Gaming Help With New Printer

[Raiser]

Hey guys,

So I'm looking to purchase a printer to replace my relic of a 10 year-old HP inkjet.
I've been lurking around HP and I just need a solid all-in-one (copy, scan, print) inkjet that has adequate ink cartridge whatevs, decent speed, and isn't terribly loud.

So first: ---
Does anyone have any HP All-in-One Inkjet recommendations that cost less than or around $150? Whether it be wired or wireless depends on below.

My other questions: ---
How do wireless printers work? Do they require a router?

I'm currently still on cable internet. I do have a router, but my connection slows down when I connect it.
Is there still a way to use a wireless printer such as:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/printer.../CN547A%2523B1H

... without a router?
The printer says it comes with a USB cable so I'm wondering if it could be hard-lined to the computer?
I don't know if printers these days still require that huge gray dongle that connects to the back of the computer.
(I know there's a wired version of the above printer; just using it as an example)

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[exangel]

So I'm looking to purchase a printer to replace my relic of a 10 year-old HP inkjet.
I've been lurking around HP and I just need a solid all-in-one (copy, scan, print) inkjet that has adequate ink cartridge whatevs, decent speed, and isn't terribly loud.

So first: ---
Does anyone have any HP All-in-One Inkjet recommendations that cost less than or around $150? Whether it be wired or wireless depends on below.

My other questions: ---
How do wireless printers work? Do they require a router?

I'm currently still on cable internet. I do have a router, but my connection slows down when I connect it.
Is there still a way to use a wireless printer such as:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/printer.../CN547A%2523B1H

... without a router?
The printer says it comes with a USB cable so I'm wondering if it could be hard-lined to the computer?
I don't know if printers these days still require that huge gray dongle that connects to the back of the computer.
(I know there's a wired version of the above printer; just using it as an example)

Thanks in advance for any help!

The option to use wireless-enabled printers is still optional, I'm personally using an HP print/copy/scan all-in-one that uses very common cartridges. It cost me $40 at a wal-mart, and it's setup on my desktop. I use it wirelessly through Windows 7 homegroup networking.
It's an HP Deskjet F4200 series, pretty much the lowest end printer Walmart was offering at the time, because I didn't want or need one with a mini color screen, photo printing, or internal TF readers (SD, xD, Memorystick pro, etc) and EVERY other model in stock came with that stuff (crap. if I want to print photos I'll go to the damn drugstore where I can expect quality and not have to spend butt tons on special ink and paper...)

I don't know which huge gray dongle you're referring to in regards to 10 year old printers-- the LPT(?) printer port or the a/c adapter brick.. they usually do still have a/c adapter bricks but sometimes the adapter is internal and only a standard power cord is used.

 

[Raiser]

Sorry wording sounds a bit weird to me- "the option to use wireless-enabled printers is still optional"; meaning the printer itself or the wireless function?
But using a printer "wirelessly" would still require a router hooked up, right?

I'll keep that printer in mind!
Yeah, I THINK it's the LPT printer port. It looks like a VGA / DVI port except twice as long at the back of the motherboard. Do printers these days still use that?

Looking at wired HP printers, the "in-the-box" items are only coming with the power cable, power supply, and a USB cable. Is USB standard connection now?

Thanks!

 

[exangel]

Sorry wording sounds a bit weird to me- "the option to use wireless-enabled printers is still optional"; meaning the printer itself or the wireless function?
But using a printer "wirelessly" would still require a router hooked up, right?

I'll keep that printer in mind!
Yeah, I THINK it's the LPT printer port. It looks like a VGA / DVI port except twice as long at the back of the motherboard. Do printers these days still use that?

Looking at wired HP printers, the "in-the-box" items are only coming with the power cable, power supply, and a USB cable. Is USB standard connection now?

The LPT printer port was replaced pretty universally by USB, its quick adoption by major printer manufacturers helped phase the old ports out of standard motherboards really quickly and increase interest in improving USB for more applications. Serial ports took longer to die out of use (that's the one about the size of a VGA but with different pins, what you'd plug a joystick into before USB came out).

Now, @ the first comment: Consumer inkjet printers being advertised as wireless will still be usable by just USB if desired. For a long time they didn't even come with the cable because people could charge a lot for the cables (like with HDMI cables now costing 20 to 80 bucks depending on length and quality)

As far as using the printer that I have wirelessly, I would theoretically be able to do it without a router using ad-hoc instead of access point wi-fi networking. But, I don't do that because it's unnecessarily complicated to share the internet that way here, and my router is a nice, cheap, reliable Belkin Wireless-G router - and the desktop is hardwired to the four port switch built into it. The computer that my printer is hooked up to has to be on for me to use it wirelessly, but it has no impact on my internet connection.
I don't even understand why hooking up your wireless printer would have an impact on your router's performance (I didn't really understand whether your point about that was a question or a statement..)

edit: okay, I re-read. You get less bandwidth when you use a router between your system and your cable modem? What brand/model cable modem and what brand/model of router are they?

