Laser Printers

[Runningwolf]

I've been doing some research on color laser printers. Does anyone have one they are happy with? So far the decision is to stick with my Office jet 8500 ink jet. It has been very good (getting old) and the color is nice, ink doesn't run.

It was after having Staples print a few out that I saw the difference. Reviews are all over the place but was looking at Brother. When buying new cartridges you're only buying ink and not toner. You only have to replace that about every 15,000 pages, so there is a savings. With HP you're buying a toner bar every time with the ink cartridge.
The Brother mfc-9340cdw is $399 or HL-3170cdw for $279. The killer is the ink cartridges at about $100 each (4 total).

 

[Pumpkinman]

Dan,
It really depends on what you plan on doing with the printer and the workload that you will put through it. Do you need to print color? Will you be printing photos, invoices, business cards, or just documents? How many sheets do you estimate that you'll print monthly?
I highly recommend against an Epson Artisan series, after 2-3 years the colors just stop working.
I have a brother laser jet HL-2170 w, works like a charm.
Consumer reports is a good source, so is CNET reviews, they are usually spot on with technology, just type in for example cnet review Brother HL-3170CDW, it not only gives you a detailed review, but it also lists the lowest prics and where to purchase it for that amount. Check it out here: Click me

I hope that this helps.
Tom

 

[Runningwolf]

Tom the brother laser jet HL-2170 w is just B/W, right? Thanks to another member they let me use their Consumer Reports membership and I looked at a few.

After reviewing not the cost of the printer but the cost of the ink and the reports of the quality of color pictures I think I came to a conclusion. That is to stick with the HP Office Jet and when I have some special labels I'll take them to Staples to get printed. With the costs of the 4 inks costing more than the printer, it could be a real issue coming up with the cash at times to replace them. I think if I was just looking for a B/W printer I would go laser.

 

[dralarms]

I had a color laser, sold it. It was a power hog. No more labels than I'm doing right now I'll stick with ink jet and let staples print mine @ .50 a page full color.


Some day I may get another laser but not yet.

 

[MrKevin]

Dan
I second the Brother Laser printers. I have bought more then one (one for office and one for home) and they both work great.

 

[ffemt128]

Dan,

I have the Brother Color Laser 3075. Very happy with it. Toner is about $70.00 per cartridge. I've had it 2 years now and use it as our primary printer. I've had to replace the original Black and Yellow toner so far. I was told by the salesman that the original cartridges from any manufacturer are not full but Brother is fuller than the rest. I picked mine up at Staples when it was on sale.

 

[almargita]

Dan:

Inkjets are very inexpensive to run if you know how to re-fill the empy cartridges yourself. I buy bulk ink & refill them when they get low, very easy to do although could get messy if your not careful. Also not all printers have easy to fill cartridges, some companys have special chips to make it difficult to refill .Most times its cheaper to throw away the printer & buy a new one when the ink is empty as they charge so much for it, thats where they make their money. They can probably give you the printer for free in you continue to buy the ink from them.

Al

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

I am running a Brother 9970CDW here at the store. We have run over a case of paper through it. Have only replaced the black cartrage , that was in November of 2012. Still on the color starter ones. Nice unit, a bit large and noisy when running but other than that no complaints. It still does more stuff than I use.

 

[jswordy]

Love our OfficeJet printer/scanner/fax/copier. Bought it while in need at Wally World for like $130 a few years back and it has been GREAT! And here I thought a cheap printer could never last. Prior to that we were going through one about every year and half. Separate black ink cartridge makes that easy and there are refilled ones available. Never have bought a "toner bar."

 

[Runningwolf]

Jim are you talking ink jet or laser? The toner bar is attached to most laser cartridges but on Brother Lasers they are separate.

For now I'm sticking with my HP Office Jet 8500. My research and your comments all lead to Brother if one is looking for a color laser.

 

[LoveTheWine]

Just bought a brother desk jet. My previous printers were DELL and HP... junk!!!
Wish me luck