Do HP PageWide printers suffer from clogging and overuse of ink cleaning the printhead?

Question

I am researching multifunction printers and will buy one in the next 30 days for my home office.

I have evaded inkjets in the past because I have horrible experiences with some home inkjets I had 10 years ago. The inkjet cartridges suffered from clogging if you left the printers unused for some months. In addition to this I have read that inkjets use a lot of ink cleaning the printheads. These are the reasons that have made me buy only laser printers for the past years.

I am now reading a lot of buzz about the HP PageWide printers. It looks like HP is trying to correct some of the problems normal inkjets had in the past.

I was almost ready to buy a HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdw, but have been watching videos for the HP PageWide Pro 477dw and 577dw and must say that these things look indeed interesting, specially thinking that you can maybe use special photographic paper for inkjets on these, something you cannot do with their laser siblings.

Do these PageWide printers suffer from the same problems from past inkjets with clogging and overuse of ink in cleaning of the printhead after the printer has not been used for a while? The good thing of my previous lasers is that even letting them turned off for more than a year I had never any problem with the quality of the prints and I never felt that they used lots of toner in cleaning processes.

Thank you.

Solution

Yes indeed, these printers suffer the same issues with clogging as any inlet printer will.

I previously used a laser printer but opted for this inkjet based on the specifications, speed of printing and the sales hype!

Specifically, I purchased a HP PageWide Pro MFP 477dw.

After just 1 set of cartridges, the ones supplied with the printer which were only half filled, the black printhead showed signs of clogging.
Attempts to clean the printhead using the onboard cleaning tools only exasperated the problem, so much so, that the print quality deteriorated to the point where the black ink failed to print at all over 75% of the page.

As a result, I now have a non functioning printer. Sadly, I had already bought a replacement set of ink cartridges!

I cannot recommend taking this route if your business relies on your ability to print media. I would recommend laser printers as they have a proven record of reliable operation.

This has been an expensive lesson for me. Buying this high end printer does not guarantee dependability as my experience has shown.

Think very carefully before committing to such a purchase.

Comments

[fixer1234]

These are inkjet printers with a stationary, full-width printhead. They are designed to be workhorse printers (high usage). If you go for long periods without printing anything, these will have the same problem. A laser printer is better for that usage pattern. You can also expect wasted ink for printhead cleaning (with a WAY bigger printhead to clean).

[bertieb]

Welcome to Super User! This is an interesting generic answer, but I'm not sure it address OP's question. Can you edit your answer to address their specific concerns? Thanks!

[Nordlys Jeger]

This does not answer OPs question, OP asked specifically for problems on HP PageWide printers.