Author Topic: Should I get a laser printer??  (Read 16604 times)

zachd

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Should I get a laser printer??
« on: February 06, 2014, 05:25:31 PM »
Man, perhaps nothing more frustrating in the world than a stupid ink jet printer.  I was pretty happy with my previous one, an HP. I have no idea why I bought this Epson when the HP died. It's terrible.  Sorry I'm going to vent a bit.  It got a paper jam soon after I got it.. the worst paper jam I've ever dealt with.  It holds about 30 sheets in a cartridge that the printer basically sits on. To take it in and out I have to lift the entire printer up with my other - nice design there.  Sometimes it just starts making crazy noises for no apparent reason - although I'm fairly certain the reason is probably it's doing some sort of 'nozzle check' which is basically dumping ink so you have to buy more sooner.  Of course the ink it came with was enough to last about 3 weeks... I didn't know they did this until now. 

I can't really think of any positives about this printer.  When I changed the blank ink it wouldn't print right and I had to do about 10 cleans and re-prints on the test page.

Oh, and of course it uses all the color inks for printing black and white - and if you run out of any one color you can't print at all.  You can print greyscale but you have to remember to check a box everytime in the advanced settings.

Forgive me, I bought it before I woke up to how much money I wasting on everything... I really regret it!

I'm thinking instead of spending $50 on replacement cartridges maybe I should spend $100 on a laser printer (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/brother-hl-2270dw-best-laser-printer/).

But then I'll have two printers.  My wife needs a scanner, she is a music teacher.
She does most of the printing and it's mostly black and white.   I'm trying to figure if maybe she could get by printing at her studio.. maybe chip in for ink or toner, whatever they use.

I could probably get by without a printer or print stuff from work if I needed to.

Any thoughts?

Oh, I looked in to refilling the carts.. I have done it before but it was relatively easy. They have made it very difficult these days to refills them, at least this epson model.





dragoncar

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2014, 05:34:03 PM »
No, you probably don't need a printer.  I think very few people actually need one... what do you need to print?

For the one-off jobs, yeah use work.  Or your local print shop/library will do it for like 10 cents per page.

GM404

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2014, 06:10:07 PM »
If you *actually* need a printer, I would say it's a GREAT idea. My wife is a Realtor and does need a printer. Anyway, we too got tired of the ink jet printers. I would yell at her (not really) about wasting ink..."Does your client REALLY need to see that seller's disclosure?!?".

So, I did what you did. With the experience I had at work with an HP printer (never ever, ever jammed!), I went online to see what I could find. Well, I found the exact printer I was using for about $90. Just a quick search tonight came up with one for $129.99...you could probably find one a little cheaper if you look around. If I remember correctly, I bought a generic toner cartridge for about $50. So, looking at my status page, I installed the toner on 4/22/2011 and have printed 4,233 pages. It tells me I have 6,906 left to go...and this is with 5.3% coverage which is pretty good.

Now, although this is not very "mustachian", I will admit that I bought ANOTHER one for our second office down stairs. We have had it for about a year and it's worked great as well. Truth be told, I bought it as a spare, but it's become our go-to when using the "other" office.

So...if you need to print, and you don't need color...I definitely think it's worth it.

horsepoor

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2014, 06:11:28 PM »
We got that Brother printer a couple years ago after a fit of similar frustration over inkjet problems.  I think it was $89 on sale at Office Depot.  We don't do a lot of printing, but when we do, we're so glad we have the laser printer.  The ink doesn't gum up if we go a month without printing anything (which we frequently do).  The cartridge lasts a long time if you just ignore the change cartridge warnings and wait until the printing in unacceptably faded. I think the generic replacement cartridge on Amazon was like $17, or maybe $27, and works just fine.  The WiFi works perfectly with my computer, but has never worked with my husband's computer, for some reason.  So overall, yes, it's $90 I would spend again. 

Beridian

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2014, 06:57:03 PM »
Ink jets suck.

