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Old 17-07-2020, 13:14   #16
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

+1 on the Epson Eco Tank printers.
We purchased an ET-3700 series and an extra round of inks.
Not super cheap but reasonable for the quality and size.
https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Express.../dp/B074V4MQ3M

So far we have been East Coast US to Bahamas and back so plenty of humidity.
You can see your ink usage just looking at the front of the printer and after a year on the boat and quite a few manuals printed and documentation scanned and printed and such I can't even tell if any has been used yet.
So you don't have the issue of finding cartridges or of those cartridges drying out from lack of use.
We just bought a little 200W Inverter to power it from batteries separate from the big inverter since it isn't on that often, and we're a European wired boat anyway.
https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Invert.../dp/B07H3S76YH

The inverter USB ports work to charge devices even when the inverter portion is turned off and that ended up being a real nice bonus.
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Old 17-07-2020, 13:18   #17
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

👍👍 HP 3755 All In One
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Old 17-07-2020, 13:40   #18
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

I can't believe all the people who have had no issues with inkjets. We gave up on using them in the home office of our fully climate controlled home!


I wonder if the issues we've had were brand specific as we only had Canon printers.
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Old 17-07-2020, 14:36   #19
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

The disadvantages of inkjet printers are 1) high cost and availability of compatible refills, and 2) may not be water-resistant.

Famously HP stores the manufacturing date and the date of first use in the cartridge, and their printers will refuse to use an unused cartridge that is more than 3 years old, or one that was first put in use more than a year ago: they make their money on the ink so you damn well better pay up! This on top of region coding, so buying ahead may not work. (This is dated info but I rather doubt they have gotten better.) Other brands often have their own limitations so do the research before buying. I like the eco-tank idea as it seems resistant to such nonsense, but I would want to check just in case.

As for cruising, many (all?) inkjet-produced pages need to be kept dry; leave a drop of water on top of the page and the printing beneath it will dissolve and disappear. This can be really annoying...

Inkjet is the only way to get photographic-quality output, so if that is what you want then inkjet is the answer but quality varies so research.

B&W laser printers are now available that are small(ish) and light(ish) for under $100. The output is very stable and inexpensive. Color lasers are available but not really any good for photographic output. Cartridges have similar problems as inkjets as far as enforced behavior so look around for more tolerant designs. OTOH a large black cartridge lasted me for years so not necessarily a problem.

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Old 17-07-2020, 15:49   #20
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Inkjet printers can have issues with the ink drying out if not used for a long period. Laser printers do not have this problem and can go unused for a much longer period of time. Laser printers have come way down in price from just a few years ago. If you are not printing in color and do not need to print on "photo" paper, I'd buy a laser every time. Most laser printers hold enough toner to go a long time between refills. They also print faster.
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Old 17-07-2020, 16:06   #21
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Depends on what you want. We had a series of problems with colour ink jet printers. Usually clogging up when we left them for a few months and the replacement cartridges were expensive. We then purchased a laser printer (Brother 2130) but black only. The toner cartridges usually run out at about 1200 pages. If we want good colour or photo quality prints, we do it at the local shopping center and the quality is very much better than any ink jet printer - and cheaper. We have a separate scanner. This works for us as we do lot of plain documented printing with very little need for coloured prints.
(Plus we spell coloured not colored. That may explain something! You could say that "colour" has more "u's" ..."use" than color, but .....)
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Old 17-07-2020, 18:57   #22
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

I have an HP portable that lives in a sealed Tupperware type container with a ream of paper and a silica gel canister to suck up and moisture, it gets used heavily every 4-5 weeks and is now 5 years old, and yes get an extra cartridge they can be difficult to find in the boonies......
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Old 17-07-2020, 21:11   #23
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Quote:
and yes get an extra cartridge they can be difficult to find in the boonies......
More than that... we have an older HP 3 in 1 (1310 series) which still works pretty much as new after ~a decade or so. Problem is that HP no longer distributes the print heads for this model, and I had a hell of a time finding new ones, even in the relative non-boonie state of Australia. And refill kits have vanished from retail sources, too. We had successfully refilled several times over the years, and were happy to be able to do so when REALLY in the boonies. At any rate, finally found refurbished replacements on the internet and they work ok, but for a no-fixed-address yottie having to rely on mail delivery isn't always a good outlook...so be prepared if you have an older printer!

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Old 17-07-2020, 22:14   #24
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

We have used an ink-jet scanner-printer for the past 18 years and there has been no problem. When cruising and entering new countries time after time, it becomes indispensable. We always need copies of crew lists, documentation, passports, etc. We secure it down well using those straps designed for televisions. Most marine supply outlets have them. For paper, we use what we can find. The printer handles it all well. If cruising, always carry spare ink cartridges.
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Old 18-07-2020, 02:20   #25
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

I currently have an Epson printer (ET 2650) with refillable ink. No hassle with finding the exact replacement cartridges, which are in general way too expensive. With one ink filling you can print 5000+ pages. The printer costs less than 200 USD.
Keep the paper in a plastic container that seals airtight.
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Old 18-07-2020, 02:35   #26
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

For scanning or photocopying requirements taking a photo and then printing this photo works well, often better than scanning via the printer.

Printers without scanning or photocopying functions tend to be significantly smaller, which can be help on a boat.
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Old 18-07-2020, 03:04   #27
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

I use HP3725 for several years now in the hot Med. No problems at all.
I have chosen it as the smallest footprint device that still prints A4 pages.
I believe this style has been replaced by newer versions (HP3790?) with similar specs.
Print, copy, scan, wifi etc.
Remember that any printer would need 220V supply.
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Old 18-07-2020, 04:49   #28
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Unless you print regularly, in my view all ink jet printers are a disaster. The only thing good that I have to say about them is that they are so cheap that it is usually more cost effective to buy a new one than to replace the rip off cartridges.

Otherwise, when you find that you need the thing you discover that they have dried out or stuck or there is some other gremlin in the thing. And that is in a temperate home office.

Unless you need to print high quality photos (why would you when it is cheaper to do that online?) just get a small black and white laser printer. Or a colour one if you really need colour. They work first time after months of not being used. They are not expensive and are much cheaper to run. A laser used to be clunky and costly. No more.

As for scanning, you do not need one for a few sheets if you have a mobile phone. Use something like Microsoft Office Lens. Perfect scans. Added advantage if you use such as OneDrive being that you retain the data. For mass scans, unlikely requirement on a boat, you need to spend some money on a dedicated multi sheet dual sided scanner.
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Old 18-07-2020, 12:13   #29
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Keeping paper in an airtight container may cause mold. I would suggest another storage method. We leave ours in the original paper wrapping and store it in a locker with other related things.
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Old 20-07-2020, 21:36   #30
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Re: Do inkjet type printers work well aboard?

Quote:
Originally Posted by vpbarkley View Post
Hello Cruisers,

I need a general purpose printer for our fiberglass sailboat, to print 0 to 10 pages per week. The boat will not be air conditioned for weeks at a time while cruising in the Bahamas and Caribbean. I favor inkjet type all-in-one printers, for their versatility and small size. Do inkjet type printers work well aboard in high humidity? Any trouble feeding paper? Any recommendations on paper type. Thank you in advance.
We have had a Canon BJC 100i on board since 2013 - works just fine, and small enough to slip into a drawer, of fix behind a fold-down locker door.
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