Inkjets are for more than just printing

Home printing: inkjet vs laser

• Many commenters argue consumer inkjets are a bad choice for home/office: expensive ink, clogging nozzles if unused, cleaning cycles that waste ink, and devices that often fail after light use.
• Black-and-white laser printers are widely praised: cheap per page, highly reliable even after months of inactivity, and sufficient for common tasks (forms, labels, school papers, resumes).
• Color lasers are viewed as great for text and diagrams but poor for high-quality photos; photo labs and online services are preferred for occasional framing-quality prints.
• Some disagree that clogging is inevitable, reporting decade-long trouble-free use of certain inkjets; others say this is model- and climate-dependent.

Ink costs, tank systems, and vendor behavior

• Cartridge-based inkjets are heavily criticized for high prices, small cartridges, artificial lockouts when one color is low, and frequent failures.
• Tank-based systems (e.g., EcoTank-style) and CISS mods are described as changing the economics: very low cost per page, large reservoirs, and less clogging in some users’ experience.
• HP draws sustained criticism for DRM, subscription schemes (e.g., Instant Ink), poor software, and claims about “virus risk” from third-party cartridges. Some users exploit free-ink trials, then discard the printer.
• Brother laser printers are repeatedly recommended as simple, durable, and OS-friendly; HP software stacks and drivers are frequently condemned.

Alternative and industrial uses of inkjet technology

• Several comments stress that the article is about inkjet technology generally, not just consumer printers.
• Discussed applications include: continuous inkjet coding on packaging, wearable electronics, DNA synthesis, drug microdosing and thin-film delivery, PCB prototyping, screen-print masks, stickers, and direct-to-film/sublimation printing using modified Epson units.
• Inkjet-like approaches appear in high-end full-color 3D printers and in experimental or commercial systems for precisely “printing” water or nutrients onto lawns.
• There is speculative discussion of using inkjet-like systems for fuel injection and references to fictional bioweapons delivery.

Reliability, environment, and context

• Some note that in humid climates toner can clump, making inkjets comparatively more attractive.
• A few mention energy use (lasers keeping toner warm) and indoor air quality concerns from laser printers.
• Nostalgic side threads recall loud dot-matrix printers and quieter cubicle-era offices.