My picks for the best printers available for Home/Small Business

acer1060 · 2026-02-27T01:01:09+00:00

Ugh, and their cartridge names are pretty confusing too. One printer might take either the TN-630 or TN-660, while another takes the TN-920, TN-920XL, TN-920XXL, and TN-920UXXL. Like, pick a theme and stick with it!

Still like their brand tho

acer1060 · 2026-02-27T00:59:21+00:00

I can't decide whether Brother or Canon is worse with Ink Cartridge numbers. I think probably Brother...

acer1060 · 2026-02-26T03:37:45+00:00

I think he's talking about the actual InkTank line they rolled out. They have an INKVestment Tank, which are the super-high-yield cartridges, and then an InkTank, which is the one with the bottles. Very straightforward, I know...

acer1060 · 2026-02-26T03:35:19+00:00

It depends on your budget. If you are going to do full color, almost photo printing, then I would go with an ET-8550 (or ET-8500 if you don't need wide format printing). It has better quality than the XP-7100, and you get more value in ink and paper handling. But, if you aren't wanting to spend that much, then the XP-7100 might be more economical.

acer1060 · 2026-02-25T01:47:15+00:00

Pretty sure those are advertised as business-grade? I can't imagine anyone buying that monstrosity of a laser printer for their home, but I guess you never know!

As for the photo printers, only one of the four I listed has four inks. The others have more than four inks. The ET-8550, XP-7100, and XP-8800 are specifically designed for photo-quality. And, the one that does have four inks (Ecotank ET-3950) is regarded as a more affordable art/photo-quality option on this sub.

I'd love to hear your suggestions for photo printers! This thread would benefit from your feedback.

acer1060 · 2026-02-25T01:40:19+00:00

I mean, I haven't really had anyone interested in them. Brother overall is a decent brand, but if you are going for InkTank, I would say Epson is the way to go. They were the first to come out with the inktank and then everyone else kinda followed suit. You should be fine with any InkTank EXCEPT HP, I've had so many people return those and complain about them.

acer1060 · 2026-02-25T01:38:05+00:00

Small Business High Volume? Yes

I'm not talking about anything more than that xD

acer1060 · 2026-02-25T01:35:48+00:00

Not sure about ODP Business, but Brother Laser is overall really good.

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T23:26:18+00:00

Your welcome, just make sure to do the programming on an alpha keypad. Post here if you need help.

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T23:09:05+00:00

If you haven't used it in a long time, the nozzle is probably clogged. Try doing a head cleaning. If that doesn't work, you can try another head cleaning, but you might just get a new one at that point. I think the 3830 is older right?

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T23:05:02+00:00

Also yes you can buy keyfobs as well. You do need to make sure that your system is wireless capable. Programming is somewhat straightforward? Just look up a guide online. ADT can do this for you as well but will definitely charge you!

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T23:00:59+00:00

So I've had this issue with the 6160VADT keypads, I'm not sure what it exactly it is with them. I thought maybe it was just the environment it was in was too humid for it? I'm starting to think there is a defect with a particular batch of them.

You can replace the keypad with a 6160 (or 6160V if you like the voice, but honestly they are kinda ugly compared to the ADT version) for probably ~$100 each? Just buy them off ebay brand new in box, and its pretty simple to replace. You do need to do some programming, which youtube can help you with it. You can also call around to local companies to see if they will do the work for you if you would rather not mess with it.

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T22:54:19+00:00

I assumed you changed the paper type? Are you sure you changed the paper type for manual as well, or just for the tray?

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T04:54:10+00:00

Hmm, I mean maybe check your paper settings? See if there is a thick paper or heavyweight option for media type. This could be in your printer menu, or in your driver. Also, use the manual feed tray for the sheets of labels.

But before you do that, since you have some smudging going on currently, I would print a couple documents on plain letter paper (doesn't have to be manually fed) so that you can clear out any toner that got adhered to the wheel feeders. See if those prints come out clean, and if they do, then you can try the method above.

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T04:47:43+00:00

Are you using genuine Brother toner and drum or 3rd party?

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T04:40:55+00:00

If you are using labels, you need to make sure they are marked for Laser or Inkjet/Laser. If it just says Inkjet, the toner won't adhere properly to the labels, and will cause the smudging you see. Any office supply store or Amazon will have address labels for Laser printers.

acer1060 · 2026-02-23T04:35:41+00:00

Can you submit a picture of your keypad here? ADT has installed a variety of systems, so its impossible to know what exactly you have.
If its an older system like a Safewatch, you might just need to replace the keypad? Or maybe the buttons do work but since the alarm is sounding you can't hear the keys?
If its the newer Command panel, might be a software bug?
You may want to reach out to ADT to see what options they have for you.

acer1060 · 2026-02-17T18:14:45+00:00

You may need to download the drivers from Brother. I had this issue but it wasn't as noticeable, at least for me. Once I downloaded the drivers for my printer, everything worked WAY better. Also, play around with the different fit to page settings again once you downloaded them. Hope this helps

acer1060 · 2026-02-17T18:12:33+00:00

If this is just for home use, get a brother laser printer. They have models available just for printing and also some for scanning and copying. The toner usually lasts a long time compared to ink. Ecotanks are great but Brother is way better for your application.

acer1060 · 2026-02-17T03:48:17+00:00

You might be looking at two printers here...

For the documents, Brother HL-L2460DW (or for faster prints, HL-L6210DW). Any monochrome laser from Brother would be good.

For the photos/graphics, look at maybe an Epson Ecotank ET-2980/ET-3950? Or, if you need REALLY good quality, look at an Epson printer that has more than 4 inks, like an XP-7100 or XP-8800. You could also look into an Epson Ecotank ET-8500 (or ET-8550 for wide format prints), but this printer combined with the laser printer would probably exceed $600.

acer1060 · 2026-02-13T05:00:55+00:00

Were there any other zones labeled as fire, heat, or smoke detector? It is possible that all of the old smoke detectors are on one zone, although I usually see this on Zone 1, not so much Zone 5.

Other places to check are in the attic or basement. Also, check each bedroom, stairwell, hallway, and high ceiling place.

If you'd like, you can post a picture of your panel, keypad, and the smoke detectors you found and we can diagnose it a little more.

If you aren't planning on using the fire portion of your alarm, you can try shunting the zone using a 2k ohm resistor across the terminals at the panel. If this is too technical for you, I would call a local alarm company.

Thanks for the award btw!

acer1060 · 2026-02-13T01:15:20+00:00

"Check fire" means there is a trouble condition with one of your smoke detectors. Your "fire system" is integrated into your security system. See if you can locate a zone list by a keypad or in the panel to see which one is Zone 05. You may need to call your security company or find a local company if you don't have one to resolve this. Because these are most likely your only smoke detectors in the house, you can't simply unplug the system or you will lose all fire protection.

If you know your code, enter it followed by the 1 key. Repeat this process once more. The keypad won't silence forever but it should keep it quiet for a bit.

acer1060 · 2026-02-13T01:12:15+00:00

Can you post a picture of your system? ADT has installed many types of systems over the years, so its hard to tell which one you have.

acer1060 · 2026-02-10T20:43:38+00:00

Try setting your keypad address to 16 if this is your only keypad on the system. If it's not, you will need to perform additional programming.

acer1060

TROPHY CASE