I gave up on them years ago.  I have a Brother multi function B&W laser that is fast and cheap.  It was worth the sacrifice to give up color printing, I can live without it.   I have been very happy with the Brother, and these days I see them priced under $150.  If you really need a printer (and fax/scanner/copier) I highly recommend this brand in laser.

Rural

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2014, 07:08:12 PM »
We shelled out nearly $250 for a color laser printer a couple of years ago. Was roughly 50% of our discretionary purchases total for the year. Best decision ever because it bought us a much less hassle-ridden life.

sleepyguy

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2014, 07:23:35 PM »
If it's a good work/business need the get one and don't over think it.

Here in Toronto I just bought an all-in-one Brother laser unit.  Why?  because it has wired networking, it's laser, ADF scanning, and replacement toners are dirt cheap.  These features I would used regularly.  Replaced a super slow AIO samsung unit that was USB only and was over 10yrs old.  Just the time saved scanning probably made up for the cost for us.  I donated the samsung to a local NFP daycare.

http://www.staples.ca/en/Brother-DCP-7065DN-Three-in-One-Monochrome-Laser-Printer-with-Duplex/product_918107_2-CA_1_20001


zachd

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2014, 11:18:07 PM »
Thanks, this is really helpful input. Looks like Brother stands out in the home and small business laser printer world...

Do these typically come with a full toner cart from the start? - NM - I see these all over CL, I'll be looking there.

Any idea if most brother units use the same toner cart?

« Last Edit: February 06, 2014, 11:30:10 PM by zachd »

libertarian4321

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2014, 03:11:16 AM »
Ink Jets are a disaster.  They rarely last longer than the ink cartridge.  Sure, they might be "cheap," but they are a royal PITA, and tend to break down with monotonous regularity.

With cheap black and white lasers running less than $100, you are fare better off buying one of them than an ink jet. 

And probably just as cheap as running off to some store or library to "Print for 10 cents a page."  Sure, you print for 10 cents a page, but you burn $3-5 in gas every time you do it (to say nothing of the aggravation and time wasting).  Sometimes the supposed "cheaper" alternative just ain't worth the trouble.

I'm extremely frugal, and I would choose my $69 laser printer over an ink jet or running off to a store without a second thought.

dragoncar

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2014, 03:19:22 AM »
Ink Jets are a disaster.  They rarely last longer than the ink cartridge.  Sure, they might be "cheap," but they are a royal PITA, and tend to break down with monotonous regularity.

With cheap black and white lasers running less than $100, you are fare better off buying one of them than an ink jet. 

And probably just as cheap as running off to some store or library to "Print for 10 cents a page."  Sure, you print for 10 cents a page, but you burn $3-5 in gas every time you do it (to say nothing of the aggravation and time wasting).  Sometimes the supposed "cheaper" alternative just ain't worth the trouble.

I'm extremely frugal, and I would choose my $69 laser printer over an ink jet or running off to a store without a second thought.

Well it depends on how much you print.  I print maybe 2 pages a year.  And yes, the store is in walking distance.  You actually drive places?  Like in a car???

Workinghard

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2014, 04:46:09 AM »
Brother printer here too. We get cheap toners from a place on EBay. The toners have a little window on the side. If you cover it up with duct or electrical tape, it will continue to print after getting the replacement message.

OP mentioned needing a scanner. We have an all in one for that, although I won't replace it when it dies.

Rural

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2014, 05:40:32 AM »
Our color laser is an HP. It's worked fine for us.

GuitarStv

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2014, 06:05:23 AM »
I got my laser printer (A Brother one) before heading to university.  It's worked great through my time at university, my sister's time at university, and now it lives at home with me.  We don't use it often any more, but I was always printing crap out when in school.  It's now thirteen years old and is on it's second toner cartridge.  Totally worth the 150$ we got it for.

ketchup

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2014, 09:34:46 AM »
I work in IT.  Printers are Evil.  Evil.  Every last one of them is plotting against you, everything you love, happiness, puppies, and the world as we know it.  20-30% of my job is wrangling printers (nice, expensive, fancy printers) with stupid problems that don't make any sense, fixing them usually with stupid solutions that don't make any sense.  If you can get away with not having a printer, it is the more sane approach.

