In Australia supplies of ink cartridges for some HP inkjet printers have vanished from store shelves (physical and online). Even the Australian HP website indicates nil stocks and no indication that the issue is likely to be resolved soon. My Officejet 8020 printer might last a few more weeks with the cartridges that I have on hand but, of course, it depends on the first colour to run out (usually yellow).
I went looking for a reasonable second printer and that was not successful. Printers recommended by Choice.com.au are mostly no longer available. When I checked for ink cartridges for a mid-range Canon printer they were also not available so it seems the problem is not confined to HP printers.
These days printers that only print are quite rare (I don’t want a multi-function printer/scanner/copier). I looked at mono-Laser as well as a range of colour inkjet printers. It is worth reading the negative buyer reviews on retail websites, with reports of poor print quality after a few weeks, excessive ink consumption and nightmare experiences with wifi connection (ethernet printers are becoming rare).
I am happy with the Officejet 8020 except for the lack of ink. I wish now I had kept my simple, old HP Laserjet and some spare toner cartridges for back-up!
Incidentally, the print cartridges for the 8020 have a different designation in the USA and I suspect my “Australian” printer would not accept them, even though the only difference is the chip. I found this out because I accidentally ended up at the US HP online store and was surprised to see that cartridges for the 8020 had an estimated shipping delay of 2-3 weeks - then I saw the different part number and realised it was for the USA.
Grrr!
I’ve also noticed that printers, ink and toner are sold out in most stores right now. I assume this is partly due to holiday shopping, and partly due to COVID lockdowns (with people working and attending school from home, they need printers). I would expect supplies to return to normal in a a month or so, although that doesn’t help right now.
As for printer types, have you looked at color laser printers? Basic models aren’t that expensive these days. They cost more than B&W laser printers or ink-jets, but they’re quite affordable. The only problem with them is that they don’t produce the best photo prints - photos tend to look flat, like newspaper photos. Unfortunately, they also seem to be out of stock at this time.
Ethernet is rare? Maybe on ink-jet printers, but most laser printers I’ve seen still have it.
FWIW, I’m currently using a Brother HL-L3270CDW. It works really well and offers a lot of features for the price (color, duplexer, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, NFC, AirPrint). Sadly, it also seems to be out of stock from the stores I looked at today.
And you’re right about the seeming region lock on ink. HP’s compatibility page shows four different series of ink for the OfficeJet 8020. The 910 series for US and Canada, 912 series for Europe, Middle East and Africa, 914 series for Latin America and 915 series for Asia Pacific.
I have no clue if they are compatible with each other, but I would assume they’re not, given the different numbers and the fact that HP doesn’t list them all together on their compatibility page.
In the US, some of the largest big box stores that sell office supplies will refill cartridges:
You can also get do it yourself refill kits. However, I suspect this is not a good option for the faint of heart, those who are not exceptionally patient, expert in fine detail work or concerned about furniture or flooring being ruined, like me.
Yes - years ago we used to have local businesses that refilled cartridges. Then the printer manufacturers introduced sneaky ways to detect “non genuine” cartridges and most businesses collapsed. So much for avoiding landfill!
Choice did some interesting reviews of ink costs of various printers - some costing over $1000 per year: