. Perhaps a couple hundred a month. However, when I print the pages, I need them fast which is why I’m looking at mid range printers.

HP Instant ink would be £7.99 a month for up to 300 pages and unused pages rollover to the next 2 months these days as well, not sure what fast inkjets HP have though but if £7.99 a month for ink sounds good then maybe worth a look?
 
Soldato
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If you turn off the firmware update you should be golden? Just keep the microscopic fill 'starter' cartridges that come in the box, install software and turn the damn firmware update option to never. Anytime you need to install, keep them crap 2ml filled cartridges handy (even if they are dry as a bone!), stick them in, install, turn off feature, then go back to the compatibles? There are ways to roll back firmware too, I've had a look myself, doesn't seem to complicated, just like doing a bios flash . If you can install the software without the printer even being turned on, and you can get to the firmware switch then that also is great, it's rare that the firmware is updated because of a bad problem on the printer, it's purely to screw the compatables.
Regards to print speeds they seem to have a good rep.

But surely the latest printers will have the latest firmware hence my concern. And on my internet research travels, I’ve not come across the ability to roll back the firmware on the Workforce printers.

OldKitMan - I’ll have a look at the HPs too. Thanks.
 
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I'm still dubious to this whole 'instant ink' thing the printer manufacturers have got going at the minute, seems like a great deal til you have to hammer it for a couple of weeks, bit like data on your mobile phone years back, fine til you overstepped the mark then like x1000 per meg lol.. (exaggeration I know, but you get my drift!) Much prefer the 'buy the carts' then you know what you have. These companies hope you don't take them to the wire each month, you go on holidays etc, then they make cash for nowt. Licence to print money some would say! D'oh...
 
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But surely the latest printers will have the latest firmware hence my concern. And on my internet research travels, I’ve not come across the ability to roll back the firmware on the Workforce printers.

OldKitMan - I’ll have a look at the HPs too. Thanks.


Also, the folks at firstcall are not likely to sell carts without the correct chips in for current firmware, so provided you turn off the update firmware feature, should be ok? Still wondering about the crappy 2ml filled genuine carts you get when you buy the printer, surely they'd still work when reinstalling software/printer on new/other computers?
 
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Can you elaborate on what you mean about using the genuine cartridges you get with the printer.
you get black cyan etc all 4 carts, but they are crap filled, so you be lucky to get 100 pages out of the black, just to get you happy and straight on the £96 bandwagon baby :p They come in the box of new printers, obviously genuine epson chips.
 
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Yep, I get that bit. But you mention that they’d still work when “reinstalling software/printer on new/other computers”. What’s that about? Just trying to understand to make sure I’m not missing anything!
 
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Yep, I get that bit. But you mention that they’d still work when “reinstalling software/printer on new/other computers”. What’s that about? Just trying to understand to make sure I’m not missing anything!
well I'm assuming providing you put them back in, you could install software, turn off firmware update, while it's whingeing about ink empty? Then stick in compats and away you go.. Manufacturers assume you will chuck them miniscule filled carts before you find the enlightenment of compats :D Could be wrong, but it's maybe a work around.
 
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Having gone on a mad interwebs nerd for the last 3 hours, seems as long as you keep the printer from updating to the latest firmware, you are fine, if you have 8 people using network (like me) simply make them send their stuff to you and print from there, it's not too bad, pretty much instant prints from email. That way, you keep control of what the internet gives to the printer.. God knows what happens when or if they detect an internet con they auto update.. guess everyone will avoid epson.. shame because I like their print quality. Also checked the CISS for this printer , uk brand and offering genuine epson ink .. linky:
https://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/ciss/epson/wf-7720dtwf/wf-series

Sorry if this against your rules OCUK, not aware you did printers , inks, or paper.
 
Soldato
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I bought a brother j5730dw and its nice and fast with the paper loaded in landscape and the inks are nice and large, with the compatible inks cheap too. I have 3 different sorts of paper loaded into the printer at the same time(plan a4, thick a4 and 4"x6" photo)

But if you buy compatible inks, make sure they are from a decent site as rubbish compatibles will damage your printer.
 
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