Reliable small onboard printer in 2022?

[Geoff54]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Does this printer also scan?

Bill
Just put TinyScanner on your phone. Works really well and there is a free version that you can use to try it out. I've got a big, fancy scanner that I rarely use now.

[blubaju]

Had all kind of printers, canon PIXMA the only one that still prints after 3 years absense in tropical sun. Scanner is extra, they last longer than the printer. Epson the worst, buy this year, next year outdated and no more cartridge. HP bad too, want a BW print, did not print when color cartridge is low. Canon, i think they have or had a 12V version. I had a 12V HP too, decades ago, but was not. happy w ink. Tropical experience mainly Philippines & surroundings

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

Not using one on my boat, but you need a laser printer not a print-jet. Not impacted by humidity (except paper is always), and same power requirements (still needs AC power).

I would think that the toner with gum up pretty badly with humidity.

Al,S/V Finlandia

[StoneCrab]

Back in the 90's I had a Brother which was really small and was perfect for the boat. I printed enough that I was going through the cartridges often enough that they didn't clog. I eventually moved to laser.

This post has me thinking of the old dot matrix printers for some reason. No clogging there. Could you imagine that sound at an anchorage?

[paralog]

Originally Posted by svfinlandia

I would think that the toner with gum up pretty badly with humidity.

Al,S/V Finlandia

I have had good luck with the HP 100 series.

If your heads stop working, take them out of the machine and soak them in a shallow saucer of warm water for 15 minutes and then try them again. It usually gets them working again.

[Russ]

Google Reviving Printer Cartridges
Wet paper towel or shallow dish methods. Works as billed
Even my printer at home goes dry after long term non use. I use an HP ENVY 4500. No problems except cartridge non use.

[sailcrazy]

We used an Epson for several years for both printing (via wifi) and scanning. But the paper feed was on the back, and the paper would not stay straight. Because our space is small, it was difficult to feed in the paper, and we got rid of it only because of that. We bought another Epson, Model XP-6100 Inkjet; it has 3 paper slots on the bottom, where the paper lays flat. We've used it for printing, copying, and scanning; so far, it works perfectly, although in fairness we've only had it in use for 5 months.......but we are here in the Caribb, so temps are up and so is humidity. The only issue is finding ink cartridges, so I bought 6 paks. Each is shipped in an evacuated sealed bag, so I separated them by color, and store them (still sealed) in zip-lok bags. This printer is small and fills all our needs, although it is not a fast printer. But (so far) the heat, humidity, constant rolling, etc,etc do not seem to affect it.......works good!

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by StoneCrab

This post has me thinking of the old dot matrix printers for some reason. No clogging there. Could you imagine that sound at an anchorage?

I think it would be great, but then I'm into nostalgia, if I can only remember...

[maine50]

I ought a HP 3700 series (might be 3772) which is quite compact for about $70 at Walmart in US before Atlantic circle in 2017/2018. Gone 11 months. Didn't pack it at all. (stored loose) Using it home 5 years later with no problems. It scans and does color.

[donpjr]

I've been looking for a compact laser printer as well. From what I can see the HP m15w printer is still available, but on HP site has been replaced with what looks like a nearly identical model called m110we. Both are for sale on Amazon.

[onavegador]

on my last circumnavigation with my catamaran I had a cheap hp ink-jet printer aboard from the beginning in 2007 until the end on 2013. I used it very rare with several months between each use and it worked very well even after transporting it home in 2014. So far it was recommend to me as it seems that laser printers are delicate to humid paper as also photocopiers. But this only heard not my own experience.
Good luck

[CarinaPDX]

I bought an Okidata PostScript laser printer in 1996 and kept it aboard for about 15 years (I only got rid of it because it had old interfaces - no USB or WiFi). Toner cartridges lasted for years but eventually the toner will start to clump. Printing never bleeds or runs when the paper gets wet, like many inkjets do, and it is much cheaper per page than inkjets. If you can live without color then it is the best solution, by far.

Whether laser or inkjet do your homework about the cartridges. Most printer manufacturers play games with the refills. HP got a terrible reputation for their printers refusing cartridges that were more than 3 years old or in service for more than a year, regardless of condition. In one case they used a firmware "upgrade" to enable rejection of aftermarket cartridges. The laser printer I currently own (Pantum) was cheap to purchase but the included cartridge shut off after a small number of pages - it kept a count and shut off with plenty of toner left. Shortly after I bought it they doubled the price of the cartridges, and all cartridges have a page count shut-off. Replacement chips are not available because - wait for it - the people behind the manufacturer are one of the largest sources of chips for other printers. Anyway, find out what limitations are placed into the printer cartridges and don't buy too far ahead.

