I want to support this but what stops me is ink. Is ink the best choice over toner or laser?
Dude just get a powder toner laser printer. I've been filling the stock toners in my Lexmark instead of buying ink. Fuck, ink.
inkjet
Virtually useless unless it supports non consumer ink cartridges or you buy chinese drop in knockoffs.
And even then only if you need to print graphics/images in high quality.
All hail laser.
All hail laser.
No love for the 9 pin dot matrix?
There is still work to do before it lands in users' hands. The team says it is optimizing the ink-drying system, refining printhead cleaning cycles, improving paper insertion, and trying to boost print speeds. On the software side, work continues on Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, as well as dithering algorithms designed to improve image quality.
Here's the video of it in action:
It's cool, but "It uses refillable HP cartridge bodies – HP 63 in the US and HP 302 in Europe" worries me. I used to have a high-end inkjet for art prints, and then they discontinued the ink cartridges. You can still technically get them on ebay, but they're at scalpers mark-up. So I don't hold much hope for this lasting in the long run.
I would be surprised if a cartridge being discontinued would kill an open source project like this. They could switch to a different cartridge.
I'd assume they're doing the one for now because it's cheap-ish and has widespread availability. There's little reason not to expand to other cartridges once the rest of the printer is more stable.
Good thing this is just a prototype
Hopefully this means no hidden yellow tracking dots.
If someone can make an open-source 24 pin dot matrix printer, that would rule.
The sound of a dot matrix printer is bliss
Just hammering away like it's life depends on it then that sweet rip of the page
Man that brings me back
Aaand its dependent on HP print cartridges. This is a hard problem but the dependence on HP will probably backfire
But you can just refill those yourself. The biggest problem with HP printers is that it times out cartridges, even if there's ink left.
From what I can tell the print head is built into the cartridge and that's the hard part for printer technology.
But I think you might be right depending only on the hp cartridge will open them up to cease and desist. If they make it also use a cannon cartridge that also has a print head then I think they might be ok
It's a pity that it is using the worst printheads available on the market, the HP disposable ones. Good for up to ten prints I guess
For anything beyond document printing, I agree with you. But for this use case, the fact that the print head is disposable is a good call. Large plotter printers have dump trays and maintainence cycles to keep the ink liquid and moving, the parts are more expensive to replace.
Because your only using the head and ink well independently, nothing is counting pages or stopping you from refilling it. Its the best of both sides of consumable parts.
On the one hand, I'm really excited about this because the printer industry is literally the worst. On the other hand, I haven't printed anything for years, I probably won't use it much/ever.
Its probably just much cheaper and easier, unless you absolutely have to have color, to go to good will and get a brother laser printer for like 10 bucks.
I got one years ago and its still on the original toner cart it came with, and I print decently often.
I print things still pretty consistently. Random forms that need hard copies to have a wet signature, activity sheets for the kids to color, templates for drilling holes in walls, etc. Make the business a lot less toxic and I think you’ll start seeing printers in more homes again.
Say it with me pow-der based to-ners.
Would be nice, if it was USB by default and Ethernet/Wifi just a module you attach. For most private users, the IoT part of printers is actually a security hazard. Especially for such a portable device.
Edit: private users
Ethernet by default with an optional WiFi module would be ideal.
i can’t remember the last job i had with non networked printers. that would only work with very small offices.
I'll stick with my 15 year old brother laser that's still works just fine.
Pre AI driven ram/nand increases: < $500 probably. Now, probably >= $1000.
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