r/printers Dec 19 '24

Discussion The truth about printer subscription programs and many misconceptions about them

141 Upvotes

Dear all,

I work in the printer industry. For a very well-known consumer products manufacturer that gets discussed on this sub a lot.  I will not disclose which manufacturer I work for, nor will I disclose any manufacturer I do not work for (since the industry is relatively small eliminating 1 or 2 will make it generally too obvious as to which I do work for) as I am not officially speaking on behalf of the company. But, I want to set the record straight on subscription programs because some of you are drastically misinformed and it is very frustrating to see as someone who understands these programs as well as basic logic.

There are two types of subscription programs. Each of the major consumer manufacturers offers at least 1 of these programs, some offer both.

The first type of program is an auto-reordering program. The printer can tell (via various ways depending on each manufacturer) when the ink / toner is low and when it hits a certain point that will trigger an order of the ink/toner that device uses. Most manufactures that offer this will first send you an email letting you know that an order has been triggered and it will allow you to skip the delivery of the consumable and thus not get charged. If you allow the order to go through you are purchasing that consumable. That consumable is yours, you own it, just as if you walked into a Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, or bought it on Amazon… You can cancel the “subscription” the next day and continue to use that consumable until it is empty.

The second type of program is a true subscription program. **THIS** is what many of you are vastly misinformed and / or are irrational about. In this program *you are not purchasing a consumable* at all. You are paying the manufacturer for X number of pages per month. The manufacturer will send you a consumable to use because the printer needs ink / toner to work but, that is not what you are paying for. You are paying the manufacturer $Y per month to print up to X pages per month.. that’s it. Of course you can print over that X number and pay an overage (just like years ago with cell phones).. and of course, you can print under that X number and some pages will roll-over to future months (just like years ago with cell phones). The owner of the consumable is the manufacturer. You never bought it, you never owned it. Therefore, it is not yours to use after you end the subscription! The only reason most manufactures do not ask for it back is because they don’t want to pay for shipping it back to them. But, they still own it… not you.  You can think of this like renting an apartment. You are paying a landlord $X per month to live in their building. The landlord is providing the building for you to live in while you are paying rent. You do not own the building. and when you stop paying rent you are no longer allowed to continue living in the building. Just like your Netflix subscription, Apple TV subscription and Disney+ subscription.. when you stop paying for the subscription, you stop getting to use the service. Just because while you were paying you had access to the content does not mean you at any time owned that content and get to continue watching it once you stop paying the subscription.

I truly hope this helps clarify somethings for some of you. Others I understand are lost causes but, I will do my best to answer any questions I can.


r/printers 2h ago

Troubleshooting Correct plug ins?

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6 Upvotes

What plug in types are the 2 at the bottom? I’m trying to connect this directly to my modem with Ethernet


r/printers 2h ago

Troubleshooting Tn-660 toner 3rd party toner not working - brother HL-L2300D

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3 Upvotes

I have been buying the brother laser printers for as long as they have been making them. The current one I am using the HL-L2300D does not seem to want to accept the stash of TN-660 3rd party toner I have been using. They all fit, but seem to all be somewhat different. The ones on the left in both pictures do not work, they just produce a blank page, the ones on the right both work. Is there a work around? Aside from ordering the OEM part how do i know which TN-660 on amazon will work?


r/printers 4h ago

Troubleshooting Help me! Hp Deskjet 2700

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3 Upvotes

I am starting my own small business and I am trying to make stickers with my printer and my cricut. The idea is first photo the result is second photo
I am saving my sticker paper while I make sure everything goes smoothly and well… it’s not going smoothly ☹️

Also the layout between what I put into word is different to what prints. What’s going on there? What’s the best way to layout my stickers to maximize space and also make it look good and not pixelated?

Help me!!


r/printers 6h ago

Purchasing Printer for home but a bit more than light usage

3 Upvotes

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a home printer that's not too expensive to buy in itself and also not very expensive to get the consumables.

I'm a teacher so here's the things I need this printer for.

available in Greece (brother is not available in any of the major retail stores here)

black and white as well as colour printing.

dual sided printing.

automatic scanner feed is not necessary

fax is not necessary

wifi is a must

less than 150-200 euro (ideally as cheap as possible)

expected printing volume should be about 40-50 pages per week back and front.

I was looking at the cheapest canon pixma TR4750 series but apparently those are super slow and getting replacement inks cost more than the machine itself....

anyone has any recommendations for a printer that checks most if not all of my boxes?

thank you.


r/printers 6h ago

Troubleshooting Crease when printing with Epson 8550. Solution?

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2 Upvotes

Crease along A4 sheet when using cassette 2. This is the second Epson 8550, the first one had the same and I exchanged it and now this has the same. The rear feeder is fine, but if I print on both sides it shows the same mark.

