Best inkjet printer for the boat

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

Inkjet? Laser? Crayon-spitter? Old technology.

Me, I'm waiting for a spiffy new 3-D printer so I can print spare parts for my boat :-)

Bill

I'm waiting for a spiffy new 3-D printer to just print a new boat. Wonder what the ink will cost for that?

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Bill, you cheap sonofasailor (G) you KNOW those 3D printers are already out there, you're really just waiting for the price to drop.

Of course the really good ones that sinter marine-grade titanium powder may still require a bigger boat....(G)

Busted!

But not only a price drop....I'm looking for a miniature one I can store in a spare locker :-)

But it has to be capable of printing me an AK-47 or AR-15 when in "bad guys" waters.

B.

[Sea Frog]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

I'm waiting for a spiffy new 3-D printer to just print a new boat.

I'm waiting for a spiffy new 3-D printer to just print money Why limit yourself?

[Annie in WA]

How do folks store their printer on the boat to protect it? Pelican case? Inside a pile of towels or sheets? Vacuum packed in plastic? I've just bought a Canon ip100 and I want to keep it in good shape while I'm cruisingoffshore. Thanks for input, especially for any specific manufacturer names.

[savoir]

Mine is a Canon Pixma. It sits on a shelf under a piece of bungee.

[hellosailor]

Annie, don't even think about vacuum packing an inkjet printer. The vacuum might suck the ink out of the cartridges, making a big mess. Might or might not--but I wouldn't try that without consulting the company that made them.

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

We have had frequent (but not universal) success in reviving dried up ink jet cartridges (HP and older Canon) with this simple technique:

Get a small, shallow container (we use a jam jar lid) and pour about 3 mm of boiling water into it. Place the cartridge with the print orifices down into the water and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove and gently blot the water up with a paper towel. Re install and go through the cleaning cycle.

Voila! Most of the time it will work again.

Cheers,

Jim

[savoir]

Clever.

[hellosailor]

Jim-
I think ethylene glycol (as in the non-toxic antifreeze) is what is actually supplied with the DIY inkjet refill kits as the cleaning agent. That will actually clean the cartridges and printheads if you let them soak in it for a while.

But some inks, including common HP inks, are pigments not dyes. There are pros and cons to both, but the ultrafine pigment "dust" in inkjet cartridges will congeal and turn into solid, usually a year after opening or two years after manufacturing, and in that case (pigment+age+oxygen) they're dead for good.

[Capt RonB]

I still have our Canon i80 and Canoscan LiDE scanner both work fine with my laptop and fit nicely on a shelf over the nav station. We found the need to scan and print copies of documents from time to time such as copies of a Bahamian Cruising Permit for use when importing boat parts from the U.S.

We stocked up on cartriges before leaving ... came in handy when printing out Cruising Regatta Race instructions among other emergencies.

[gindac]

I am quite happy with this one, canon pixma ip90

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

FWIW,

We have had frequent (but not universal) success in reviving dried up ink jet cartridges (HP and older Canon) with this simple technique:

Get a small, shallow container (we use a jam jar lid) and pour about 3 mm of boiling water into it. Place the cartridge with the print orifices down into the water and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove and gently blot the water up with a paper towel. Re install and go through the cleaning cycle.

Voila! Most of the time it will work again.

Cheers,

Jim

I tried that with my black cartridge which the printer said was empty. So far I have 4 extra pages of print.

[Twisticles]

I just picked up an HP Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One. Print/copy/scan along with a very small footprint and a battery when you don't fancy running the genny just to print a page

[DeborahLee]

We've got the iP100 also great little printer except ink cartridges are small but then they have to be. For a copier I use one of those wands. I make a lot of my own .kap's for OpenCPN and the wand will copy up to 36". I tape what I need to the table and use a T square to push the wand to get a good copy then stitch them together.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by DeborahLee

We've got the iP100 also great little printer except ink cartridges are small but then they have to be. For a copier I use one of those wands. I make a lot of my own .kap's for OpenCPN and the wand will copy up to 36". I tape what I need to the table and use a T square to push the wand to get a good copy then stitch them together.

I also have the ip100 and it has been a terrific boat printer. This is particularly great for the boat because it folds up into a tiny package which is easy to store, yet performs like a regular desktop printer. Had it for nearly four years so possibly there are better printers available now. Ink cartridges are moderately priced (compared to laser printers like what I use at home) so just buy a bag of them and forget about it.

For a scanner, I use my phone's camera. Not optimal, it's true, and I've needed a scanner from time to time.