Onboard Printer (1 Viewer)

[Brains]

Due to COVID, we realised that we can run now our business from home.
This has led us to also realise we can therefore also run it from the motorhome.
Hence I've just spent £500 with MotorhomeWiFi and their recommended fitters Direct Motorhome Services and had 4G, upgradable to 5G WiFi fitted.
We have not had a chance to actually test it yet, but come the spring, I'll head off to somewhere remote with zero signal, such as central Broadstairs, and try it out with two laptops, two phones and a couple of iPads.

Which leads us to the next problem, what printer to buy ?
Has anyone any experience of regularilly running a printer in a van ?
We are after a lugable printer rather than a ultralight portable, as the furthest it's going to be lugged is between the garage at the back to the table in the front.

We don't need a lot printing, so speed is not important
Ideally we want colour, but not essential
An internal battery would be 'nice to have' but not essential, as I'd usually envisage we would be on EHU on working days.
WiFi would be a brucie bonus, but happy to use cable
Must be able to do A4 printing
Must be happy to be lugged around, bounced around, and mistreated.
Ideally a recognised brand such as HP or Canon etc.

Anyone any recommendations of what to buy, (or what not to buy) ?

 

[Lenny HB]

One with a battery would be a lightweight portable one which are ridiculously expensive for what they are. I did have a portable one that I picked up chea0p S/H worked OK for a few years but wouldn't recommend that type for business use.

As your not going to do a lot of printing just buy a cheap HP/Canon/Epson, Canon appear to be a bit smaller than the others.

 

[TheBig1]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=164248200206

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[ceejayt]

We have an HP portable A4 printer. Colour and black and white and connects via Bluetooth. Plugs in and has internal battery.
Biggest problem we have e is that when not used for months the ink cartridges dry up. It is an ink jet printer we ha e fir emergencies like printing boarding passes.
I will try and find model number

 

[ceejayt]

HP office jet 200 portable

 

[Lenny HB]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=164248200206

As I said expensive £195 when you can buy a cheap Canon complete with a scanner for £25 or £40 if you want Wifi & AirPrint. Cheap enough to through away if doesn't like being carted about in the van (probably get it changed under warranty).

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[Dramfineday]

I use an HP Envy 55XX series at home (not answering your question re van use). However, it is not overly heavy, decent enough range of services such as printing (A4 and other related smaller sizes plus colour or BW), copying, scanning and faxing. Plus it can be hard wired or wireless connected (with remote access if required). It operates from a 240V external unit which reduces the AC to low volts DC. HP cartridges (one each of tri colour & black) can be pricey (I tend to use the "Cartridge People" site for refills) but as you are a business that'll be a legitimate expense any way, so cheapos not required. It appears robust enough but if you kept it boxed while travelling or not in use, it should "do the business". Hope this helps.

 

[Augusta08]

I'm with CeeJayt I've got HP DeskJet DL1560 using HP21 & HP22 cartridges, folds up neatly to put away when I'm on the road, runs off a modified sinewave 200w inverter. Bought it in 2007 IIRC for about £35.

 

[Camdoon]

I would get power to the boot, use wifi and leave it in there then at end of day take output and post. Laser has more robust consumables. Small inverter, just in case.

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[Solwaybuggier]

Biggest problem we have e is that when not used for months the ink cartridges dry up. It is an ink jet printer we ha e fir emergencies like printing boarding passes.

We had this problem with home printer - long trips away meant the cartridges were always drying up. Solution was an Epson Ecotank - much dearer to buy (because not a stupidly cheap purchase price subsidised by overpriced cartridges ) but 2 years on we’re still on original bottles of inks, and it’s never dried up.
But probably not helpful for OP if they do relatively little volumes of printing.

 

[Wh05apk]

We had this problem with home printer - long trips away meant the cartridges were always drying up. Solution was an Epson Ecotank - much dearer to buy (because not a stupidly cheap purchase price subsidised by overpriced cartridges ) but 2 years on we’re still on original bottles of inks, and it’s never dried up.
But probably not helpful for OP if they do relatively little volumes of printing.

This is what I have, they are brilliant, used to use in an office and the ink costs next to nothing.
I now work from home, or in the van when away, but find now that actually, I need to print very little, any letters can be printed to pdf on ouretterheads and emailed.
Do you really need to print?

 

[cmcardle75]

Anyone any recommendations of what to buy, (or what not to buy) ?

Decide if you really need colour. B&W laser printers are cheap, small, have pitifully low toner costs and are reliable. Colour laser printers are more expensive to buy, very massive, cost a lot in consumables and are somewhat less reliable. Colour inkjet printers are cheap to buy, very small, very expensive to run and last about 30 minutes before the heads seize up by not being used every minute of the day and, thus, dry out.

Basically, go for a B&W laser, unless you need colour, in which case, you're pretty much shafted.

Research which brands to go for. Some (i.e. Lexmark) have greater reputations to prevent you using non extortionate inks than others (i.e. Brother). I once paid twice the price of the printer to get Lexmark cartridges with a licence that didn't prevent third party refilling. When they ran out, they still wouldn't work when refilled. I never got round to suing them, as I was busy with other things.