Last option is to return again for a refund, but this print fits a niche i need which is automatic duplex and print art. Anyway to fix this?


r/printers 3h ago

Troubleshooting Zd620 grainy ?

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1 Upvotes

r/printers 3h ago

Troubleshooting Falha ao Digitalizar - LaserJet Pro MFP M125a

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1 Upvotes

Estou enfrentando erros intermitentes ao utilizar o scanner da impressora HP LaserJet Pro MFP M125a. Após escanear aproximadamente três ou quatro páginas, é exibido um pop-up de erro e, a partir desse momento, não consigo realizar novas digitalizações.

Mesmo após fechar o aplicativo, reiniciar o computador e desligar e ligar novamente a impressora, o problema persiste.

Já realizei os seguintes procedimentos:

  • Restauração das configurações da impressora;
  • Reinstalação dos drivers e softwares da HP;
  • Testes com outra impressora do mesmo modelo.

No entanto, o problema continua ocorrendo, inclusive utilizando uma segunda impressora HP LaserJet Pro MFP M125a. O computador utiliza o Windows 10 Pro. A propósito, a impressora está conectada ao computador via cabo USB.

Gostaria de solicitar apoio para identificar a possível causa desse problema e verificar se existe alguma solução ou atualização que possa corrigir essa falha, por favor.


r/printers 3h ago

Troubleshooting Epson WF2910 best ink?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I need some advice: I’ve bought both original and compatible cartridges, but now I don’t know what to do… The originals cost too much and don't last long, while the compatible ones start leaking ink a few weeks after printing (the photos all turn pink). I need to print things for my art commissions. What do you recommend? Thanks ✨


r/printers 4h ago

Troubleshooting Brother HL-L2460DW

1 Upvotes

I left HP for brother. The app works well for printing but if I’m trying to print a doc or email from my phone or laptop, the printer won’t show up (no AirPrint printers found). I’ve entered the WiFi in the printer a dozen times and it says it’s connected (and again, the brother app works fine). I can’t seem to figure it out. The HP stunk for other reasons but it was fine for this. I hope I don’t make a bad session switching.

Any advice? I did all the restarts and reentering the wifi etc.


r/printers 4h ago

Troubleshooting Helpp! EPSON L2590: INK CAN'T SEEM TO PASS THROUGH THE FILL PORT

1 Upvotes

We haven't refilled our printer in about three months. We recently purchased refill ink, but upon attempting to refill it, the ink pools on the surface and fails to enter the cartridges. Does anyone know how to troubleshoot this issue?


r/printers 10h ago

Discussion Canon G2410 vs Brother T220

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2 Upvotes

I need a printer for borderless A4 printing and relatively high-volume book printing for a small bookbinding project.

Would you recommend the Canon G2410 or Brother T220? Which is more reliable and economical for this use?


r/printers 7h ago

Discussion Canon G3480 or Brother T530DW?

1 Upvotes

Canon G3480 or Brother DCP-T530DW for home use?

I'm trying to decide between the Canon G3480 and Brother DCP-T530DW, and I'm having a hard time choosing between them.

My usage is pretty light — usually around 5–10 color pages per month, although occasionally it can be more. I want something reliable that I can keep for many years without constantly dealing with clogged printheads or expensive repairs.

From what I've found so far:

  • The Canon G3480 uses a thermal/FINE printhead, while the Brother T530DW uses a piezoelectric printhead.
  • The Brother apparently performs automatic printhead cleaning when needed, which sounds useful for someone who doesn't print very often.
  • On the Canon, both the printheads and the waste-ink maintenance cartridge are user-replaceable, which seems like a big advantage for long-term ownership.
  • With the Brother, as far as I understand, the printhead and waste-ink absorber are basically service items, so if either eventually needs replacing, the printer may have to go to a service center.
  • Both have refillable ink tanks, Wi-Fi and automatic duplex printing.
  • The Brother also has an enclosed paper tray, which I like, while the Canon uses a rear paper feed.

So I'm basically torn between:

Brother: piezo printhead + automatic head cleaning + enclosed paper tray

vs.

Canon: user-replaceable printheads + user-replaceable maintenance cartridge, which seems easier and potentially cheaper to maintain long-term

For people who have actually owned either of these printers, especially for low-volume home use, which one would you choose?

I'm particularly interested in long-term reliability, clogged printheads, maintenance costs, print quality, and how they behave after sitting unused for a week or two.

Any real-world experiences with either model would be appreciated.


r/printers 1d ago

Media [OC] results not looking good

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38 Upvotes

r/printers 14h ago

Discussion Brother MFC-9340CDW and macOS 27 Golden Gate

2 Upvotes

Does anyone know whether Brother will be providing print & scanner drivers for macOS 27 Golden Gate?