That being said, a basic monochrone laser printer is probably the least-bad printer to own.  I have an HP P1006 that I got as a gift about four years ago.  I'm still on the original toner cartridge, and it's worked perfectly whenever I've needed it, which hasn't been too terribly often.  Something like that shouldn't run you more than $150.

DaveSch

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2014, 09:42:49 AM »
I bought my Brother MFC-7440N all in one printer-scanner-fax 5 years ago this month. I've been very happy. I'm only on my second cartridge, so I don't print a lot. I don't have the fax connected, so I completely power it down when not in use. The scanner works great too. Not sure if you need color printed output. If so, this one isn't for you as it only prints black and white. I see that a lot of other posters on this thread also have Brother printers. That gives me the warm and fuzzies. :) In 2009 I paid $268 for this little bundle of joy.

I've had a few inkjet printers and they have been disasters. My first laser jet was a Hewlett Packard 3P which cost me $1300 in the early 1990's. That lasted a long time. My second one was another HP, which didn't last as long as my Brother. Good luck with your upcoming purchase.

Dave

gillstone

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2014, 09:43:52 AM »
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/printers

That being said...We got the basic HP laser printer as a gift a few years ago and its been flawless.  No paper jams, recycled toner cartriges are replaced maybe once a year for 40 bucks.  The simpler the laser printer the better the chances that it runs well.  When you get into networking and wireless and special features its going to find away to annoy you on a regular basis.

rpm1200

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2014, 11:13:25 AM »
I agree that B&W laser printers usually beat inkjet for home use. I didn't see anyone suggesting buying used, but that is a good option. I have gone through a few laser printers over the years and have never bought one new. (Strangely enough they have all been HPs.) I bought the first one at a thrift store, found the second in the roadside trash (it worked fine after a bit of cleaning) and got the third out of the e-waste bin at work (I got permission from the facilities guy first). There was nothing at all wrong with that last one, and it's still my primary printer.

One thing to watch is the idle power consumption, so if you're not using it you probably want to turn it off. Otherwise, even in "power save" mode it's still using some energy, warming the fuser.

geekette

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2014, 11:28:39 AM »
We bought our Canon Pixma 4000 (inkjet) printer in '05 for $100.  When the print heads got clogged up last year we started reading reviews of new printers (horrid) and used ammonia to clean the heads.  Smelly work, but it's working great again.  Just bought ink for it yesterday ($40, but it'll last us a year).



4alpacas

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2014, 12:09:42 PM »
Ink Jets are a disaster.  They rarely last longer than the ink cartridge.  Sure, they might be "cheap," but they are a royal PITA, and tend to break down with monotonous regularity.

With cheap black and white lasers running less than $100, you are fare better off buying one of them than an ink jet. 

And probably just as cheap as running off to some store or library to "Print for 10 cents a page."  Sure, you print for 10 cents a page, but you burn $3-5 in gas every time you do it (to say nothing of the aggravation and time wasting).  Sometimes the supposed "cheaper" alternative just ain't worth the trouble.

I'm extremely frugal, and I would choose my $69 laser printer over an ink jet or running off to a store without a second thought.

Well it depends on how much you print.  I print maybe 2 pages a year.  And yes, the store is in walking distance.  You actually drive places?  Like in a car???

I print a bit more than you do, but I also opt to go to a store.  The printing is about $0.30/document (front and back), but it's better than having to deal with a printer in my small apartment.  It's also a block away.  So, 10 minute walk. $0.30.  I've spent about $1.50 this year, so I think I'm good.  :)

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2014, 01:05:14 PM »
I have a color laser printer for work. It's a Dell and my second one, the first lasted six years.

Generally Kinkos is cheaper, but I find it's useful to have the ability to quickly print things like proposals, meeting documents, and last-minute materials without having to spend an hour walking to Kinkos and back.

Laser looks nicer, prints faster, IMO.

aglassman

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2014, 02:23:17 PM »
You should most definitely buy that Brother printer.  I bought a similar model on sale at office depot a few years ago.  It was also the wireless model.

