Is it OK to just have a black and white printer on board?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by geoffr

If you don't use an Inkjet for a long time, yes it will clog up... you can sometimes clean the cartridge with alcohol to recover them. (I have done this with our photo cartridge we rarely use). With our printer a month or two with no use was no problem.

Not just the wildly expensive cartidges that are a problem (if you can even find them in remote ports), but the rails the cartridge carrier rides on get dirty, as do other moving parts, and the printer jams. Paper storage is an issue too...printers dont like paper thats been stored at 85% humidity for a long time.

[sailingunity]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Not just the wildly expensive cartidges that are a problem (if you can even find them in remote ports), but the rails the cartridge carrier rides on get dirty, as do other moving parts, and the printer jams. Paper storage is an issue too...printers dont like paper thats been stored at 85% humidity for a long time.

Yeah availability of inkjet cartridges worried me too, but I'm thinking maybe I can stock up when we have the chance.

I like the idea of having a printer on board, especially with kids and homeschooling, but sounds like we can stick with what we have.

[Dave22q]

Printers are cheap. In fact I think you would be hard pressed to find an inexpensive B/W only printer. If you carry a few spare cartridges you should be fine. Color is a non issue because if you do not usually print in color the color cartridge will last a very long time. My printer works fine even if the color cartridge is empty. It just prints in B/W. Also I have not experienced any dry out issues and rarely print anything in color.

[rwidman]

My experience with ink jet printers has not been good. Cartridges dry up and other mechanical problems.


You can buy a monochrome laser printer for under $100 but they can be pretty picky about power quality. If you intend on powering one with an inverter, it would be wise to test it and return it if it doesn't work.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Lol. I'm so primitive and out of touch.
My question would be "Do cruisers even need printers?"

I'm afraid you may be in my boat? Technology has passed me by.

[buzzstar]

If that is a concern to you, there are only so many documents that are likely to be required at a port, do make a generous number of copies (based upon your anticipated stops) of each before you leave. If you run out or need more, almost all of us survive without a printer or a copier. Believe it or not, you will cope, just be patient even in the face of frustration. There are copiers in the rest of the world too. Bureaucracies can no longer operate without them. Just do to copy your money.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by StuM

Look at the power requirement for that laser printer during startup and make sure that your inverter can handle it (As a planning figure, use 6.5 times the rated wattage - so for a 500W laser printer, you need a 3.25 KW inverter.)

And don't use it with a MSW inverter - they don't like square waves

I have a laser printer in my car for work that runs off of an inverter, 1000w continuous, 2000w surge. At start up the printer momentarily draws 140a then settles down to 80a or so stepping down to 5-10a between pages.

On a boat, I would want a laser printer because the product does not smear when it gets wet, all the inkjets I have encountered smear. That's why I went to all the hassle to get it set up in my car, the product needs to be usable in the field in drizzle.

[CarinaPDX]

I bought an Oki laser printer back in 1996 when I first arrived in Ireland. Twenty years later, including years in the Med and Caribbean and a particularly wet Atlantic crossing, it is still going strong. The only problem I had was when I installed the spare cartridge I had bought at the same time: in spite of being sealed in plastic the toner had absorbed moisture (after more than a decade aboard) and gummed things up. Today's laser printers aren't built as robust but at the current prices they are a bargain. Even though I don't use it very often I like having it aboard, along with a compact flatbed scanner. As noted earlier the printing doesn't wash off the page with a little water, unlike inkjets. B&W is all that is needed for officialdom.

The main reason to have an inkjet printer is for color photos, and for that I would recommend a compact inkjet printer. I would still prefer having the laser for other uses.

Greg

[jamhass]

We had a multi-function printer on board for a few years. We used it maybe twice, loaned it out a few times. Finally got rid of it as it used up way to much space for the minimal benefit it provided. Been without one for 3 years and do not regret its absence.

We've found it easy to get things printed. Marinas will usually do it for free, maybe a small charge. Other cruisers often have them, and there are usually internet cafes about. We've found port captains will usually copy any documents they need.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Lol. I'm so primitive and out of touch.
My question would be "Do cruisers even need printers?"

Oh definitely, any well found cruising yacht requires a laser colour printer/fax/copier with full multi copy stacking and A4 and A3 paper capabilities, would not be without one in a bad blow.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Reliable Low Cost Color Printer for Use by Kids Aboard a Boat

[notiesbob]

Tiny scan app on iphone or tablet, internet cafe or email to recipient - no fuss no mess.

[kas_1611]

Digital copies on Google Drive and a USB drive
Local library
Print 1 copy, fill in details in black ink, photocopy as many times as needed plus a scan for backup

Jobs a good un

One thing to note about printer cartridges is they are "region coded" so you have to have the correct region cartridges for your printer region. yes I know sounds mad but we discovered this with our French printer in Trinidad when the new "original" printer cartridges refused to be recognised by the printer, quick call to the help desk and they told us the problem. Apparently it is to stop the international trade so those of us in the EU can't get our mitts on "cheaper" replacements from the US via the interweb.

And no unlike DVD's you can't rip the region coding out of them as it is hardware not software

Keiron

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by kas_1611

One thing to note about printer cartridges is they are "region coded" so you have to have the correct region cartridges for your printer region. yes I know sounds mad but we discovered this with our French printer in Trinidad when the new "original" printer cartridges refused to be recognised by the printer, quick call to the help desk and they told us the problem. Apparently it is to stop the international trade so those of us in the EU can't get our mitts on "cheaper" replacements from the US via the interweb.

And no unlike DVD's you can't rip the region coding out of them as it is hardware not software

Keiron

This sounds like an HP printer - they are famous for such tricks. Recently they pushed out a printer firmware "upgrade" that added extra code for recognizing non-HP cartridges - and then refusing to print using them. The uproar was so great that they had to offer a way to back it out (very rare win, but only temporary - they will probably just include it in new printers). In the past their cartridges stopped working after 1 year from first use and 3 1/2 years from manufacturing date, regardless of condition. Stay far away from HP printers. I have heard recently that they play some games with drivers for their computers, so I would just avoid them completely. Carly lives on...

Other printers have techniques for discouraging non-OEM cartridges, with varying effectiveness, but I have not encountered the region problem before (aside from HP). What is the brand of your printer?

Greg

[kas_1611]

Greg,

It was an Epson.

Now this was 9 years ago when we discovered the problems so things may have changed but it is still something to consider if you are purchasing a printer and planning on moving continents. That and the power supply, always check your North American electricals have a 110/220v power adapter as not every company supplies them as standard. Found that out the hard way too.

Keiron