Why do printers still suck? (Rant warning)

the_amazing_raisin · 24-02-2023 10:42pm #1

Honestly, it's 2023 and they're still terrible. 30 years ago we got our first printer and I'm pretty sure most of the same problems I encounter regularly with my current one

Every other piece of computer technology has dramatically improved since then. Remember sound cards, and having to select the right IRQ input or else your sound would drop every time you pressed a key? Now the audio just works

Same for keyboards, remember having a USB to PS2 adapter because the drivers weren't preloaded? Or having a wired keyboard around somewhere because you couldn't install the drivers for a wireless keyboard and mouse without a keyboard and mouse? Now you just plug in and go

Not printers however, 30 years and they still suck. I'm willing to bet in the 1950s the engineers at IBM had nightmares every time they wanted to get one of their supercomputers to try and print something

It isn't even the mechanics or the cost of ink which are the usual complaints. I'll even say they seem to have improved (a bit) in recent years

It's the junk software that gets me. Every printer seems to require a mountain of bloatware which is entirely proprietary and guaranteed to be obsolete within a year

And the UX on most of them makes Windows Vista look smooth

The speeds are monumental as well, typically takes 5 mins to print a monochrome page over WiFi from a distance of 10cm. Really struggling to see what signal interference there could be there

Can someone seriously tell me that we can write software to drive a car or create an AI that has the equivalent social skills as that slightly strange guy in work, but we can't write decent software for printers?

And it isn't one brand or model, I've had numerous printers over the years and they're all crap. Even office printers, which you'd think would be good considering the price of them are garbage as well

Anyway... sorry about the rant, just had to get that off my chest 😂

03-03-2023 12:14am

I used to do PC Repair but after a couple of nightmare situations had to annouce to propective clients that I didn't do printers. For starts, many people bought a cheap printer for 40 quid in Argos and didn't want to pay 50 quid for me to fix it, but if it takes me 2 hours to get the thing working, maybe by reinstalling the bloatware, reinstalling the drivers and multiple reboots, I really deserve to be paid about 50 quid.

I completely agree regarding the bloatware. As a Linux user for over 20 years, its amazed me that Linux manages to print with out the proprietary software. And as you alluded to the propprietary software is not just different among different manufacturers, but different across different models of the same make. :rolleyes:

Bigmac1euro · 03-03-2023 12:20am

Are you actually installing software?

I just connected to a new printer the other day over Wi-Fi which is a small home size printer and printed straight from chrome. It did however take about 5 mins to install drivers.

Flinty997 · 03-03-2023 12:58am

When a previous inkjet all in one died I managed to go a few years without a printer. Was talked into another for school stuff which lasted about a year before I'd had enough. Have a wifi laser now print from the phone.

Best printer I had was an Apple Laser back in the day, until it broke and the apple center "lost" it. The replacement was a newer model which wasn't as good. Had a HP laser jet that lasted for years.

They do seem like stone age tech. The control panel is like something on a 80s vcr.

03-03-2023 1:05am

My go to fix it solution is to uninstall the printer and reinstall.

I also keep the sledge hammer in the corner of a field at the furthest point of the farm from the house.

apkmbarry · 03-03-2023 1:59am

If you only want it to print, you can just download the simple drivers and go from there.

The other software is normally a suite for managing scanning etc.

I personally haven't had a problem with printing, and definitely doesn't take 5 mins for a printout across the room, so it's something on your end.

the_amazing_raisin · 03-03-2023 9:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120307804#Comment_120307804

A lot of them seem to require you to install the software to perform any maintenance tasks or use the scanner

They really should just need the drivers for the printer and scanner, and all the options could be done via a web browser if needed

03-03-2023 2:00pm

I rarely do printing these times, just the odd back-up hard copy of a document should I be caught out. What printing I do is from a very basic machine, and most of it directly from my phone. I usually find printer easily through Wi-Fi settings, for what little basic printing I do it works out for me.

the_amazing_raisin · 03-03-2023 10:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120309189#Comment_120309189

I'm in a similar boat, don't do much printing and only got one during COVID because the office printer was unavailable

Got one of those ink tank printers and while the ink system works and it's nice to not deal with expensive and useless cartridges, I still feel like printers have not gotten better in decades

I mean I guess it's fine, it prints generally and only fails like 25% of the time. I just have this feeling that printers have never been good and we're just used to them being terrible and put up with it

Why do printers still suck? (Rant warning)

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