Pros:
-I've only had to buy one new toner cartridge.  They last a long long time. 
-It always prints correctly. No smudges, no weird lines, the toner doesn't dry out over time like ink jet does.
-Its much faster than ink jet.

Cons:
-The wireless is a pain in the ass to setup.  They may have released new drivers or installers, but every time I need to get it onto a new network (due to moving) it takes me like an hour to figure out.  On the other hand, if you plug it into the router, it works instantly!

zachd

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2014, 03:34:19 PM »

I talked to my wife last night, she freaked out when I asked how much she needed the printer.. she always assumes I'm just trying to take away the stuff she needs because it costs too much haha.

Of course I'm just trying to get some facts to see if we should just get some ink for this Epson or get rid of it and move on.  She prints almost every day and has to scan at least once a week.

Yeah there are quite a few Brother lasers on my local CL.. too bad the well reviewed one that is a smaller form factors doesn't have a scanner.  There are quite a few larger ones and many have faxes which we would never use.  I'll just have to research which ones have the cheapest toner than lasts the longest time.

I'm going to see if a scanner exists that is powered by USB only and is small and just pulls the paper through it.. like those little receipts scanners...  that might be good she could put it in a drawer and just pull it out when she needed it and we could not have a giant laser printer taking up my precious desk space!  I mean those office models look HUGE. 


GM404

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2014, 04:51:28 PM »
We bought our Canon Pixma 4000 (inkjet) printer in '05 for $100.  When the print heads got clogged up last year we started reading reviews of new printers (horrid) and used ammonia to clean the heads.  Smelly work, but it's working great again.  Just bought ink for it yesterday ($40, but it'll last us a year).

Did you read the entire thread? Several people have mentioned buying USED. DON'T buy a new one...that's wasting money!

dadof4

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2014, 04:53:59 PM »
I've had my Brother ink jet all-in-one for 7 + years. Bought it for $80. Generic cartridges cost under $2.  I bought a box of those a few years ago for $50, and they will probably outlive the printer. We average about a 100 pages a month.
It produces wonderful, professional looking color prints. Combined with cheap photo paper, I've impressed a lot of people with large, nearly free prints.

B&W's are acceptable.

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2014, 05:46:16 PM »
We bought our Canon Pixma 4000 (inkjet) printer in '05 for $100.  When the print heads got clogged up last year we started reading reviews of new printers (horrid) and used ammonia to clean the heads.  Smelly work, but it's working great again.  Just bought ink for it yesterday ($40, but it'll last us a year).

Did you read the entire thread? Several people have mentioned buying USED. DON'T buy a new one...that's wasting money!

I would recommend NOT buying a used laser printer. The first thing to go is typically the fuser, and it can cost as much as a new machine. People are likely to sell a used laser printer right around the time the performance starts to decline, then you'll get very little life left out of the machine.

Inkjets might be different.

Insanity

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #25 on: February 07, 2014, 08:39:47 PM »
"What the fuck is PC Load Letter."


dragoncar

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #26 on: February 07, 2014, 09:09:41 PM »
"What the fuck is PC Load Letter."

I never understood how a competent programmer could not figure out what that error meant.

Insanity

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #27 on: February 09, 2014, 07:42:11 PM »
"What the fuck is PC Load Letter."

I never understood how a competent programmer could not figure out what that error meant.

i believe he had already loaded paper in it and that's why he kept saying it.  It has been awhile since I saw the movie to remember the exact timing of it.

randymarsh

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #28 on: February 09, 2014, 08:37:05 PM »
PC LOAD LETTER is confusing because the "PC" stands for paper cassette. But most people think of personal computer, so they would think the error has something to do with their computer and not the printer itself. I

dragoncar

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #29 on: February 09, 2014, 08:54:22 PM »
PC LOAD LETTER is confusing because the "PC" stands for paper cassette. But most people think of personal computer, so they would think the error has something to do with their computer and not the printer itself. I

Sure, I can see why it's confusing to a layperson.  Either way, there's only one place to load anything letter sized in a printer.  That's not the issue.  Programmers deal with "confusing" acronyms all day long.  In fact, they create them.  This guy has ostensibly been working as a programmer for at least a few years.  It is not believable that he wouldn't have come across this error before, and any programmer worth his salt would have looked up the error.

