{"video_id":"Fqxb3aquvm8","title":"Why are printers so terrible? $4 vs $400 printer","channel":"Linus Tech Tips","show":"Linus Tech Tips","published_at":"2025-05-04T14:53:29Z","duration_s":784,"segments":[{"start_s":1.439,"end_s":5.84,"text":"my paper it's due in 3","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.2,"end_s":24.199,"text":"hours and that's how he learned the hard way to never trust a fart and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":20.24,"end_s":26.8,"text":"print wait a minute it's present year I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":24.199,"end_s":33.28,"text":"don't even own a printer and I'm not alone since 2008 the printer Market has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.519,"end_s":37.28,"text":"been steadily shrinking but while we don't need them nearly as often as our","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":35.04,"end_s":42.28,"text":"ancestors did they are still legitimately useful when they work","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":39.6,"end_s":46.039,"text":"properly you can cut down on screen time and eye fatigue by printing out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.96,"end_s":51.28,"text":"documents for markup you can make notes and Q cards that work without a battery","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":49.079,"end_s":57.199,"text":"and you can even use them for classic pranks AMD is going to announce a new","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.399,"end_s":63.16,"text":"chip and this chip trust me this chip is good what what the what what's that what","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.079,"end_s":67.64,"text":"but the question is has the printer industry finally figured out how to be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.56,"end_s":72.84,"text":"less terrible or are they still treating ink like it's Chanel Number Five infused","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":70.36,"end_s":77.92,"text":"with scorpion venom what about the units themselves do you need to spend $400 to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":76.2,"end_s":85.159,"text":"get reasonable quality what if you bought something secondhand for $4 or 40","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":81.6,"end_s":88.24,"text":"could it still print out this segue to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":85.159,"end_s":90.479,"text":"our sponsor I fix it while a shiny new","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":88.24,"end_s":95.0,"text":"iPhone may be tempting you can just repair your old one learn","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":92.52,"end_s":100.0,"text":"more about how you can save 20% off their iPhone screen and Battery Parts at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":97.32,"end_s":100.0,"text":"the end of this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":107.24,"end_s":115.04,"text":"video These Days sealed ink cartridges are out and refillable tanks are in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":113.24,"end_s":120.119,"text":"especially if you print a lot and that's where something like the Epson ecotank","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":116.84,"end_s":122.64,"text":"ET 4850 comes in it's about $400 brand","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":120.119,"end_s":127.32,"text":"new packed with features and sips ink straight from the bottle saving on both","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":124.439,"end_s":131.72,"text":"cost and on plastic waste now this was my first time using a tank style printer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":129.72,"end_s":135.72,"text":"so I wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of setup but it ended up being","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.64,"end_s":140.12,"text":"very simple squeeze the ink into the tanks plug it into whatever type of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":137.64,"end_s":145.08,"text":"computer you've got and print as for refills it seems like the industry has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.44,"end_s":149.68,"text":"yielded somewhat to customer demands and 20 bucks is going to get you a big old","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":147.08,"end_s":154.4,"text":"bottle of genuine black Epson ink drop from drop it is still roughly a tenth","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":152.04,"end_s":158.08,"text":"the price of Chanel Number 5 but that still puts the cost per sheet down to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":156.319,"end_s":163.0,"text":"around a qu of a cent we're going to have it linked down below of course you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":160.48,"end_s":167.08,"text":"also don't need to buy this stuff unlike HP who as recently as a couple of months","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.4,"end_s":171.959,"text":"ago was trying to force you to buy a subscription to print more than a few","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.959,"end_s":174.319,"text":"pages a month Epson does no genuine ink","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.959,"end_s":178.68,"text":"checks the print quality is crisp vibrant and reasonably quick we averaged","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":176.56,"end_s":183.239,"text":"around seven pages per minute in our 600 DPI test run and you can connect to it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":181.08,"end_s":186.799,"text":"however you want including asking Alexa to print off a sheet of graph paper it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":185.4,"end_s":191.92,"text":"even includes a scanner with fax functionality so at this point you can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":189.159,"end_s":196.159,"text":"build yourself a DIY continuous ink system but if your budget allows a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.0,"end_s":199.959,"text":"system like this is pretty much endgame for most people's needs as for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.92,"end_s":203.959,"text":"competition Canon has some really nice options as well even though we didn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":201.36,"end_s":208.04,"text":"get