Brother MFC-J885DW AIO $40+FS

[MrNoBody]

$39.99 Shipped @ OfficeDepot/OfficeMax
Brother MFC-J885DW WiFi Color Inkjet AIO
Add to cart to see price, Limit 2 per customer.

fyi, this model has the new hardware/firmware which blocks use of 'generic' cartridges.

[space-time]

MrNoBody wrote:
...
fyi, this model has the new hardware/firmware which blocks use of 'generic' cartridges.

in that case I do not know whether it makes sense to buy this unit.

I have an earlier model, MFC-J835DW, and even with the OEM ink, the photos were not as good as those from Canon MP560. I keep the Brother for school projects, but even those are rare these days as more and more projects are in Google drive so there is very little to print at home.

if you want high quality photo: use a photo lab or use a Canon/Epson

If you want cheap color prints: find an older Brother that takes "generic" cartridges.

If you want cheap B&W: use a laser

[testcase]

I too had an earlier model, MFC-J825DW. I was very happy with it and the performance I received using generic ink. I needed to get something smaller for my RV otherwise, I'd still be using it.

[tenders]

How quaint. I will never buy another inkjet printer.

High quality B&W: laser (95% of my printing)
Low quality color: cheap color laser (4% of my printing)
High quality photo: drugstore (1% of my printing)
High quality non-photo color: I don’t do any of this, but if I did, I’d send it to FedEx/Kinko’s online, and go pick it up.

[RAMd®d]

in that case I do not know whether it makes sense to buy this unit.

To me, it makes no sense, unless you buy three or four, and toss them when the carts dry up.


If you want cheap color prints: find an older Brother that takes "generic" cartridges.

Older? Is this the way of all/most modern inkjets?


How quaint. I will never buy another inkjet printer.

I'm similarly inclined. A cheap B&W Laser would suit me just fine.

Now if this deal were for a B&W Laser AIO, I'd be interested. Is there such a thing?

[Robert M]

RAM,

Most modern inkjets and many modern lasers now require the chipped consumables. Remember, they use the Gillette business model. Sell the printer cheap and scrunch your wanky on the ink and toner.

That said... No regrets buying the pro level HP inkjets. They're still rock solid printers, especially the 86xxx and 87xxx series. Still more expensive to run than a basic B&W laser but not by much since I always use discounts and coupons and catch sales to reduce the cost of consumables.

There are always deals on B&W lasers. It'as just a matter of finding them and timing the purchase right. And, always remember to catch a sale and use coupons/promo codes/etc to reduce the price further.

I haven't paid full price for a printer or consumables in a _very_ long time.

My tally:

High quality B&W: laser printers at my office and my personal Officejet Pro 8600. (90% of my printing)
Low quality color: Office's Officejet Pro 8620 or my personal Officejet Pro 8600 (8% printing)
High quality photo: drugstore (1% of my printing)
High quality non-photo color: Local printer, i.e. Fedex Office (1% of my printing)

Robert