Insanity

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #30 on: February 09, 2014, 08:57:07 PM »
PC LOAD LETTER is confusing because the "PC" stands for paper cassette. But most people think of personal computer, so they would think the error has something to do with their computer and not the printer itself. I

Sure, I can see why it's confusing to a layperson.  Either way, there's only one place to load anything letter sized in a printer.  That's not the issue.  Programmers deal with "confusing" acronyms all day long.  In fact, they create them.  This guy has ostensibly been working as a programmer for at least a few years.  It is not believable that he wouldn't have come across this error before, and any programmer worth his salt would have looked up the error.

Of course, it is a satire movie where most of the plot is not really believable ;)

dragoncar

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #31 on: February 09, 2014, 09:21:45 PM »
PC LOAD LETTER is confusing because the "PC" stands for paper cassette. But most people think of personal computer, so they would think the error has something to do with their computer and not the printer itself. I

Sure, I can see why it's confusing to a layperson.  Either way, there's only one place to load anything letter sized in a printer.  That's not the issue.  Programmers deal with "confusing" acronyms all day long.  In fact, they create them.  This guy has ostensibly been working as a programmer for at least a few years.  It is not believable that he wouldn't have come across this error before, and any programmer worth his salt would have looked up the error.

Of course, it is a satire movie where most of the plot is not really believable ;)

I'm pretty sure it was a documentary

hybrid

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2014, 07:42:36 AM »
Over the years I have purchased several Canon multi-function laser printers for family, friends, and clients from Rakuten (was buy.com). Can't tell you why, but several times a year I would stumble upon just stupid good deals on these units.  The best was the time I found Canon MF3240s for $75 including free shipping.  Given the ability to print, copy, scan and fax, these units have been very versatile and I have never received a complaint on one.  Economy replacement toner is typically $25 online.  My wife does a lot of printing as part of her job as a shop steward and this has really lightened those costs over time.

Here is a deal they are running today on a similar unit.  The MF3240 is an older model and probably not made new anymore.  Oh, and per the posts above, a helpful tip for the non-IT crowd.  MF is short for Multi-function.....  ;-)

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/canon-imageclass-d530-black-white-laser-multifunction-copier/238756584.html

GuitarStv

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2014, 09:15:07 AM »
PC LOAD LETTER is confusing because the "PC" stands for paper cassette. But most people think of personal computer, so they would think the error has something to do with their computer and not the printer itself. I

Sure, I can see why it's confusing to a layperson.  Either way, there's only one place to load anything letter sized in a printer.  That's not the issue.  Programmers deal with "confusing" acronyms all day long.  In fact, they create them.  This guy has ostensibly been working as a programmer for at least a few years.  It is not believable that he wouldn't have come across this error before, and any programmer worth his salt would have looked up the error.

Of course, it is a satire movie where most of the plot is not really believable ;)

I'm pretty sure it was a documentary

Yep.

ritchie70

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2014, 09:20:13 AM »
We're on our second Brother multi-function laser unit. I damaged the first one but the second is going strong. Highly recommended. Our current one is a MFC-7840W - flatbed scanner with document feeder, copier, fax, printer.

One thing I would suggest is to always user the Brother-brand toner, not the only slightly cheaper stuff. The Brothers I've had have a separate toner and drum, and the one time I uses a generic toner cartridge I wound up replacing the very expensive drum to get it printing well again.

zachd

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #35 on: February 17, 2014, 12:44:42 PM »
I didn't realize this thread went a while without me..

PC Load Letter.. haha.  I work in software and I don't know how to fix printer errors either on business machines.

So I waited trying to find a good deal on Craigslist and there were some good ones but I was shooting for $50 or less for a newer laser printer.  One guy wanted $70 for a new in box Brother which was a highly rated model.  But I was going to price check it and tell him $70 was too much and sure enough it was because Office Depot had it on sale for $60.

