MFP for home?

[Billy Welsh]

Anyone bot one recently they'd recommend that didn't cost a gazillion?


It's me, the wife, a high schooler, a middle schooler, and the occasional visit from the college kid.  Need iDevice printing, network scanning, color printing.  Not a huge fan of changing ink every month or so (who is?), but of course the economics may make more sense with that type of printer.

[Ric]

I can't stand multi function printers and would suggest finding alternatives.  I doubt you need a fax so that can probably be ruled out. Scanners are cheap and how much are they used by a house these days when there are great (cheap or free) apps for smart phones like Cam Scanner. Which when items are scanned they can be printed as a "copy" ...leaving the printer.   

Personal color laser printers are pretty reasonable these days.

IMO most households these days just need a networked printer (color optional) 

just my $0.02

[Bob]

I picked up an Office Jet 6x series works well.  Wireless, can print from any device or even email it and have it print.  It's is a MFD and I've been happy.   I was working from home last Feb had to setup a workable office to deal with work needs.  Paid under 100.00 worked so well Principals son picked one up and likes it as much as I did.

I did not sign up for HP ink, they send automatically.   Prefer to buy as needed.  I ordered it with some high yield ink.

I use to think like Ric but for under 100.00, nothing to lose.  If you're making a home office that generates real work, MFD way to go.  I don't want to use my cell phone to as a scanner when I scan every day 10+ pages.  I don't want to buy another device to take up more space in small office.  100.00 or less, NOTHING TO LOSE.   I will agree it's rare to fax even at work most is scan to email.  Some Gov't locations still live on fax machines and why still around.  Gov't often holds things up.  So rare and I rarely work with them.  Scanning full size not to mention it's a copier too, beats the HELL out of a cell phone and doesn't take up anymore space.

If you were going to be printing large jobs often I would consider a standard laser printer.  MFD I have does 20ppm meets my need.  I can work from home and do anything I could do at work.  Couldn't accomplish that with anything other than MFD because it's work.  I need to get stuff done fast and efficiently or I won't be able to work from home.  They want that same output as if I were in.  I have no regrets and if it broke tomorrow it already paid for all the work it did last 7-8 months.   

I paid 79.00 or 89.00 for OfficeJet.   Breaks I'll buy another at the rate.  JMO

[Billy Welsh]

Thanks, Bob.


I have a B&W laser for bigger jobs.  So this would not be ONLY printer.


I agree with you on the scanning - I do enough of it that I cannot rely on just my phone.

[Jim Jensen]

I used to take my older printers from work home as I replaced them - I never really need fast speed at home and they worked fine. However, last time I had to go buy a new one as none of the older ones would work shared over a network on Win8/10. I bought an HP mulifuntion. I can't recall the model number, but it's the black-only version of the MFP M177. No, I never fax, but I do scan and occasionally copy with it. Wireless networking is a must now - able to print from my phone or Surface and can scan to a computer wirelessly now too. HP toner is often the downside - expensive, but I recently found toner for it at Amazon that was 5 cartridges for $45. Even if they suck and combined only last as long as 1 HP cartridge, I'm still plenty of $$ ahead (unless they kill the printer along the way). I don't often really need color at home (but I have no kids).

[Steven Strauss]

I hear you on the ink, which is why I use a B&W at home, and buy knock-off replacement toner on ebay. I happen to like Brother's personal products, and own a model # MFC7860 DW. My brother wanted a color version of that, and I recommended the model# MFC9130 CW, which he likes a fair bit. I have never had to change the drums on these things more frequently than every 30k pages or so.

You can purchase high-capacity toner for each that are good for 10k pages, and like I said above, I recommend the knock-offs from ebay as they are about 40% of the cost of the "official" ones at retail.

[Billy Welsh]

I've had mixed results with the knock-offs.  My B&W is bleeding toner all over the place with the knock-off.  I have to dig up the details and see if they guarantee it and for how long.  This was the 2nd time I did this; 1st one worked fine.


I was using an old hand-me-down HP color laser MFP, and ran into the same issue with it and some knock-offs.  Before I could deal with that, something else went completely haywire hence the new printer that's on it's way.  Again, one or 2 of these were 2nd-time knock-offs, with the 1st ones not a problem.


I'm trying again with the knock-offs, so we'll see.  Bot some LD Products ink cartridges for when the starter ones from HP go dry.  Price too good not to gamble.

[Jeff Zylstra]

I've always had issues with the HP MFP software and also the ink cartrdige utilities, so last time I got an Epson 895 I think, from Costco or Sam's club.   Everything is very simple, it never jams or gives me fits trying to calibrate ink cartridges, and the ink is relatively cheap.

[Billy Welsh]

Bob's commission check from HP is already on its way  .  But I will make a note if this one gives me any grief.  As Bob pointed out, the price makes it disposable!

[Mark]

I'm late to this thread and see the printer was already purchased.  I'll be curious about both of your experiences with these new HP printers.  I had a pretty negative experience recently - was called to my cousin's house to fix her printer over some beers.  She actually had TWO of these newer HP MFP and had multiple issues with scanning and printing on both. They wouldn't do either at all or wouldn't do either consistently.  I think one would scan fine most of the time and the other would print most the time.  With the ink cartridges that came with one of them, it claimed they were not authentic or that the subscription was expired and would not let her use them at all.  Brand new and came with the printer!

She had two because of the issues with the first one and thought it wasn't compatible with her computer, so bought a second thinking she'd return the first.  Hopefully this was just a fluke, but as a former HP printer connoisseur, I will never trust or recommend one of these again.  Maybe this is unique to this line of printer (subscription ink) and the laser printers are still in good shape, we'll find out soon when I replace some here.

I have had a Brother laser MFP at home for 8 or so years now that has been very good to me, believe it or not.  Everything works.  It was not cloud print ready, but has an app, WiFi printing, scan to computer, etc.  Can use a Raspberry Pi to add cloud print and it doesn't need to connect to the printer to do so.  Tested, but realized I have almost no use for cloud print.

[Billy Welsh]

I will give it an early thumbs-up for ease of setup (almost like my JD Power award for initial quality but a little too early for that).


Took it out the box, put the ink in, plugged it in, chose English, no WebServices, and was immediately able to print from the iDevices.  Wired LAN connection only, and it picked up an IP from the firewall - I had to config nothing.


I have not yet set up any PC's.  I am dreading the possibility of bloatware on the CD.  Maybe that's changed over the years (fingers crossed).

[Mark]

As far as bloatware, try just setting it up as a network printer without installing anything on the PCs.  Not sure how that will effect scanning though.

Hopefully DHCP will not be an issue.  Probably using WSD or whatever it's called.

[Jeff Golas]

What he said. You will need some scanning software from them for interactive scanning but beyond that only a driver which can be downloaded.

As far as bloatware, try just setting it up as a network printer without installing anything on the PCs.  Not sure how that will effect scanning though.

Hopefully DHCP will not be an issue.  Probably using WSD or whatever it's called.

[Billy Welsh]

I was planning to do exactly what you guys suggest.  Unless the wife develops an urgent printing need between now and whenever I have time for that.  If so, her PC will get the CD version and I'll see how bad it is before doing anything to mine.


Scanning is the ?.  It will be my only network scanner, so hopefully that can be done with just a driver or utility.

[Jeff Golas]

On mine, I didn't use the utility. Just set up a network share on my desktop PC, and set up the scanner to scan to it. If you want email integration, etc then you'll need the software.