them for this video and brother they have their ink vestment tank line but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":206.159,"end_s":212.12,"text":"seem to have lost the plot a little bit it's kind of convoluted now with that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":210.0,"end_s":217.56,"text":"said even a non-con convoluted tank system is not for everyone a big caveat","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":214.92,"end_s":222.72,"text":"here is that ink tanks are full of well Liquid Ink and liquid has a tendency to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":220.08,"end_s":228.64,"text":"dry up so if you only print one document every few months there's a solid","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.159,"end_s":233.319,"text":"chance that you'll that you'll go to use it only to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":231.04,"end_s":238.239,"text":"find out that one or more of your colors won't print because Inky goo is gummed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":235.519,"end_s":241.68,"text":"up the print head if this happens and the printer selfcleaning cycle doesn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.079,"end_s":245.92,"text":"unstick everything you're going to have to either do the dirty job of manually","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.079,"end_s":250.36,"text":"cleaning it or you'll have to replace the print head or ink dampers all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.72,"end_s":253.879,"text":"together while Epson has made spare parts available they only have four","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.12,"end_s":257.359,"text":"distributors throughout America with very limited stock meaning once the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":255.48,"end_s":261.079,"text":"thing hits end of life it could be challenging to find those parts again","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":259.4,"end_s":268.84,"text":"the other issue with these systems is The Upfront price of $400 so without","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":264.28,"end_s":271.639,"text":"further Ado may I introduce my $40 model","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":268.84,"end_s":276.0,"text":"haha the the pantom p2500w we found this monochrome laser","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":274.12,"end_s":280.16,"text":"printer on Craigslist but we could have picked up a similar openbox model for a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":278.4,"end_s":284.84,"text":"pretty similar price from our local reliable supplier Facebook Marketplace","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.12,"end_s":291.56,"text":"or wherever the case may be in terms of features it's a printer no scan no facts","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":288.88,"end_s":298.039,"text":"manual duplexing only and it will not listen when you talk to it it does have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":294.52,"end_s":301.0,"text":"Wi-Fi but only using 2.4 GHz and at the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":298.039,"end_s":304.88,"text":"back you'll find power USB type B and a little cutout suggesting that they were","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":302.72,"end_s":310.0,"text":"thinking of adding networking but never did initial setup was a little tougher","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":307.32,"end_s":313.919,"text":"this time Windows 11 recognized it but could only print out a garbled page but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":312.12,"end_s":317.16,"text":"then when we tried it on Linux it worked fine and then after that we plugged it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":315.52,"end_s":322.039,"text":"into our Windows 11 machine and it suddenly worked why we're not quite sure","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":319.56,"end_s":326.479,"text":"but it works now and while the print quality isn't perfect it's a little","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":324.12,"end_s":330.28,"text":"streaky for text documents it is perfectly serviceable and it still","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":328.319,"end_s":336.28,"text":"shines when it comes to the big advantages of laser like shelf stability","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":333.6,"end_s":341.24,"text":"because toner is a dry powder there's no urgency to keep the ink flowing it can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.52,"end_s":345.0,"text":"sit idly for months sometimes even years without degrading to the point of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":342.56,"end_s":348.639,"text":"becoming unusable and when you do eventually decide to use your printer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":346.6,"end_s":355.08,"text":"you will almost certainly appreciate the speed in spite of being on the uh older","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":351.919,"end_s":357.16,"text":"side it advertises 22 pages per minute","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":355.08,"end_s":361.84,"text":"and hit that number almost dead on during our longer print run this thing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":359.0,"end_s":367.639,"text":"is so fast f it practically smokes by the 10th page wait wait that actually","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":364.319,"end_s":369.919,"text":"does look like smoke but as it turns out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":367.639,"end_s":374.28,"text":"it steamed Laser Printers work through heat and paper usually contains small","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":372.28,"end_s":378.36,"text":"amounts of moisture and well heat plus moisture makes steam add in a bit of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":376.08,"end_s":382.88,"text":"toner or dust and it can look a bit like smoke but don't worry about it now this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":380.96,"end_s":386.8,"text":"is far from the only option as I alluded to before there are plenty of budget","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":385.28,"end_s":392.199,"text":"secondhand