A good personal laser printer...

I am not familiar with laser printers and wanted to ask what a good, affordable, black & white laser printer manufacturer is? I have used inkjet thus far, and most recently an HP "all-in-one" with some of the most dissapointing software that comes with it. All features except print were very rarely used. And now each time it is turned on, it not only prints a 'test' sheet, thinking it is time for a new ink cartilage, but also takes several minutes to feed the first print sheet in a print job.

I'm thinking it is time to go laser and have faster printing with more efficient ink ussage.

 

I currently have the Samsung ML2510 and it's been good to me plus it's fast, however, compared to other (but slower) personal laser printer it is a bit chunky. Cost me $100+tax USD.

I know HP and lexmark have smaller ones.

Btw just to let you know laser toners are quite expensive, unless you know how to buy or refill.

 

well, if all you need is a printer... you can get a B&W printer pretty inexpensively

I don't have any specific recommendations on a brand, however, if you already have a network, look for a printer with built-in networking capability, which allows you to hook the printer directly to a router/switch instead of a particular computer.

 

Will that be physically linked to the router or wireless? I don't mind physically linked as the set up will be in and around the same area. It would be nice to just press print on the laptop in another room and have it print here.

Samsung: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...angid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10080454&catid=10233

$169 CAN, quite pricey. How much is toner?

Can this hook up to a router?

Brother: http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10057725&catid=21196

$149 CAN. Besides these choices, and an HP one, the rest are quite expensive $399 - $2000 +. This is ofcourse if I limit myself to these stores, and for accessibility and warranty reasons, I would like to.

 

I like that HP 1320, and I almost always see it on sale at CompUSA for approximately $270-300.

 

That is a bit pricey, I see this HP though:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10061585&catid=21196

I've lost some faith in HP however. I think for laser I would be better off going with industry leaders: Brother, Lexmark.

 

Well, there is the samsung ML2510n (n=network ready) if you are worried about networking. However, you can always "share printer" within windows network. However, the computer that the printer is connected to would need to be on.

Buying a new toner here in the states would probably be over $100 USD give or take. However, I have found a shop that buys refurbish laser toners or something like that and I have been quoted I think it was $40-50 USD. You can look online for toner ink to refill the toner itself the last time I looked it was 2 refills for $30 USD. Of course these prices are here within Washington State.

When I was in Canada I saw a lexmark printer in Superstore but I don't know the price. Since it was sold in Superstore I am sure its pretty decent price. Try phoning some ink refill stores to see canadian prices.

Btw, I heard Brother aren't as good as the other companies.

 

I am going to reccomend the HP 1320 as well. I have one, I have had it for two years and it has never let me down. It is fast, very good on ink usage, it can automatically duplex (print on both sides of a page), plus it has good quality. It might be a little big, but its worth it. If you watch, you can find that printer under $250. I managed to get mine for $200+tax.

 

laser printers are always going to be more expensive to purchase initially, for sure. keep in mind, though, that a toner cartridge can last for thousands of printed sheets, as opposed to hundreds for an inkjet.

Here is one of many comparisons of the "TCO" of laser vs. inkjet
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/testdrive/article.php/3521141

 

I'm in no hurry to pick one up, however, I will take this dissapointing HP back and see if I can 'upgrade' by perhaps putting a few more dollars into a laser machine. I'm thinking if it will just work out better for me to print on campus at $.08/sheet, the convenience is not there like at home though, but maybe I can make do for the next couple years.

 

Printing from home is cheaper than Uni, unless there's a glitch in the system causing free printing rather than $0.10 a page for me. If you must print from school make sure you put it on highest quality. Home I use lowest settings.

 

must be nice... it's $0.11 per sheet at SFU...

 

HP is by most accounts, an industry leader in laser printing. Colleges, high schools, middle schools, industry, hospitals, everyone uses them.

If you want a small personal printer, I would go with either Samsung or Brother. They are the least expensive, are usually on sale at major retailers, and their toners are relatively inexpensive. Sure they cost around $60-80, but they print upwards of 6000-7000 pages. Compare that to inkjets that print only 500-900 pages yet cost about $30 a pop.

 

I payed about $60 for my inkjet, would be nice to find a laser for that price.

The quality on campus is standardized, and would appear to be high (in comparison to home inkjet). Funny you should mention that a glitch to give me free prints would be nice, because the opposite actually happened and the machine ate up over $9 off of my account for a 14 page document, money which i'm in the process of recovering.

 

Brother 2040 or 2070N

Both are great printers and great price. I never have paper jams and it always prints clear and crisp. Toner lasts forever, but be sure to buy Brother's toner and not a cheap knock-off brand.

I also have 2 Brother's Fax machine and both work perfectly.

 

Momo if you are on a budget the brother line are fine but you should also look into the Lexark E120n and the HP 1020. Including the Brother line these are the most compact printers.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I think i'll have to go down to the local Business Depot and check them out first-hand. For the time being I may just stick to the campus printing or go the 'viewing on pc/laptop' route instead of printing off some documents but I usually prefer to have it in-hand/hard copy.