I need a new printer...(Laser vs InkJet)

[skijay]

I need a new printer. My current ink jet (HP) needs a new black ink cartridge for $29.99. I purchased this printer about 1 1/2 years ago for $29. Not buying a new cartridge.

I may of used it about 50 times and now the black ink dried up. I changed the printer setting to make it print in B&W all the time. This is my second ink jet printer. This one smudges almost as bad as my Cannon it preplaced.

Here are my printer needs:

I do not print photos.
I do not print in color.
I do about 100 labels around the holidays.
I print about 50 pages a year.

I have seen B&W laser printers for less than $200 that come with a starter toner cartridge that prints up to 1000 pages.

One of the printers I liked is the Lexmark E232. How are these low priced laser printers in comparison to an ink jet for the same price? Does a $149 ink jet smudge as much as a $29 ink jet printer? Based on my printer needs is a low price laser the way to go?

 

[loafer89]

I just bought a Brother MFC210C Scanner, copier and fax for $99.00, but I have yet to see the print quality.

I understand what you mean about ink cartridges, they can be super expensive.

It's hard these days to find only a priner alone, as alot of these items are now multi-task.

 

[pizza]

If you were smart, you'd buy a laser printer. The savings in ink would pay for itself pretty quickly. Inkjets cost at least 25¢/page to print, lasers cost about 3¢. Plus you don't have the problems of smeared ink and clogged jets.

Definitely buy a laser.. even if you only print 50 pages a year.

 

[BeanoNYC]

If you were smart, you'd buy a laser printer. The savings in ink would pay for itself pretty quickly. Inkjets cost at least 25¢/page to print, lasers cost about 3¢. Plus you don't have the problems of smeared ink and clogged jets.

Definitely buy a laser.. even if you only print 50 pages a year.

Ditto. Easier maintainance, cheaper to run. You can probably pick one up on ebay for a decent price.

 

[SkiDog]

If you were smart, you'd buy a laser printer. The savings in ink would pay for itself pretty quickly. Inkjets cost at least 25¢/page to print, lasers cost about 3¢. Plus you don't have the problems of smeared ink and clogged jets.

Definitely buy a laser.. even if you only print 50 pages a year.

I agree 1000%.....laser is cheaper in the long run...and if yer willing to spend a bit..you can get some nice color jobs for under $1000.00, but I am sure thats too rich for most blood...

Anywho......

M

 

[pizza]

I saw an HP color laser printer at costco for $400..

It blew my mind. I remember when they were $6000..

This one is not HP... I'm pretty sure the one I saw in the store was.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11036730&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=&s=1

Can't believe how expensive color toner is. It's still probably cheaper than ink though.

 

[Greg]

We have a Brother HL-1440. This is our second Brother laser printer. We had this model's predecessor (HL-720) and that worked great for many years (5+). I think I replaced the toner on it 4 or 5 times at ~$25 a cartridge. We've been using the new one for 6+ months and it's been great. We got it on sale at Staples for $99. Amazon has it for $90 (refurb). It will suit your needs perfectly.

 

[Greg]

It looks like the latest and greatest offering from Brother is the HL-2040. Amazon has it for $140 with a $30 rebate. Based on my experience with the previous models in this line-up, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it at that price.

 

[smitty77]

I have both laser and color inkjet. For what you do, laser is a no-brainer. I have an HP LaserJet 6L, bought new in 1997 for around $350 (I think). HP quoted 1000 pges for the toner life, but I could get almost 2000 pages out of one $50 toner cartridge. The speed can't be beat. I know inkjets are getting quicker, but they'll never match a laser, especially when you print documents of more than 5 or 10 pages.

In comparison, my inkjet is a HP 952C, bought new in 2000 for about $180. The photo quality is very good and the ink doesn't smudge but the ink is so expensive ($30 for black and $30 for tri-color) and I've replaced both at least 5 times and have printed nowhere near 2000 pages with it over it's lifespan. As a result, I set the laser as my default printer and only print with the inkjet for photos.

I say go laser. You'll wonder how you ever lived without one. As a side note, I don't find long idle periods to be a problem with toner, whereas the ink seems to dry out. Only once, after the printer sat for 8 months, did I have an issue which was quickly resolved by removing the toner cartridge and rockig it back and forth to redistribute the toner inside (per manufacturers instructions).

Good luck.
Smitty

 

[loafer89]

I was looking at the laser printers/scanners yesterday at Staples, but the DPI was lower (2400)
versus what I bought at 6000????

They are also too large to fit into the small space that I have for a printer The cannon multi-task was about 3 feet high

 

[pizza]

I was looking at the laser printers/scanners yesterday at Staples, but the DPI was lower (2400)
versus what I bought at 6000????

They are also too large to fit into the small space that I have for a printer The cannon multi-task was about 3 feet high

Laser printers.. I remember when the big decision was between 300 and 600dpi.. there was a signficant difference, and 600dpi looked great. So when you see 2400dpi - believe me - it's fine.

6000dpi is just a marketing trick..

 

[skijay]

I went to Staples and picked up the Lexmark E232. Two reasons:

1. The size.
2. In stock.

10 minutes from time I opened the box to print the first document. Man is the thing quick!

 

[BeanoNYC]

I just read this article and thought some people might find it interesting. You can register with NYT for free to view the article.

http://tech2.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/technology/circuits/21pogue.html?oref=login