Laser Printers out there from the likes of Samsung SLP or from brother","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":390.36,"end_s":396.759,"text":"and as long as you verify that there's driver support for your operating system","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":394.24,"end_s":401.639,"text":"they tend to be extremely longlasting machines I think my old Samsung unit has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":399.44,"end_s":405.36,"text":"been in service for over 10 years and like still works like the day we got it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":403.759,"end_s":408.759,"text":"the reason we chose to highlight a pantom model though was because we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":407.08,"end_s":413.199,"text":"thought it was a little more interesting than those other brands despite this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":410.88,"end_s":417.56,"text":"printer being released over a decade ago most North Americans probably wouldn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":415.12,"end_s":422.28,"text":"recognize the brand but their history is extremely interesting Phantom's parent","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":419.919,"end_s":427.599,"text":"company ninestar originally specialized in making bootleg lockout chips for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":424.919,"end_s":431.919,"text":"third-party ink and toner refills in 2010 they launched the first pantom","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":429.96,"end_s":436.8,"text":"product China's first domestic laser printer followed by a global rollout","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":433.879,"end_s":442.039,"text":"over the next months then in 2016 they bought lexark and in 2023 they were","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":439.8,"end_s":447.4,"text":"added to the banned Imports list by the US government on accusations of using","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":444.36,"end_s":448.879,"text":"forced labor at $50 the official toner","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":447.4,"end_s":455.12,"text":"refills would cost us more than the printer did third party on the other hand can be had","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":452.0,"end_s":457.96,"text":"for around $18 that puts this printer at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":455.12,"end_s":462.479,"text":"about 3 cents and 1 cent per page respectively now that might sound more","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":460.68,"end_s":466.96,"text":"expensive than epson's quarter Cent pages and it is but the cost of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":465.159,"end_s":472.24,"text":"ownership doesn't even out until you've printed 7,000 sheets on that tank system","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":470.479,"end_s":476.44,"text":"so if you've got 60 bucks to your name and you absolutely need to print some","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.28,"end_s":485.24,"text":"documents this is going to get the job done but wait what if you don't have 6 $","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":481.36,"end_s":485.24,"text":"enter the Canon","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":485.36,"end_s":492.0,"text":"s200 listed on Craigslist for 10 Canadian Shillings we talked them down","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":490.039,"end_s":498.039,"text":"to the maple leaf equivalent of four Freedom bucks it wasn't our first pick","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":496.199,"end_s":502.8,"text":"but buying a used printer comes with some risks and having your time wasted","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":500.12,"end_s":506.919,"text":"is definitely one of them we had dozens of other listings either ghost Us sell","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":505.0,"end_s":511.0,"text":"the printer from under us or otherwise just refuse to sell us their printer but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":508.879,"end_s":515.76,"text":"hey can released this bubble jet printer in February of 2002 and apparently they","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":514.36,"end_s":520.279,"text":"didn't have much love for this particular model because 2 months later","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":517.599,"end_s":524.56,"text":"they released the PowerShot s200 digital camera and I know I've said a lot about","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":522.479,"end_s":529.12,"text":"other brands naming schemes but at least they mostly bother to use different","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":526.56,"end_s":532.959,"text":"letters and numbers for their different products despite the slight from Canon","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":531.44,"end_s":537.72,"text":"though they did make several other printers that used the same form factor","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":535.2,"end_s":542.64,"text":"software and even ink so finding compatible cartridges all the these","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":539.68,"end_s":547.279,"text":"years later is still pretty easy from our local reliable supplier a thirdparty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":545.2,"end_s":552.279,"text":"combo pack of black and color ink was actually less than the price we paid for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":549.04,"end_s":554.8,"text":"this printer even today unfortunately","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":552.279,"end_s":558.16,"text":"bubble Jets were notorious for clogging and as far as we can tell this printer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":556.519,"end_s":562.64,"text":"may have been sitting unused since as early as","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":560.0,"end_s":566.6,"text":"2004 even after buying new ink and making a quick attempt to clean the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":564.079,"end_s":571.48,"text":"printer it's still just printing blank pages something we got in common buddy","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":569.64,"end_s":575.32,"text":"there