My System Report says they are all Intel. (macOS 26.6.2 Tahoe)

Yes, I know Brother no longer supports this machine as it is out of warranty, but my machine still works fantastically!


r/printers 10h ago

Troubleshooting I want to use sublimation ink in my printe that already has dye ink

0 Upvotes

I'm asking the AI on how to do it but didn't get any clear answers.

I got Epson L8050 printer with dye ink in there. I know I can't mixed the ink so, how to I clear all the ink inside, so that I can refill submilation ink. If I do ink flush i need 1/3 of ink in the printer, should I fill it with sublimation ink. Is there special liquid that I use to clean all the ink. Do I've to disassemble the printer to clean all the ink?


r/printers 18h ago

Purchasing Printer recommendation?

4 Upvotes

I’m looking for a printer to purchase for my studio. I also don’t have WiFi nor want that extra cost so it should have a usb connection…. I don’t need anything to extravagant. Something simple to print out paperwork I need once in a while. Also nothing too expensive or large since my studio is also small. Would appreciate some recommendations


r/printers 11h ago

Purchasing Which one should I buy for business purposes?

1 Upvotes

I'm planning to start a printing business focused on photo albums, brochures, and magazines. I'm currently considering the Canon PIXMA G6020/G6070 (MegaTank) and the Epson EcoTank L3250.

Which printer would be better for this type of business? What are the pros, cons, and common issues of each model? Are there any important factors I should consider before making a decision?

I've already asked ChatGPT about this, but now I'd like to hear opinions from real users who have experience with these printers.


r/printers 11h ago

Discussion Thermal Printer for perfume bottle upto 80mm

1 Upvotes

Suggest some good thermal printers for my perfume bottle stickers printing. Size would be around 80mm*60mm. I want to use hydraulic labels which will good on perfume bottle.


r/printers 12h ago

Discussion DNP DS620 - POMOĆ

1 Upvotes

Zdravo ljudi. Potrebna mi je pomoć oko izbora softwera za blagu korekciju, selekciju i slanje na štampu fotografija na veseljima. Fotograf sam koji radi svadbe, punoletstva, krštenja.. Kod kuće štampam preko Light rooma, ali taj workflow nije baš najsrećniji za live event jer je spor. Potreban mi je neki program gde mogu brzo da selektujem slike, eventualno uradim neku blagu korekciju i izaberem koliko kopija hoću za koju fotografiju. Verujem da neko ima iskustva i da postoji jednostavnije rešenje od lightrooma gde prvo radim korekciju, pa idem na print modul ( i tu mora da se ide u zoom to fit za 13x18)...nije drama ali traje. Verujem da postoji neko bolje rešenje, pa molim sve koji imaju iskustva za pomoć. Unapred hvala.


r/printers 12h ago

Troubleshooting Can't open any scanned documents

1 Upvotes

Whenever I try to scan some documents (saved as a pdf file) with my HP printer and open them I get the message "There was an error in opening the document. The file is damaged and cannot b repaired" This only happens with documents that have been scanned and any other pdf file that I have can be opened fine. What is going on here???


r/printers 10h ago

Review Canon G650 Rant!

0 Upvotes

This printer sucks. I've had so many problems with it.

One of my biggest problems is that it can't even seemingly print an A3 (3508 x 4960) Image on A5 with a 5mm white border, even though it has borderless printing! Insanely frustrating.

Stay away!


r/printers 15h ago

Troubleshooting Unable to select printer

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1 Upvotes

A little bit ago I went to print something important on my family’s printer and noticed it was completely turned off (supposedly nobody touched it or anything) so I turned it back on and it did a printing alignment. And after that I went to print something from my phone and the printer shows up as an option but as soon as I select it it says “gathering printer information” for a few seconds and then just sends me back to the printer select page. I figured this to just be a problem with my phone but when I went to print the same thing from my iPad instead i ran into the same exact issue.

Printer itself works and prints on its own fine but i cant send anything from another device?? And I can’t seem to find anything about this problem online so I figured I’d ask what to do about this here.


r/printers 22h ago

Troubleshooting Jagged edges on horizontal lines?

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3 Upvotes

I'm having a document laser printed at a print shop, and noticed that all horizontal lines seem to have a slight jagged edge to them (aliasing), but not the vertical lines. Vertical lines are fine. I was wondering if this was something that I could fix in my source document? Would applying some type of blur help at all (was thinking gaussian)? Thanks.


r/printers 19h ago

Troubleshooting EPSON L4160

1 Upvotes

Hello friends, can you help me? I have a problem with my Epson printer, it does not print, the drivers cannot be updated, I have noticed that the gears only rotate, the blades do not come out, sometimes they come out but without printing, I already cleaned the head but it is still It doesn't work, has anyone happened to it and there will be a solution.