 

[Raiser]

Oh wow, I bought a motherboard 3ish years ago and it still came with an LPT port.

Aahh, so if it comes with a USB cable, it's still able to be wired to the computer.
Oh sorry, my connection slows down when connecting the router to my computer, not the printer to the router. Which is why I don't even really use my router. I only connect when I need Wifi access.

I'm not sure. It's weird, I made a topic about this a while ago and no one could find out why my connection slowed down. Motorola SBS102 and Netgear WGR614v6.
My download speed isn't affected too much, but still is by a bit.
With the router, some pages will take a long time to load; some don't even load. I get my browser's standard "page non-existent" page.

 

[exangel]

Oh wow, I bought a motherboard 3ish years ago and it still came with an LPT port.

Aahh, so if it comes with a USB cable, it's still able to be wired to the computer.
Oh sorry, my connection slows down when connecting the router to my computer, not the printer to the router. Which is why I don't even really use my router. I only connect when I need Wifi access.

I'm not sure. It's weird, I made a topic about this a while ago and no one could find out why my connection slowed down. Motorola SBS102 and Netgear WGR614v6.
My download speed isn't affected too much, but still is by a bit.
With the router, some pages will take a long time to load; some don't even load. I get my browser's standard "page non-existent" page.

I guess I remembered wrong, I thought they had phased them out faster than they really had. I just looked up the socket A motherboard I used 6 years ago and it sure does have a parallel port. Right alongside USB 2.0's. I think when you stopped seeing AGP slots in motherboards is pretty much when you stopped seeing parallel printer ports. I know my desktop's motherboard is over 2 years old now and it doesn't have one, and neither do the last 3 computers my dad owned.

I have a headache and I gotta get to bed, otherwise I'd try to look at your router problem from a new angle.

Hope your printer works out nicely! I remember going from an older color inkjet printer to a USB multipurpose printer and I was really happy with the speed improvement.

 

[Raiser]

Gah, the frickin' salesperson stuck an old mobo on me I see.

Alright, thanks for the help man! Much appreciated. I can't wait- this 10 year old rustbucket is on it's last hinges.

 

[dilav]

Sorry, didn't feel like reading all this text. I'm a bit confused on why you want a networked printer but not using a router/switch?

Anyway I'm just here to recommend Epson printers. Epson Artisan 710 to Artisan 835, or their WorkForce 610. Reasons:
Networked, wifi + ethernet
Cheap ink via CISS
fast print speeds (can be slower to reduce noise)

The 810:
did not come with usb cable.
auto double side printing.

Staples here in the USA have the 810 here that I picked up for 90$ after a sale and a 50$ trade in old printer toward a new one a year back. They normally have these offers here.

There are ciss systems for other printers too, if you do a lot of printing I'd suggest getting one. Do some research though, there are pigment based ink and dye based ink, you want to use the same type of ink your printer is made for other wise you may clog the print nozzles. You also do not want to mix them.

 

[Raiser]

It's not that, I just wanted to know how wireless printers worked. I figured that if I got a wireless printer with hardlined capability, I could make the switch to wireless eventually rather than buying another printer.

I actually did take a look at Epson a few minutes ago.
Do you have a take on the Epson Stylus NX510 / NX515?

Read many good reviews as the NX series is the claimed fastest home MFPs.
I can't find any local stores that sells the NX515 though, only the 510 for some reason.

I'll definitely give some more insight towards Epson.

 

[dilav]

All recent Epson printers are similiar in a way. You can check the specs and see what you may need and what not. As with print speed, you should go with the ISO standard in the specs, the NX515 are the same as the Workforce 610 speed, which I read was the fastest inkjet (i read this a while ago). The Workforce however have the automatic document feeder while that NX does not. I'm on a low res laptop screen so I'm not sure what else is different. The artisans tho uses 6 colors which gives better quality if printing photos. My head is also spinnin during my first reply so idk, feeling kinda weird.

Here are some piano book style ciss systems

It's basically a big tank of ink link to dummy cartridges. The print head is built in to the printer itself. There are other styles, generally you want good quality ones. Pianobook is quite good, but it can tip over easily you may want to tape, velcro it or what not depending on your working conditions.

edit: fixed link

 

[mechadylan]

I'm currently still on cable internet. I do have a router, but my connection slows down when I connect it.

The Netgear WGR614v6 that you mentioned has 10/100 Mbps ports. The entire switch will default to the slowest device plugged into the switch. Although it is rare for a computer these days to be running at base 10, it's not entirely impossible... especially if you feel that a salesman gave you an old mobo. I'd check your comps network card settings before proceeding to network printing, wired or wireless. IMO.

 

[shamiko_]

the hp c4580 is the one im using right now.
all-in-one printer with wireless (fairly cheap i guess, cuz i got mine when it's on sale)