Need help buying a printer

I haven't bought a printer in five years, since I purchased my HP Laserjet 1012, which has served me well but:

A) I want a color printer, and
B) It is out of toner and the last (and first) time I ran out, I opted for a cheaper version on Amazon and it lasted only about six months (compared to three or four years for the HP cartridge). I won't do that again.

The main thing I want to be able to do is print sizable quantity--about a hundred sheets a week, sometimes more, sometimes less--for as cheaply as possible. I don't need anything fancy--a scanner would be a welcome bonus, a fax nice--but I just don't want to have to spend a ton. Most of the time b&w is fine, but I want the option for color.

Do the same basic principles apply as they did five years ago, namely that laser printers cost more initially but less in the long-run, and that replacing toner is expensive but not as expensive as the equivalent amount of ink cartridges?

Or are inkjets a more viable option now, as I was surprised to find how prevalent they still are?

I don't want to spend more than $200, $150 or less is preferable. I can go ink or laser, just whatever is the most economical in terms of cost/page. It goes without saying that I'd like it to be of decent structural quality and not break down.

And yes, I am (newly) aware of printercomparison.com and will check it out, but I need somewhere to start and wanted to get the basics down.

Thanks!

 

The number and type of printers are endless. If you want the best advice like buying a laptop, you'll have to narrow your parameters a bit more. First, do you want inkjet or laser? HP makes some highly rated (with cheap inks) printer. I wanted to get one this Christmas but I'm getting a new apartment and couldn't spare the cash. I like photos so I'm choosing a wide format printer. I think you might want one of the office PROs (about $300) but you need to at least give a figure.

Keep in mind, there are also multitask printer and wireless too if that's what you like. You can spend several thousand dollars on a printer if you have or want to use it for a business.

 

Thanks for the reply. I answered those questions within my original post: I said that I am fine with either ink or laser as long as it is as economical as possible in terms of cost per page. I also said that $200 is my max, with $150 or less being preferable. I'm not sure how else I can narrow the parameters--it just isn't listed in order.

 

Try this one: HP Officejet Pro K8600 Printer. It retail for $350, but if you're a discriminating shopper, i.e. ebay? You should be able to get it for around $200. Great printer with cheap inks!