may be hope though it just so happened that when we were starting this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":572.839,"end_s":579.519,"text":"project a few months ago lgr posted a half hourong Saga trying to get a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":577.48,"end_s":585.88,"text":"compatible printer working properly how'd that go Clint never buy an old","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":582.68,"end_s":589.44,"text":"inkjet printer this is all a complete","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":585.88,"end_s":593.48,"text":"waste of time and everything is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":589.44,"end_s":595.8,"text":"stupid oh well too late so we ordered a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":593.48,"end_s":598.959,"text":"replacement print head and oh wait is this the one oh the script says it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":597.519,"end_s":605.32,"text":"didn't arrive yet cuz it hadn't when we reviewed this but I guess it has now are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":601.16,"end_s":605.32,"text":"we just going to try it now let's do","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":606.36,"end_s":613.279,"text":"it the troubles Sho is never going to work hey this this could be the first","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":611.36,"end_s":617.12,"text":"time how long have you been doing this give feedback on the trou trou to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":617.959,"end_s":624.48,"text":"crash ah","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":621.48,"end_s":624.48,"text":"ah","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":626.92,"end_s":635.639,"text":"it all right we'll have to fil the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":630.519,"end_s":637.72,"text":"tomorrow hey you got it yep wow and all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":635.639,"end_s":641.24,"text":"it took was installing the new print head spending several hours trying to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":639.16,"end_s":645.68,"text":"force some truly ancient drivers onto Windows 11 and macOS showing up late","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":643.279,"end_s":649.279,"text":"for the company softball game getting in a solid 6 hours of sleep and then first","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":647.72,"end_s":653.839,"text":"thing in the morning putting together a Linux test bench adding the guten print","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":651.8,"end_s":659.8,"text":"drivers connecting the printer tracking down a random printer test page website","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":656.36,"end_s":662.56,"text":"he voila not bad actually I mean not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":659.8,"end_s":667.32,"text":"great but not bad taking some of the joy out of this is the fact that we are now","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":663.959,"end_s":669.24,"text":"at $34 including that new print head","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":667.32,"end_s":674.639,"text":"plus the new ink that we bought earlier plus paying people to do the troubleshooting and whatever the test","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":671.839,"end_s":679.68,"text":"bench Hardware cost but I have this now in fact compared to our Epson the colors","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":676.92,"end_s":684.32,"text":"are more vibrant and our text is more legible there are a few additional","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":681.92,"end_s":688.279,"text":"drawbacks though it leaves big streaks in the print occasionally the yellow","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":686.079,"end_s":693.32,"text":"seems to pick up lots of tiny specks of cyan and magenta for some reason and the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":691.16,"end_s":698.88,"text":"ink cartridges while costing mere Pocket Change only hold enough ink for up to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":695.6,"end_s":703.399,"text":"170 pages of text so be prepared to swap","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":698.88,"end_s":706.16,"text":"them out frequently also it's slow the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":703.399,"end_s":711.32,"text":"manual claims that in a text only best case scenario it can do five pages per","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":709.2,"end_s":715.56,"text":"minute and for full color you could be looking at several minutes per page so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":714.16,"end_s":721.279,"text":"if you're printing off a high quality photo make sure to bring some reading materials with you to pass the time uh","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":719.56,"end_s":725.92,"text":"what you could also do to pass the time is check out this message from our","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":723.56,"end_s":729.839,"text":"sponsor I fix it okay let's see some hands who's going to get the new iPhone","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":727.48,"end_s":735.199,"text":"this year okay but hold on a second have you thought about repairing your old one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":731.68,"end_s":737.44,"text":"instead you yeah you I see you and so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":735.199,"end_s":741.44,"text":"does I fix it it may seem daunting at first but with I Fixit repair guides","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":739.6,"end_s":745.48,"text":"you'll have step-by-step walkthroughs of how to disassemble and patch up your old","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":743.72,"end_s":751.48,"text":"iPhone no matter which one you're currently using that's right even the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":747.399,"end_s":754.639,"text":"Beloved iPhone 4S has over 20 guides and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":751.48,"end_s":757.279,"text":"until September 30th you can get 20% off","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":754.639,"end_s":762.6,"text":"of