Greg

Edit: The HP M15W mentioned above has clearly stated cartridge limitations:

"This printer is intended to work only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip, and it uses dynamic security measures to block cartridges using a non-HP chip. Periodic firmware updates will maintain the effectiveness of these measures and block cartridges that previously worked. A reused HP chip enables the use of reused, remanufactured, and refilled cartridges."

HP used to add abrasive to their toner so as to degrade the selenium drum, thus defeating reuse. I think the EU put an end to that wasteful practice. Lasers with separate toner and drum are much more affordable: the drum should last for about 10 toner cartridges, depending.

[billgewater]

We use a Brother laser printer - black only. Cheapest with best quality. We also use a separate scanner. It's very space consuming.
We have no real need for a colour printer (If we want really good photo quality colour prints we take a memory stick to the local supermarket where we get top quality glossy colour prints for a very much lower cost than if we used colour ink jets - check this out - it shows just how expensive the colour jet printing can be.)
(We had a colour ink jet printer with its own scanner for many years, but the problems were constant with clogging of the jets and silly prices for the cartridges.)
So my suggestion is a) do away with colour printing. b) consider a black only printer with an inbuilt scanner - laser being better than ink jet.
However, ask yourself do you even really need a scanner at all. You can use your smart phone to copy any document, then use the smart phone to print from. Wi-fi or whatever. KISS.
Note that most laser copiers need 110 VAC or 240 VAC.
Suggest you talk to someone at your local print/phone shop to minimise your investment cost and reliability.

[Jammer]

Look at the Brother Pocketjet series. They are small, self contained (battery), reliable, and do not require ink or toner. They are direct thermal printers and do require special paper. Cost per page is about $0.25 which for most purposes isn't a big deal -- if you're printing your cookbook or a novel or whatever do it ashore at a print ship.


There is high quality thermal paper available that is indistinguishable from regular paper to the casual observer. There is waterproof paper-like plastic media available.


These printers are widely used in applications like route sales and parking enforcement and are reliable in difficult environments.


No I don't have one but it's on my list of things to get.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

I bought an Okidata PostScript laser printer in 1996 and kept it aboard for about 15 years (I only got rid of it because it had old interfaces - no USB or WiFi). Toner cartridges lasted for years but eventually the toner will start to clump. Printing never bleeds or runs when the paper gets wet, like many inkjets do, and it is much cheaper per page than inkjets. If you can live without color then it is the best solution, by far.

Whether laser or inkjet do your homework about the cartridges. Most printer manufacturers play games with the refills. HP got a terrible reputation for their printers refusing cartridges that were more than 3 years old or in service for more than a year, regardless of condition. In one case they used a firmware "upgrade" to enable rejection of aftermarket cartridges. The laser printer I currently own (Pantum) was cheap to purchase but the included cartridge shut off after a small number of pages - it kept a count and shut off with plenty of toner left. Shortly after I bought it they doubled the price of the cartridges, and all cartridges have a page count shut-off. Replacement chips are not available because - wait for it - the people behind the manufacturer are one of the largest sources of chips for other printers. Anyway, find out what limitations are placed into the printer cartridges and don't buy too far ahead.

Greg

Edit: The HP M15W mentioned above has clearly stated cartridge limitations:

"This printer is intended to work only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip, and it uses dynamic security measures to block cartridges using a non-HP chip. Periodic firmware updates will maintain the effectiveness of these measures and block cartridges that previously worked. A reused HP chip enables the use of reused, remanufactured, and refilled cartridges."

HP used to add abrasive to their toner so as to degrade the selenium drum, thus defeating reuse. I think the EU put an end to that wasteful practice. Lasers with separate toner and drum are much more affordable: the drum should last for about 10 toner cartridges, depending.

Thank you for the warning regarding toner.
Seems a real issue.

Even more crazy:

HP wants a permanent internet connection too, so that they can monitor the status, use and prevent you from not loading driver updates (which was apparently a way in the past to use other cartridges).

They try to sell you a toner subscription too. Why on earth would I need this? Banghead!