Sold the POS epson for $25 on CL just today also.  I'm really hoping the buyer doesn't contact me to tell me how horrible that printer is.  To paraphrase a saying I learned from working in an oilfield.. "It works fine if you hold your mouth just right"

Sadly I included my last usb cable with the printer and the new one didn't have one.  There is a cables thread where this situation is mentioned.. some guys are afraid to get rid of ANY cable because they might need it.  Well I need it but no biggie, trip down the street to thrift store should be $2. Of course then I will find one around here later probably.




MayDay

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #36 on: August 24, 2014, 11:04:57 AM »
So glad I searched for "laser printer" and found this.

I was putting receipts in the budget and raging about the 40$ ink cartridge.  A laser printer is on my xmas list.  I have found that the kids need to print a decent bit for school, so I think a laser printer will pay many dividends over the next ten years.  We do seem to use our scanner on the ink jet regularly- kids schools constantly need copies of things like immunization records, proof of residence, etc.  We mostly use it to copy those things. 

libertarian4321

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #37 on: August 25, 2014, 01:28:50 AM »
Ink Jets are a disaster.  They rarely last longer than the ink cartridge.  Sure, they might be "cheap," but they are a royal PITA, and tend to break down with monotonous regularity.

With cheap black and white lasers running less than $100, you are fare better off buying one of them than an ink jet. 

And probably just as cheap as running off to some store or library to "Print for 10 cents a page."  Sure, you print for 10 cents a page, but you burn $3-5 in gas every time you do it (to say nothing of the aggravation and time wasting).  Sometimes the supposed "cheaper" alternative just ain't worth the trouble.

I'm extremely frugal, and I would choose my $69 laser printer over an ink jet or running off to a store without a second thought.

Well it depends on how much you print.  I print maybe 2 pages a year.  And yes, the store is in walking distance.  You actually drive places?  Like in a car???

Ink jets are even WORSE if you are an extremely low volume printer.  If you don't use the darned thing, the ink jet will clog (unless you waste ink doing the periodic "cleaning").

Lasers are so cheap now, for black and white, that I can't see any reason to buy another crappy, old fashioned, ink jet.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #38 on: August 25, 2014, 03:18:12 AM »
I bought a Brother laser for $38 a couple of years ago. Lasted me through the final year of uni, but no wireless was a pain.

It's been sitting in a box the last eighteen months...I should really sell it.

MillenialMustache

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #39 on: August 25, 2014, 08:36:00 AM »
I am on my second Brother laser, the first one lasting over a decade. I always used generic ink bought off of Ebay or Amazon (whichever was cheaper at the time) for around $10 per toner. I have also replaced the drum, for around $20 or so. I finally had to get rid of that one when the fuser went, and we discovered that was not cost effective to replace. We sold the ink and drum on Ebay, donated the printer at Best Buy, and then bought a new one for around $100.

TreeTired

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #40 on: August 25, 2014, 08:46:38 AM »
I was on another forum a while back bragging about my latest printer purchase.  My inkjet printer had run out of ink and I found it cheaper to buy a new printer than new ink for the old printer.  I think the new printer was around $50 and it included an ink cartridge.  The geeks on the forum were all over me, and were quite insistent that it was much more cost effective to buy and use a B&W laser printer.  My inkjet ink is running low, but I can still print using color only.  If I have to buy a new printer I will probably get a B&W laser for <$100. 

innkeeper77

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #41 on: August 25, 2014, 09:35:55 AM »
Thanks, this is really helpful input. Looks like Brother stands out in the home and small business laser printer world...

Do these typically come with a full toner cart from the start? - NM - I see these all over CL, I'll be looking there.

They do not-  they come with about half the toner of the standard toner cartridge (They call it a "starter" cartridge) It's annoying, but for the price ($80 new) I can't complain.

High capacity cartriges (at least 4x the size of the "starter") can be bought from other brands. I am happy with my second cartridge, the TN-450 is the brother high capacity version ($48) while the RTCA-TN450 is the knockoff made by rosewill for $25 (2600 pages- which seem accurate- meaning almost 1 cent per page. Not bad!)

