Q: My wife and I have homes on Bainbridge Island and Southern California. When the sky in the Pacific Northwest became gray, we fled to Southern California.

Each of us takes our laptops (Mac and Dell Windows) back and forth, and we have printers everywhere: HP Envy Photo 7858 on the island and Epson WF-3620 in California. Both use ink cartridges.

We encountered printing problems in every location, at least in part because not too many printing features were used and the ink dried out. I have tried several remedies, but none of them seem to work well or last for a long time.

I think the answer might be to buy a top non-cartridge model or color laser and then take it with you. (We are driving between two locations. This shouldn't be a problem.) From the point of view that each computer only needs to be connected to one printer, this seems pretty good, even though in each of the two locations.

Of course, I need to reinstall a printer in each location every time I move, but I don't think this is a big problem. Could this be a good solution?

A: I live the same life as you. My wife has children and grandchildren in New Orleans, so we have a house there and a place on Bainbridge Island where my son and his wife live.

Yes, I have printers in both places. If you do not use an inkjet printer to print approximately once a month, the print head may become clogged. The print head is the most expensive part of an inkjet printer.

Laser nozzles also have similar problems in toner agglomeration.

Yes, if I am within a reasonable driving distance of another place of ours, I will carry the printer with me.

However, you may want to consider that many of the latest generation printers have software that allows you to print remotely over the Internet. This is a simple and economical solution.

Unfortunately, the Epson SureColor P800 that I use to print high-quality artwork does not have this capability. So I have to keep it and the connected computer running, and then use TeamViewer to connect to it remotely. Of course, if there is a power outage, I have to send someone to the house to restart everything.

Historical record: Google did not provide free Google Cloud Print until December 2020, which is exactly what you want. You can connect to a remote printer and let the ink flow through the print head. I was disappointed to see this service disappeared.

Q: I am using a Samsung Galaxy A20 smartphone with Consumer Cellular. My phone cannot read the QR code. I am looking for a recommended app that can make it do this. Can you recommend one?

A: Actually, Samsung Galaxy A20 can scan the QR code without installing anything. You can find detailed information here: samsung.com/ph/support/mobile-devices/how-to-scan-a-qr-code-on-galaxy-device/

If you want more options, go to the Google Play website and search for "QR scanner". You will find many free applications to choose from. I haven't reviewed them yet, so I can't make suggestions, but you will find user ratings.

Q: I installed Microsoft Office 2010 on a desktop PC I purchased in 2011. I want to buy and install the same version of Office on my laptop, but since Microsoft has stopped shipping or supporting Office 2010, I can't find any way to do this. Do you have any suggestions on how to achieve this?

A: In fact, you can still buy Office 2010 online. I found all versions of the kit on softwarekeep.com.

In other words, I do not recommend installing software that is no longer supported, because there may be security vulnerabilities that are no longer patched.

The views expressed in the reader's comments only represent the views of the author and do not reflect the views of the Seattle Times.