Who ever invented the inkjet and thought it was a perfect thing for casual users who rarely print things should be shot.
I don't think
anyone who knows anything about printers thinks they're perfect for casual use. Naïve consumers who don't know any better choose the cheaper printer over the more expensive one, not realizing the downsides. (With laser traditionally being more expensive to buy, though that's changing now.)
As a giant printer nerd, I've been recommending for ages that sporadic users choose laser.
Not to play down your problems with your inkjet printers guys, just chiming in to share my experiences on the opposite. I've been using Canon PiXMA inkjet photo printers for some 13 years now and never had a single clogged nozzle. They often sit unused for months/half a year on end and then print just fine when needed, after they finish their (admittedly long) maintenance routines.
Same here. I got my first Canon-branded* inkjet in 2003 after my Epson became irrecoverably clogged, as most Epsons of the era did. The Canons have never given me trouble. (Of course, I never buy entry-level; maybe those suck, but I say "caveat emptor" if you think buying a $79 printer is a good idea.)
*My first two printers were an Apple StyleWriter and Color StyleWriter Pro, which used the print engines from the Canon BJ-10e and BJC-600e, respectively. (I may be off by a letter on the "e" suffixes.) These printers were also tanks that handled any kind of abuse. I took old cartridges (they contained the print head) for the original StyleWriter and refilled them with all sorts of inks, from "proper" inkjet refills, to the cheapest fountain pen ink, and it reliably printed with them all. (I didn't dare try that with the Color StyleWriter Pro or any of my newer Canons, since they use separate individual ink tanks with a quasi-permanent printhead which I wouldn't want to contaminate.)
All inkjet printers are garbage. I only use monochrome laserjets. Screw color. One for letter size (hp 2035n)and another for 11x17 schematics and other drawings I need to read (hp 5200).
If you need color then consider anything but an inkjet. They are a waste of money and the marketing wanks that hatched the idea should be exiled to a deserted island.
If you need high-quality color, inkjet is the winner, end of story. No color laser can match the print quality of a color inkjet.