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #42 on: August 25, 2014, 09:52:11 AM »
We bought an HP color laser all-in-one (CM1312nfi)  about six or seven years ago.  It's networked, although not wireless, and it's been very good to us.  Generic toner is reasonably cheap.  We've used the heck out of it, and it's held up just fine.

I have never owned an inkjet, and never will.  Laser all the way.

Jack

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #43 on: August 25, 2014, 10:49:47 AM »
I've known for a very long time that inkjet printers are terrible. Because of that, I bought a cheap Brother B&W laser (HL-2070N). It worked for several years, but suddenly started printing streaks all over the page. I'm not sure what went wrong with it.

I went to replace it with another laser, but I wanted to upgrade to automatic duplex and (maybe) color. After getting sticker shock, I found out that there was one inkjet that was supposed to A) not suck and B) not gouge you on (black) ink refills (which are $5 per cartridge, or about 5 cents per page): the Lexmark Pro901. So I got one (and it was not cheap!). It, too, (mostly) worked for a while but now I can only get it to actually print intermittently, and usually have to reinstall the driver each time. It also refuses to print black and white when any of the color cartridges are empty, which pisses me off to no end.

I then acquired a different model of Brother B&W laser (larger but older) that somebody was giving away. It paper jams on every other print.

In summary: I own three printers, all of which are supposed to be good, but in reality are hunks of glorified plastic junk.

I wish I knew of an actual good-quality ("buy it for life") network, auto-duplex (and maybe color) laser. Even if the damn thing were $500 (or more!) I'd gladly pay it if I knew that it would still be working, hassle-free, in 10 or 20 years. Unfortunately, I highly doubt such a thing exists. Even HPs no longer have the same reputation for durability they used to have (other than in zolotiyeruki's opinion)...

innkeeper77

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #44 on: August 25, 2014, 11:30:14 AM »

I've known for a very long time that inkjet printers are terrible. Because of that, I bought a cheap Brother B&W laser (HL-2070N). It worked for several years, but suddenly started printing streaks all over the page. I'm not sure what went wrong with it.

That sounds like it needs a new drum. Drums are wear items (expensive ones..) but they last much longer than toner cartridges.

If not the drum, either your cartridge needs to be cleaned/replaced (its spillover reservoir could be full) or your paper somehow became very electrically charged. (Fan it out a few times and put it back)

My money would be on you needing a new drum unit.
Drum unit for your printer: 12000 page estimated lifespan, $83 http://www.amazon.com/Brother-DR350-Drum-Unit-Packaging/dp/B0007KI6P4

However, you should take apart the printer as much as it practical, and clean EVERY part. Toner could have gotten somewhere it shouldn't have, causing issues, such as blocking the laser etc. Do not get into the power supply area and capacitors.. but clean what you can from the service hatches etc.

You could always have a techninican fix it if you cannot.

Source of my info: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/66947.aspx
« Last Edit: August 25, 2014, 11:34:26 AM by innkeeper77 »

Jack

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #45 on: August 25, 2014, 11:56:29 AM »
I've known for a very long time that inkjet printers are terrible. Because of that, I bought a cheap Brother B&W laser (HL-2070N). It worked for several years, but suddenly started printing streaks all over the page. I'm not sure what went wrong with it.

My money would be on you needing a new drum unit.
Drum unit for your printer: 12000 page estimated lifespan, $83 http://www.amazon.com/Brother-DR350-Drum-Unit-Packaging/dp/B0007KI6P4

Like an ink cartridge for a cheap inkjet, that drum costs more than the whole printer did!

(Also, the drum should have lasted a lot longer before wearing out.)

TheFrugalFox

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Re: Should I get a laser printer??
« Reply #46 on: August 25, 2014, 02:33:00 PM »
I also had enough of ink jets - so bought a very cheap B&W laser and have been very happy with it - had it for 6 months so far. I see you can get one for around $50 incl delivery.

http://www.amazon.com/Pantum-P2000-Laser-Printer/dp/B009W9CC3S