printer for university

[kymom99]

Oh, so no smart TVs with access to Netflix?

Actually, my DS said he's not taking his TV to res... too distracting, he says, but he doesn't watch much TV now. What he does is go on Netflix and Disney+ on his Macbook and sit in his room watching 'tv' that way.

I wonder if the school will be watching for large bandwidth going to computers that way?

My son is going to be a senior. His freshman year he got a tv for Christmas so just had it for the spring semester. He used his laptop to watch Netflix and if he wanted to watch it on tv he used an hdmi cord. His sophomore year we set it up in January as well. Fall semester seems to be more going on outdoors or coming home on weekends for things. Last year he didn’t use the tv at all. A lot of kids use them for gaming. He has stayed in a dorm every year. He prefers the convenience.

At his school there is a study center in every dorm building with access to printers. I’m not sure if they are open 24 hours. I’d have to ask him. But he has never needed a printer at school for his purposes.

 

[kymom99]

Yes, a secondary thing to consider is the type of printer ink.Inkjet printers use fluid printer ink, whereas laser printers tend to use dry, powder ink. If an inkjet printer isn't used frequently, the bottoms of the printer cartridges and the print head, (the holder for the printer cartridges and where the ink flows out of onto the paper), dries up and clogs. Sometimes, one can use rubbing alcohol/hand sanitizer to break up and dissolve the dried up clogs. However, we now need hand sanitizer as actual hand sanitizer, and that may be in short supply. And it's iffy on when/if it will work on the clogs.

I have a great Canon multifunction color inkjet printer. But, I used it so infrequently, that when I finally want to get it up and working again, I will have to replace all the ink cartridges and the print head - which normally isn't something that needs to be replaced. I basically use it for scanning old photos & documents now into my computer. No printing. But, if I don't need a high quality, perfect scan, I just use my cell phone to take a photo of the document.

I’ve had the same problem

 

[tcufrog]

oh that makes sense. Of course. My son does have two monitors, so that might be his choice, for sure.

That reminds me, one of the things the school said to bring is a landline phone. I’d be shocked if any of these kids didn’t have a cell phone, so I wonder why they need a landline phone.

A friend of mine’s daughter ended up getting a landline because her old dorm, which was made of concrete blocks, had poor cell reception. I still have a landline at home for that reason. Another possibility is that they haven’t done a good job of updating the list.

 

[design_mom]

If an inkjet printer isn't used frequently, the bottoms of the printer cartridges and the print head, (the holder for the printer cartridges and where the ink flows out of onto the paper), dries up and clogs.

^^That is so frustrating and happened to us a lot. Any time I wanted to print anything, I'd have to spend 1/2 hour (or more) trying to get the ink jets unclogged. We finally broke down and bought a cheap laser printer (Cannon ImageClass D570). It's been a game changer. It's only black and white, but when you say "print" the thing actually prints! Glory be!

We've had it for about 18 months, and just got the "low toner" warning (but it's still printing fine). I went online and can get a replacement toner cartridge for under $25. I do miss having color occassionally, but NOT having to deal with the ink jet printers makes it totally worth the sacrifice.

 

[Imzadi]

^^That is so frustrating and happened to us a lot. Any time I wanted to print anything, I'd have to spend 1/2 hour (or more) trying to get the ink jets unclogged. We finally broke down and bought a cheap laser printer (Cannon ImageClass D570). It's been a game changer. It's only black and white, but when you say "print" the thing actually prints! Glory be!

We've had it for about 18 months, and just got the "low toner" warning (but it's still printing fine). I went online and can get a replacement toner cartridge for under $25. I do miss having color occassionally, but NOT having to deal with the ink jet printers makes it totally worth the sacrifice.

You may be able to trick the printer into using up all the toner in the cartridge. In many laser printers, a sensor that says the cartridge is out of ink way before it really is. You may be able to get a couple hundred more printed pages. Often it just requires putting a piece of tape over the place on the cartridge that the printer's sensor reads. So it thinks it's still full. Google your model and see if it's one of the printers that it can be done on.

I would love to get a color laser printer. Unfortunately, a basic color multifunction still comes in at about $325. The price has never dropped on them.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Yeah, I was looking at the color laser printers. I couldn't find one as cheap as $325, which, I guess is why we all use inkjets.

 

[Imzadi]

Yeah, I was looking at the color laser printers. I couldn't find one as cheap as $325, which, I guess is why we all use inkjets.

Here is one. It's HUGE!

https://www.staples.com/brother-mfc-l3710cw-color-all-in-one-laser-printer-with-wireless/product_24342684?cid=

It has rather good reviews at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-L3710CW-Providing-Wireless-Replenishment/dp/B07FMX1RXT/ref=sr_1_3

 

[robinb]

My daughter did not need a printer in her dorm or in her sorority. She needed one once she moved out into her apartment. I bought her a printer that included a scanner so she could make copies if she needed to.

 

[monkeydawn]

I cant say if he will need a printer but I cannot speak highly enough about my current printer, the baseline Brother black and white laser printer. Usually they can be found on sale for about $50. Will come with a starter toner that will likely last a semester, if not a year. Toner cartridges are under $35 for name brand. Generic can be had for less but quality widely varies. Since that is a once a year purchase for me I spring for the good stuff.

 

[_19disnA]

For home use, not sure you really need to do color printing. If printing photos there are many drug stores and other online places who print them at a reasonable price. When our color inkjet stopped working, we bought a reasonably priced B&W laser printer which works great for home use. For college, you need to first see what the school recommends as it may vary between different colleges.

Off brand ink cartridges can be hit/miss, some work well others are useless. You won't know until you have trouble printing. The low budget ink jet cartridges we tried in the past were junk, would never buy them again.

 

[FigmentSpark]

For home use, not sure you really need to do color printing. If printing photos there are many drug stores and other online places who print them at a reasonable price. When our color inkjet stopped working, we bought a reasonably priced B&W laser printer which works great for home use. For college, you need to first see what the school recommends as it may vary between different colleges.

Off brand ink cartridges can be hit/miss, some work well others are useless. You won't know until you have trouble printing. The low budget ink jet cartridges we tried in the past were junk, would never buy them again.

I was thinking if he had projects that required photos in the paper or slideshow.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Here is one. It's HUGE!

https://www.staples.com/brother-mfc-l3710cw-color-all-in-one-laser-printer-with-wireless/product_24342684?cid=

It has rather good reviews at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-L3710CW-Providing-Wireless-Replenishment/dp/B07FMX1RXT/ref=sr_1_3

Interesting. $391 in CAD funds on our Staples site. Probably more than I want to spend for his drom. Also, space would be an issue, I expect. I'm hoping he'll have a private room, but the other option is sharing, so half a room.

 

[_19disnA]

All in one printers have a lot of added features a college student will seldom use. Look instead for a B&W laser printer without all those extra features.

 

[Imzadi]

Toner cartridges are under $35 for name brand. Generic can be had for less but quality widely varies. Since that is a once a year purchase for me I spring for the good stuff.

Off brand ink cartridges can be hit/miss, some work well others are useless. You won't know until you have trouble printing. The low budget ink jet cartridges we tried in the past were junk, would never buy them again.

Yes, I currently have the Staples brand generic toner in my Brother black & white laser printer. It prints clearly, but the toner is not as dark as I want. It's annoying.