iFixit iPhone screen and battery replacement parts so make the affordable","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":760.199,"end_s":766.88,"text":"and perhaps more importantly sustainable Choice instead of handing over a wat of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":765.0,"end_s":770.88,"text":"cash just for the latest and greatest head to iFix it using our Link in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":768.639,"end_s":774.88,"text":"description and breathe some new life into your current iPhone if you guys","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":772.92,"end_s":781.12,"text":"like this video maybe you'll also enjoy the time we looked at a $95 3D printer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":778.36,"end_s":781.12,"text":"how bad was it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":782.12,"end_s":785.76,"text":"well not you just watch it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1}],"full_text":"my paper it's due in 3 hours and that's how he learned the hard way to never trust a fart and print wait a minute it's present year I don't even own a printer and I'm not alone since 2008 the printer Market has been steadily shrinking but while we don't need them nearly as often as our ancestors did they are still legitimately useful when they work properly you can cut down on screen time and eye fatigue by printing out documents for markup you can make notes and Q cards that work without a battery and you can even use them for classic pranks AMD is going to announce a new chip and this chip trust me this chip is good what what the what what's that what but the question is has the printer industry finally figured out how to be less terrible or are they still treating ink like it's Chanel Number Five infused with scorpion venom what about the units themselves do you need to spend $400 to get reasonable quality what if you bought something secondhand for $4 or 40 could it still print out this segue to our sponsor I fix it while a shiny new iPhone may be tempting you can just repair your old one learn more about how you can save 20% off their iPhone screen and Battery Parts at the end of this video These Days sealed ink cartridges are out and refillable tanks are in especially if you print a lot and that's where something like the Epson ecotank ET 4850 comes in it's about $400 brand new packed with features and sips ink straight from the bottle saving on both cost and on plastic waste now this was my first time using a tank style printer so I wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of setup but it ended up being very simple squeeze the ink into the tanks plug it into whatever type of computer you've got and print as for refills it seems like the industry has yielded somewhat to customer demands and 20 bucks is going to get you a big old bottle of genuine black Epson ink drop from drop it is still roughly a tenth the price of Chanel Number 5 but that still puts the cost per sheet down to around a qu of a cent we're going to have it linked down below of course you also don't need to buy this stuff unlike HP who as recently as a couple of months ago was trying to force you to buy a subscription to print more than a few pages a month Epson does no genuine ink checks the print quality is crisp vibrant and reasonably quick we averaged around seven pages per minute in our 600 DPI test run and you can connect to it however you want including asking Alexa to print off a sheet of graph paper it even includes a scanner with fax functionality so at this point you can build yourself a DIY continuous ink system but if your budget allows a system like this is pretty much endgame for most people's needs as for the competition Canon has some really nice options as well even though we didn't get them for this video and brother they have their ink vestment tank line but seem to have lost the plot a little bit it's kind of convoluted now with that said even a non-con convoluted tank system is not for everyone a big caveat here is that ink tanks are full of well Liquid Ink and liquid has a tendency to dry up so if you only print one document every few months there's a solid chance that you'll that you'll go to use it only to find out that one or more of your colors won't print because Inky goo is gummed up the print head if this happens and the printer selfcleaning cycle doesn't unstick everything you're going to have to either do the dirty job of manually cleaning it or you'll have to replace the print head or ink dampers all together while Epson has made spare parts available they only have four distributors throughout America with very limited stock meaning once the thing hits end of life it could be challenging to find those parts again the other issue with these systems is The Upfront price of $400 so without further Ado may I introduce my $40 model haha the the pantom p2500w we found this monochrome laser printer on Craigslist but we could have picked up a similar openbox model for a pretty similar price from our local reliable supplier Facebook Marketplace or wherever the case may be in terms of features it's a printer no scan no facts manual duplexing only and it will not listen when you talk to it it does have Wi-Fi but only using 2.4 GHz and at the back you'll find power USB type B and a little cutout suggesting that they were thinking of adding networking but never did initial setup was a little tougher this time Windows 11 recognized it but could only print out a garbled page but then when we tried it on Linux it worked fine and then after that we plugged it into our Windows 11 machine and it suddenly worked why we're not quite sure but it works now and while the print quality isn't perfect it's a little streaky for text documents it is perfectly serviceable and it still shines when it comes to the big advantages of laser like shelf stability because toner is a dry powder there's no urgency to keep the ink flowing it can sit idly for months sometimes even years without degrading to the point of becoming unusable and when you do eventually decide to use your printer you will almost certainly appreciate the speed in spite of being on the uh older side it advertises 22 pages per minute and hit that number almost dead on during our longer print run this thing is so fast f it practically smokes by the 10th page wait wait that actually does look