Traveling with a Printer

[Solo18]

Has anyone tried to do a lot of traveling with a printer?

 

I really occasionally need a printer and am tired of having to find libraries or UPS Stores to print. I bought an inexpensive one a few months ago. It worked well the first couple of days, not so well the next week, and does not print at all now. I put it back in the original box with all the packing material and store it under my dinette. The problem is that I do a lot of traveling in my Class C, with all the usual bumps and chuckholes. I am pretty sure that this is the reason the ink leaks out. (I can see it on the foam pad that the ink cartridges sit on.)

 

I need to either go out and buy new cartridges and try something like taking them out when I am not using the printer and storing them with the side up where the ink sprays out. Other option I just thought of was storing the printer upside down so it can't leak.

 

Other option is to give this one away and buy an expensive travel printer, but those don't do well on business cards and photos, which are things I want to print.

 

Anyone have any experience with this?? Printer is an Epson XP-450, if that makes any difference.

[AFchap]

I have traveled about 95,000 miles over the past 12 years ...including to Alaska and back... every bit of it with an ink jet printer on board. I use HP printers, fairly cheap to buy. I buy the cheapest one that will fit in the spot I need to store it. The first one lasted about 5 years before the power supply was killed by a lightning strike. The second one is still going strong.

[mptjelgin]

We have had an HP all-in-one printer on board the entire six years of our full timing. Wouldn't be without it!

[oldjohnt]

Same problem, no printer onboard for years now and I borrowed a buddys now and then. I borrowed it last month as I had an important big Estate to settle for a client but he didn't bring the USB printer cable (he could network print via his wifes I Phone) sooooooooooooooo I go to Wally World and pay 10 bucks for the cable and got part of my law work done. So were at an antique tractor show in Zolfo Springs Florida and he tells me a vendor has an HP All in One (Print Scan Copy) Printer with USB cable ALL FOR THREE BUCKS......The lady says they tried it and it worked so I risk three bucks, take it back to RV AND IT ALL WORKED PERFECT. Of course she had no install disks or software but I downloaded all that off the HP website in minutes. Ive been hauling and using it for miles now and it still works knock on wood. I'm an HP man so now I finally have a printer in the RV.

 

WARNING I hauled my DISH Sat TV receiver up top the Class C on plywood where mattress used to be and it crapped out and I think the vibration did it in. SOOOOOOOOOOO from now on and I advise you to place such stuff on a big piece of foam to cushion and absorb all that road shock and vibration.,

 

Nuff said

 

John T

[docj]

I have traveled about 95,000 miles over the past 12 years ...including to Alaska and back... every bit of it with an ink jet printer on board. I use HP printers, fairly cheap to buy. I buy the cheapest one that will fit in the spot I need to store it. The first one lasted about 5 years before the power supply was killed by a lightning strike. The second one is still going strong.

 

We do the same thing with HP All-in-Ones. We're on the 2nd one in our 5 years. The failure mode typically is print head clogging. But since they only cost ~$100, throwing the busted one out and buying a new one isn't that big a deal.

[jerryneal]

I use a Brother. I keep in a closet in the front to minimize the bounce. It's an all-in-one with wireless access for printing and scanning. Use my MiFi as the router. We just completed 3500 miles with part of trip running over that bump fest of I-10 though Lousianna. No problems with the printer so far. Think we paid $99 on sale at Office Depot. Even if I get a couple of years and it breaks, I don't mind replacing.

[Kirk W]

We had a printer in our motorhome for all of our years on the road fulltime and we still carry it with us anytime that we will be out on the road for more than a week or two. We just take our "all in one" unit with us although we don't keep it set up now that we have downsized, but we did so when on the road fulltime.

[Big Greg]

We have carried our old HP ink jet printer (prints, scan, copies) from home in the back desk area our RV for 9 years and over 70K miles with no troubles. It sits on the wood desk. The DirecTV DVR is in the same area but we are on our third one. I have placed an inch of foam padding under the feet of this one to cushion it and tis one has lasted the longest. Greg

[Solo18]

The comments sound hopeful. I only got to print about ten pages with mine the first day I bought it, so it is frustrating.

 

I was storing it on top of the rear axle, so I am going to try new ink cartridges and then taking them out when I travel. Someone else suggested putting them in a plastic bag between uses so they don't dry out. I also am going to wrap the printer in bubble wrap and put it on foam on the floor of the passenger's area. (I almost never have a passenger, so that space is available.)

[pugsly]

I need to have a printer, but only use it very occasionally. I go into Walmart and buy the cheapest flatbed scanner color printer that they have, along with two ink cartridges. I use it until it breaks or runs out of ink, and then I go to Walmart and buy another one.

[theeyres]

Same here...bought a Canon printer because I wanted quality photo prints and it was rated as one of the best. Hauled it all over the US and it is still going strong now that we are off the road. I think we must be up to six or seven years. So I think you just got a lousy printer. The road doesn't seem to bother most of them.

[Truckman]

We have carried our Epson for the last couple years with no problems.

