Monochrome laser printer for Home use - fed up with inkjet costs

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  1. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #1

    Monochrome laser printer for Home use - fed up with inkjet costs


    Hi folks

    I've had it up to the eyeballs with "Cheap" inkjet type printers .

    The ink prices -- even on 3rd party offerings are rediculous -- two lots of cheap replacements still cost more than the wretched printer does in the first place and these cartridges don't last long at all.

    I'm looking now at Laser printers -- I know basically more expensive but the cost of "consumables" is so much cheaper in the long term that this might be a "Good option" -- I know with a lot more people working at home / remotely there's more printing to be done.

    Any recommendations --I don't need any colour -- monochrome ( B&W for those who are unfamilar with term monochrome) would be just fine --and it doesn't have to be 30 ppm a minute or so --speed irrelevelant as I'm not in a commercial office -- most important thing for me is how much use would I get out of a single toner cartridge.

    (I remember years and years ago Kodak used to give away free cameras because they got their money back in selling film and processing -- it's probably the same with ink jet printers --amazing how quickly cheap models are replaced by new ones while the ink per litre is far more expensive than platinum !!!!!).

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,463
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 64 bit
       #2

    In 2011 I bought a Brother HL-2170W laser printer and it has been great. Toner usage is good also. I got it for $54 on sale and was normally about $100. It has LAN, USB and WiFi ports. They have a lot of models. This is a newer version with same specs.

    Monochrome laser printer for Home use - fed up with inkjet costs-brother-printer.jpg

    Jim
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 4,453
    Win 11 Pro 22000.708
       #3

    I second the suggestion to go with Brother. They seem to offer driver support forever.

    My current main printer is a DCP-L2550DW. It's a combination printer/scanner. The D is for its duplexer (automatic double-sided printing), and the W is for wireless (WiFi). My only complaint with it is that its manual feed tends to not feed straight. It'd also be nice if could do 2 sided scanning from its document stack feed, but it cannot.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 1,463
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 64 bit
       #4

    I just check on my toner cartridge and it is rated at 2600 pages and is about $65 at Amazon. This is a Brother brand.

    Jim
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 31,468
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #5

    jimbo45 said:
    I've had it up to the eyeballs with "Cheap" inkjet type printers .

    The ink prices -- even on 3rd party offerings are rediculous -- two lots of cheap replacements still cost more than the wretched printer does in the first place and these cartridges don't last long at all.

    I stuck with an inkjet (I want to print photos as well) but chose one with a refillable ink tank. My Epson Ecotank ET-4750 came with two sets of B/C/M/Y bottles in the box, that's rated at 15,000 b/w pages before I need to buy a refill.

    Monochrome laser printer for Home use - fed up with inkjet costs-image.png
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 706
    W10
       #6

    I also chose for a monochrome laser printer (Brother). As a private person, I know now that I print about 1000 pages/yr, which means 1 cartridge per 3 yrs. Be aware that the cheaper laser printers are often offered with a cartridge which is not completely filled (for instance 1000 pages in stead of 3000). It might influence your choice.

    @Bree I stuck with an inkjet (I want to print photos as well)
    Long time ago I had a special Epson photoprinter. Everytime that I wanted to print a photo, the ink channels were blocked. And when moisture came on the photo, the ink was smeared out. Then I made a cost calculation. Price of photopaper + ink was much higher than when going to a photoprint shop with an USB stick. And their quality was much better.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 7,871
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
       #7

    I've had a cheap HP LaserJet for years which has been fine. I bought my father a Brother laser printer /scanner with duplex printing for only c. £70 3 years ago and that has been fine but somewhat bulky. I do have a Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer but I only use that for photo printing.
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 2,487
    Windows 10 Home, 64-bit
       #8

    Another Brother vote here:

    I bought a HL 2040 monochrome laser in Sept 2007.

    $54.91 at Staples, net after rebate.........probably the last thing I ever bought from Staples.

    I'm still using the original toner!! Try that on an inkjet.

    Obviously, I don't print a lot, but it has never failed or given me the slightest problem. Further expense zero.

    I keep it dust-free under a vinyl cover like you would have seen 50 years ago on typewriters. May help long term maintenance issues.

    Official Brother toner was about 49 bucks when I last checked in 2014. Non-Brother compatible toner (Rosewill from Newgg) was about half that--but I'm going to stay with the original as long as it lasts---13 years so far.

    I'm not sure, but I think the original toner supplied with the printer has a lower capacity than a replacement toner package (half??). I've printed hundreds of pages in 13 years, but I have no idea how much I have left.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Hi folks
    Thanks for the replies

    Brother brand looks as if it will do the trick

    Also problem with ink jet printers is that if you don't use them for a while ink gets dried and probably a new set of cartridges needed, if there's a problem with just one cartridge the printer fails even if you just want to print black etc..

    I don't print out photos very often these days but I could always get a dedicated printer for that job --the laser looks brilliant
    If I need to scan a document I've got an old scanner so a single purpose laser is just fine.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 7,871
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
       #10

    jimbo45 said:
    Hi folks
    Thanks for the replies

    Brother brand looks as if it will do the trick

    Also problem with ink jet printers is that if you don't use them for a while ink gets dried and probably a new set of cartridges needed, if there's a problem with just one cartridge the printer fails even if you just want to print black etc..

    I don't print out photos very often these days but I could always get a dedicated printer for that job --the laser looks brilliant
    If I need to scan a document I've got an old scanner so a single purpose laser is just fine.

    Cheers
    jimbo
    My Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer has never blocked even after not printing for a while
      My Computers


 

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