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Would someone mind recommending a good laser printer?
Stoic Joker:
One thing I like is the style of the laser printer.
The paper is in an enclosed slot, reducing dust build up on the paper.-cmpm (September 25, 2010, 10:11 AM)
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100% excellent point - Not sure why I didn't think of it actually - Many of the top feed/open bin printers do have major issues with reliability and moisture/sensitivity/jamming issues do to the exposed media. Not to mention that most of the devices designed in this manner are also designed to be disposable ... Hence they're impossible/(way) uneconomical to repair.
I look at how many thousands a month, the higher or better is good I guess.
Not sure why it's measured like that, perhaps it's about business production.
I don't know if it stops after the output of 50,000 or 20,000 a month or what it means.-cmpm (September 25, 2010, 10:11 AM)
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This is one of the most popular topics (and point of derisions) at our office, Printer specs that look like this:
Monthly duty cycle 50,000 - 1000,000 pages
Recommended usage 2,000 - 5,000 pages.
In a nut shell "proper"/reasonably expected usage is between these two numbers, but approaching or exceeding the higher number will most likely void your warranty... and some models take abuse better than others.
On a side note, there are no "cheap" color laser printers. A low purchase price leaves you with a high TCO because the cartridges are expensive and contain very little toner. 2,000 pages may sound like a lot, but with the 5% coverage qualifier... reality puts it closer to less than 1,000. Not to mention that printing something that is just black & white does not guarantee that you won't actually be using a combination of all the color toners to get all the various shades of gray.
Many of the seemingly "cheap" mono printers suffer from the tiny toner cost issue also.
Carol Haynes:
Low end models are made by Canon
Midrange models are made by Lexmark
High-end models are made by Xerox
-Stoic Joker (September 25, 2010, 08:22 AM)
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I know it isn't relevant to this thread but ... don't know about lasers but this is definitely the wrong order for inkjets. For me the order (for inkjets) is:
Lexmark - cheap to buy but crap quality and extremely expensive to run (lousy software) (and most of 'Dell' printers seem to be Lexmark rebranded - which is why they can give them away for almost nothing). Their drivers have little to recommend them either.
Canon - very good quality and inks reasonably priced (esp. if you by a higher spec printer). Software minimalist but works well and is easy to install.
HP - pretty good print quality (not as good as Canon's for the same price) but built quality is nowhere near as good as it used to be and their software is a nightmare. Upgrades are commonly over 400Mb (I have seen a couple that won't even fit on a CD when compressed) and the cause of endless problems. I suppose I shouldn't really complain because they have made me a fair amount of money sorting out driver issues which kill computers and drive users nuts.
Xerox - don't know - haven't used one in 20 years (and that one cost £12,000 then for a 300dpi colour printer - so yes they are expensive!)
My personal prejudices (and experience) means that I would never EVER buy a Lexmark printer again and if someone gave me one for free it would go straight on to eBay without being opened. I have pretty much the same feeling for HP printers these days but I'd guess their laser printers are less hassle than inkjets and cheaper to run.
I have seen loads of B&W Brother lasers around and I am not that impressed with the quality of output on any that I have seen. If you want a cheap wireless laser printer I would suggest Brother but if you want quality you'll probably have to spend a bit to get it.
Stoic Joker:
Low end models are made by Canon
Midrange models are made by Lexmark
High-end models are made by Xerox
-Stoic Joker (September 25, 2010, 08:22 AM)
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I know it isn't relevant to this thread but ... don't know about lasers but this is definitely the wrong order for inkjets.-Carol Haynes (September 25, 2010, 12:37 PM)
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This isn't an order of preference...It's where the Dell re-branded laser printers are sourced from.
Note: I had typed a much longer (took a bloody hour) detailed post but IE9 decided to shoot it down the sink and I'm just too aggravated right now to retype the whole thing. >:(
superboyac:
Carol, you gave some helpful information. Mostly, you show why certain brands suck (for you), but you didn't actually recommend a brand! It seems as though you prefer the Canon. Is that correct? Is there a particular model you like? I think you were the one who recommended the BenQ monitors to me last year, and i got them and have been very happy with them. So I kind of trust your judgment in a proven way!
As usual, I'm not afraid to spend a little extra. Most people usually assume an extra $100 is a deal breaker for me, but it's not.
People:
I need specific model recommendations here. More importantly, if you've purchased a laser printer recently (as in, it's still on the market and not too old) and you've been happy with, PLEASE let me know. Mouser is the only one who has recommend a specific printer so far, and it's discontinued. General brand recommendations do nothing for me, because A) I already know all the main brands B) each model is different from each other, we all know that, right? Also, remember, I'm not just asking for fun. I actually buy things based on the recommendations here. I actually spent $3000 last year based on everyone's help here. And I've been very happy with that setup, my best one yet. So don't be afraid to state strong opinions and specific models, please. If you don't have any hands-on experience with current laser printers, you probably are not going to help much with your responses. This is why the Amazon and Newegg reviews are so helpful, because they are real users nitpicking the things that they have touched and care about. Way more helpful than all those online reviews where they open a box, write a review, and never use the thing again. This is largely why I find the internet so useless nowadays.
So...in summary, please tell me about specific laser printers that you have touched. Thank you!
(when did I become such a curmudgeon??)
superboyac:
OK, for some reason, I've settled around this printer:
Brother HL-5370DW
It seems to be pretty popular (usually a good sign). I've read good comments about the automatic duplex printing, which I like. It seems to have slightly better specs than comparable HP printers (CE749A#BGJ) although I can't be exactly sure on that point. Good reviews on both Amazon and Newegg.
Can anyone offer any alternatives, or if you know about this printer, any thoughts? So far, i'm ok with this one.
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