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[Revolvor]

Not particularly relevant to the OP's question, but I bought a £30 HP Deskjet 2622 All-in-One Printer, last year, including 2 Months Trial of HP Instant Ink. I'm not a great user and subscribed to 50 pages a month at £1.99 p/m. Up to 150 unused pages can be carried forward. My printer monitors useage and emails HP when ink levels are low, and I then get sent free cartriges in the post. It's good not to have the hassle of getting new cartridges.

I actually got 5-months free as when I registered, a bonus three months got added on! I was able to select any plan for the free trial, so chose the Frequent Printing Plan (300 pages p/m)

 

[the1andonly]

HP laserjet pro M15W
B&W only
Laser no inkjets to dry up ideal for intermittent occasional use.
Wifi and new fanged nearby thi gy i camt remember.what its called
Print with pc and android tablet/phone
Ultra compact.not battery
I Use in van with 150w msw inverter.
With cash back mine was £50 last cartridge £14 more now
Edit preprint colour headed notepaper if required

Broken Link Removed

 

[chrisinplymouth]

Personally I would use a cheap Epson printer scanner. Couple this with 3rd party inks ( I use a company called Prink). A set of four inks works out at around £7. My printer cost £45 and connects to my iPad and desktop wirelessly.

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[Deneb]

There are various printer cartridge resellers who will give you a printer for free if you buy a replacement cartridge pack from them. Got my Epson printer/scanner/copier that way, although it's possibly a tad too big to carry around in a MH (SX535WD).

On the subject of the MH Wifi set-up, I doubt you'll be disappointed. I didn't buy their kit, although I got a few components from them, but installed my own using pretty much the same items (Huawei router/Panorama 5G antenna and made my own mounting/connection/charging box for the router). Spent 6 weeks in Scotland in some very remote places a couple of months ago, armed with EE and Smarty sims, and the only place I couldn't get a signal at all was in the Forest of Bowland where we stopped overnight on the way home

 

[Jaws]

The problem with printers in a van are

Storage..
Ink drying up due to lack of use
Powder getting cloggy if you go posh and get a laser printer

With all that in mind my answer was to get the smallest Epson I could find. Reason being you can get Epson compatible cartridges so cheap you can almost use them once and throw them away ! ( I currently pay circa £1.70 for the ones I use )

I suppose the ideal solution would be the old thermal paper ones.. but the quality is rubbish, the docs fade to black in the sun, and of coarse they are not colour !

 

[Puddleduck]

I bought an HP Deskjet 3762 which I use in the van as well as at home. It was bought as I had to print off a load of stuff for my Mum and it was the smallest printer all in one that PC World had.

Folded up it is 16 inches wide, 7 inches deep and 5 inches high so goes into the bottom of the wardrobe along with my laptop. It is now a must have when we are away in the van and I wish I had bought one earlier.

It was a real fiddle and frustrating to set up and even now has a hiccough after the software updates. It will only scan / copy a single sheet of paper and not a book as the scanner is not flat bed Having said that the print quality is acceptable and it does colour as well as black from two cartridges. I signed up to the instant ink and can change plan as and when it suits me.

I use it on mains hook up or via an invertor. It is a wireless printer and will either work wirelessly direct from your pc / laptop/ mobile device or via the internet but you can only use one system at a time which can be a pain when I forget to change over.

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[Stonemags76]

We carried a canon Pixma scanner/printer around under the bed for three years when we full timed, & the only problem was the cartridge drying up! I think most will stand the travelling, but maybe cheap cartridges & carry spares is the answer?

 

[Brains]

Thanks all.
By the sound of it I'm going for a B&W only laser printer without a battery

 

[xsparks]

Inkredible for cheap inks.

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[Insider]

Completely different approach that does not answer your question so apologies in advance.

I use a surface pro 6 and one note. Anytime I would normally need to print something to review it I print/clip to one note and use the surface pen to mark up. Very good writing experience.
Running my own company from a home company and started this as couldn't find a printer to bring away with me. Works so well that I rarely use printer at home now.

 

[DBK]

Can't help with a printer model but have you looked at how you are going to share it? I suspect you have had a MiFi installed which might make this tricky. I think it would be easier with a router. Might be worth speaking with MotorhomeWiFi, explain what you want to do and see what they suggest.

 

[SpeedyDux]

For freelance work I used to take a Canon portable inkjet printer and a Logitech scanner with OCR software on the laptop, all of which allowed me to produce and revise legal documents while staying in hotels.

All obsolete now and one day I hope they will be collectables fetching silly money on Fleabay!

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[zac]

if space is an issue then the WF-100, its expensive but small and with a battery. Nice little machine but it wont be for everyone as they are expensive.

 

[Vipar]

Brother 4110. Newer models out now. Cheap to run does 150 A5 sheets multiple A4 sheets I print lots of A5 books, light, and has a scanner ,air print best have a look at the whole range good after sales service