like smoke but as it turns out it steamed Laser Printers work through heat and paper usually contains small amounts of moisture and well heat plus moisture makes steam add in a bit of toner or dust and it can look a bit like smoke but don't worry about it now this is far from the only option as I alluded to before there are plenty of budget secondhand Laser Printers out there from the likes of Samsung SLP or from brother and as long as you verify that there's driver support for your operating system they tend to be extremely longlasting machines I think my old Samsung unit has been in service for over 10 years and like still works like the day we got it the reason we chose to highlight a pantom model though was because we thought it was a little more interesting than those other brands despite this printer being released over a decade ago most North Americans probably wouldn't recognize the brand but their history is extremely interesting Phantom's parent company ninestar originally specialized in making bootleg lockout chips for third-party ink and toner refills in 2010 they launched the first pantom product China's first domestic laser printer followed by a global rollout over the next months then in 2016 they bought lexark and in 2023 they were added to the banned Imports list by the US government on accusations of using forced labor at $50 the official toner refills would cost us more than the printer did third party on the other hand can be had for around $18 that puts this printer at about 3 cents and 1 cent per page respectively now that might sound more expensive than epson's quarter Cent pages and it is but the cost of ownership doesn't even out until you've printed 7,000 sheets on that tank system so if you've got 60 bucks to your name and you absolutely need to print some documents this is going to get the job done but wait what if you don't have 6 $ enter the Canon s200 listed on Craigslist for 10 Canadian Shillings we talked them down to the maple leaf equivalent of four Freedom bucks it wasn't our first pick but buying a used printer comes with some risks and having your time wasted is definitely one of them we had dozens of other listings either ghost Us sell the printer from under us or otherwise just refuse to sell us their printer but hey can released this bubble jet printer in February of 2002 and apparently they didn't have much love for this particular model because 2 months later they released the PowerShot s200 digital camera and I know I've said a lot about other brands naming schemes but at least they mostly bother to use different letters and numbers for their different products despite the slight from Canon though they did make several other printers that used the same form factor software and even ink so finding compatible cartridges all the these years later is still pretty easy from our local reliable supplier a thirdparty combo pack of black and color ink was actually less than the price we paid for this printer even today unfortunately bubble Jets were notorious for clogging and as far as we can tell this printer may have been sitting unused since as early as 2004 even after buying new ink and making a quick attempt to clean the printer it's still just printing blank pages something we got in common buddy there may be hope though it just so happened that when we were starting this project a few months ago lgr posted a half hourong Saga trying to get a compatible printer working properly how'd that go Clint never buy an old inkjet printer this is all a complete waste of time and everything is stupid oh well too late so we ordered a replacement print head and oh wait is this the one oh the script says it didn't arrive yet cuz it hadn't when we reviewed this but I guess it has now are we just going to try it now let's do it the troubles Sho is never going to work hey this this could be the first time how long have you been doing this give feedback on the trou trou to crash ah ah it all right we'll have to fil the tomorrow hey you got it yep wow and all it took was installing the new print head spending several hours trying to force some truly ancient drivers onto Windows 11 and macOS showing up late for the company softball game getting in a solid 6 hours of sleep and then first thing in the morning putting together a Linux test bench adding the guten print drivers connecting the printer tracking down a random printer test page website he voila not bad actually I mean not great but not bad taking some of the joy out of this is the fact that we are now at $34 including that new print head plus the new ink that we bought earlier plus paying people to do the troubleshooting and whatever the test bench Hardware cost but I have this now in fact compared to our Epson the colors are more vibrant and our text is more legible there are a few additional drawbacks though it leaves big streaks in the print occasionally the yellow seems to pick up lots of tiny specks of cyan and magenta for some reason and the ink cartridges while costing mere Pocket Change only hold enough ink for up to 170 pages of text so be prepared to swap them out frequently also it's slow the manual claims that in a text only best case scenario it can do five pages per minute and for full color you could be looking at several minutes per page so if you're printing off a high quality photo make sure to bring some reading materials with you to pass the time uh what you could also do to pass the time is check out this message from our sponsor I fix it okay let's see some hands who's going to get the new iPhone this year okay but hold on a second have you thought about repairing your old one instead you yeah you I see you and so does I fix it it may seem daunting at first but with I Fixit repair guides you'll have step-by-step walkthroughs of how to disassemble and patch up your old iPhone no matter which one you're currently using that's right even the Beloved iPhone 4S has over 20 guides and until September 30th you can get 20% off of iFixit iPhone screen and battery replacement parts so make the affordable and perhaps more importantly sustainable Choice instead of handing over a wat of cash just for the latest and greatest head to iFix it using our Link in the description and breathe some new life into your current iPhone if you guys like this video maybe you'll also enjoy the time we looked at a $95 3D printer how bad was it well not you just watch it"}