[lenp]

I suspect the ink you are seeing on then foam pad is a result of the ink jets being cleaned. That is what the foam pad is there for I believe. I suspect something else is wrong. When you say it "didn't work so well" and "now doesn't work at all", does it now just spit out blank pages or does it appear to not even try to print or is it not printing a specific color - details might help us help you.

 

Lenp

 

On edit.... I have traveled close to 100,000 miles with a printer (HP and now Brother) with no problems.

[SWharton]

We have had an $75 Epson All in One for 6-7 years now. Never a problem. We bought a Canon once and had all sorts of problems, went back to Epson and never a problem again. The ink seems to last forever a on all the Epsons I have owned. We have not printed with our Epson for over a year, left the ink in it, and after one page it was up and printing fine again.

 

I think there is some difference between printers on where the print heads are. Something I read but don't remember the specifics.

[Biker56]

Now on the 3rd HP All-in-Ones used Full Time since 1999.

I never have protected them when traveling. They sit where they are used.

They have been used every week.

[docj]

 

 

I was storing it on top of the rear axle, so I am going to try new ink cartridges and then taking them out when I travel. Someone else suggested putting them in a plastic bag between uses so they don't dry out. I also am going to wrap the printer in bubble wrap and put it on foam on the floor of the passenger's area. (I almost never have a passenger, so that space is available.)

 

The issue we've encountered aren't with ink cartridges drying out, it's been with the print heads themselves. And ours just sits on a shelf in a closet; can't see any reason to do what you're doing to protect it.

[jeomelia]

Buy inexpensive with printheads in ink cartridge, use Walmart online to print photos at a store on your route .

[bobsea43]

DW puts ours on the bed when we travel so it rides smoother. I don't know that it makes any difference. We have traveled with several different brands with no travel related issues. We have changed RV several times and I get a new one to fit the new space.

[skp51443]

We switched to a small Brother laser and gave up on inkjets. The Brother lasted a bit over 10 years until a thunderstorm and cheap power strip took it out. Only maintenance was dusting and a new print cartridge at around 3000 pages.

 

These days there are smallish color lasers if you really need color but they are a bit larger and more expensive than the black only ones.

[Vladimir]

We have an Epson. Our only issue is with the print heads clogging. I make a point of printing out several pages each week. They do not do well sitting. I used my InkJet this week after a three months of just sitting. Had to go through the entire routine cleaning the heads and did put in new cartridges. It works fine....now.

 

Brother makes a laser and scanner for $100. Bought one at Best Buy. Those are good machines. They take a lot more power than a InkJet. My only comment is I find a printer with a COPY function real important. I end up using the printer as a copier almost as much as a printer. IF you don't use a printer much I would get a laser.

 

If you have access to grid power I would look real hard at one of Brother laser all in one printers.

[NH2]

Like Stan & Bill B, I gave up on inkjets. The ink jet cartridges are expensive, dry up before you get a chance to use them and clog too easily.

Our all-in-one Brother laser printer uses a dry powder and heat process instead of wet ink cartridges. Cost per page is much less.

Mark

[SWharton]

We have an Epson in our S&B, about a month ago we came back from a 7 month trip. We went to print on the home Epson and it printed right away, hadn't used it for 7 months, just left the cartridges in the printer. Never had a problem in any of our Epsons with ink drying up. I think the Epsons park the cartridges(which I have heard contain the heads) against something so they don't dry out. I never buy cartridges early, once it starts warning me it is another month before I run out of ink.

 

All this is so dependent on the prtr. mfg. When we had a Canon we had major problems with the heads clogging.

[docj]

 

My only comment is I find a printer with a COPY function real important. I end up using the printer as a copier almost as much as a printer.

 

 

 

We rarely use ours as a copier but couldn't live without the ability to scan documents and receipts in to be uploaded. I know that these days I could use my phone to create the image and send it from the phone to the computer when necessary, but I think that a scanned document still looks nicer.

[Solo18]

I wonder if being in the desert for the last three months has caused the print cartridges to dry up? I used to live in Michigan, which has much more humidity and never had a problem with ink cartridges drying up.

 

I will tackle getting new cartridges and cleaning the print heads in a couple of weeks. I need to fly out to Atlanta for a few days to help out some elderly relatives.

[jtown]

I wonder if being in the desert for the last three months has caused the print cartridges to dry up? I used to live in Michigan, which has much more humidity and never had a problem with ink cartridges drying up.

 

I will tackle getting new cartridges and cleaning the print heads in a couple of weeks. I need to fly out to Atlanta for a few days to help out some elderly relatives.

 

I'd definitely try new cartridges and a cleaning before giving up. FWIW, tho, I've not had much luck with Epson inkjets at home. The longer they sat, the worse they clogged. I switched to Canon about 5 years ago and haven't had a clog since. I can let my $20 Canon sit for months and the first page comes out perfect. I've never run a cleaning cycle on it. The only time I've been happy with Epson inkjets is when they were in environments where they were used at least a few times a week. In those situations, they shined. I actually miss the Epson proof printer from my last job.