Shit I Bought and Liked: Ripe for Disruption
Hi Shitters,
I won’t beat around the bush—today’s rec is not quite as exciting as most of the other things we discuss here. Life-changing? Yes—it will almost certainly make your life easier for years to come. But I’m incredibly aware of the fact that it’s not a particularly fun item to spend money on. Let me say this though—every single time I go to use it I really am glad I picked it, and here’s hoping that this intro has successfully drummed up enough intrigue to keep you reading.
After a long search, I’ve come to realize that I’ve never seen an industry as ripe for disruption as the home printer one. The majority of at-home printing is what? Documents for work or school (for some), online shopping return labels (for me), and a picture every now and again?? So then why are most of the printers on the market for at-home use FUCKING GIGANTIC? Or $300+? Or just plain ugly??? It makes zero sense. If one of you wants to go to market with a super affordable, super compact, non-Xerox looking printer for the aforementioned labels and vacation pics, I am happy to have supplied you with the idea in exchange for a measly 10%!
I realized this all a few months back when I was trying to outfit my very first home office space. I bought a cheapo printer on Amazon only to realize that it WASN’T WIRELESS… Why would anyone in the year of our lord 2023 want to be connected to their computer by USB every single time they needed to print? Half the time I print email attachments from my phone!!!! Even if the inconvenience would be tolerable for now, I almost certainly won’t feel the same way in a few years when I am hopefully living somewhere with more than three rooms total and printer technology has hopefully improved some. So in the interest of buying one thing to last me awhile rather than getting a crappy version and then an eventual upgrade, I did some research.
I spent days combing through the “best printer” lists on all those nerdy review sites only to be met with ugly, expensive machines I didn’t want anywhere near my bedroom (the convenient location of my home office—told you we were working with three rooms here). Somewhere around week three of having this on my to-do list, I got the bright idea to check out what Apple was selling. I knew that while whatever they were using was probably pricey, it would definitely look better and work better (especially with my devices—an iPhone and a MacBook) than anything else out there, and hopefully it would also be aesthetically pleasing enough to make me not want to upgrade it the minute something newer and nicer came out.
That’s where I came across the HP Tango X. I feel a little bit like my dad talking about this ugly ass electric car he’s obsessed with when I talk about this printer. It’s sleek. Minimal. Dare I say sexy?! EASY TO USE! I watched the video they had on their product page and was immediately sold. I originally had a moving paragraph here about how it was entirely worth the splurge, but the price has dropped drastically since when I originally purchased this, thus eliminating the need for said paragraph and leaving me a bit miffed to be honest! At least I can rest well knowing that you all are getting a very good deal on what is the least ugly, most functional printer on Al Gore’s internet as of the time I started drafting this email.
I love that it’s compact enough to keep on my desk (helpful if you are with pet or child), doesn’t bring an office fax machine vibe to my office/bedroom, and that it took a grand total of five minutes to set up. It also comes with a cover that lets you disguise it a bit when it’s not in use, so if you’re like me and have to keep this in your bedroom, it won’t mess with the aesthetics.
I know it’s niche, but if anyone (who uses Apple products—unclear if this integrates as seamlessly with other operating systems) is in the market for a home printer, this is my pick.
Other things I’ve been loving lately: I just got back from an amazing trip to South Africa planned by my friend Dana, who can do the same for you! More pics to come on IG as soon as I sort through a very chaotic shared album. Art I saw in the background of an influencer’s TikTok and proceeded to track down on the internet. If these ugly oranges are at your grocery store, buy 500 of them!!! I’ve said it before, but I don’t travel without these packing cubes (or my trusty sleepy mask).
Xo,
Priyanka