Laser printer

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FB01
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Laser printer

Post by FB01 »

Hello,

I do not print that often so I am not interested in buying inkjet printer where the ink might get dried if I do not use the printer for couple of months. I believe that issue does not happen with laser printer. Can anyone recommend good laser printer?

Also, what are the recurring cost associated with buying laser printer
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jebmke
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Re: Laser printer

Post by jebmke »

We use Brother printers exclusively in a volunteer organization I work in. They are durable and reliable. For light use, the main cost of operation will be infrequent replacement of the toner cartridge.
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MariaT
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Re: Laser printer

Post by MariaT »

Been very happy with our Brother (HL-L2395DW) laser printer. Bought it 4+ years ago and still going strong. It fits the checkmarks for both durability and reliability that you are looking for.
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anon_investor
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Re: Laser printer

Post by anon_investor »

Get a Brother laser printer. This is the most common BH recommendation. I have had mine for 9 years now. They last forever, and you can usually find generic toner replacements for cheap. I got an all-in-one, that has a copier, scanner. You can usually find these on sale for less than $200. If you want a printer only those can be found for less than $100.
Silk McCue
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Re: Laser printer

Post by Silk McCue »

Our Brother inkjet runs an occasional head clean cycle even when I haven’t used the printer for a while. We are gone for a couple of months at a time and never have an issue upon returning home.

Cheers
helloeveryone
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Re: Laser printer

Post by helloeveryone »

FB01 wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:20 am Hello,

I do not print that often so I am not interested in buying inkjet printer where the ink might get dried if I do not use the printer for couple of months. I believe that issue does not happen with laser printer. Can anyone recommend good laser printer?

Also, what are the recurring cost associated with buying laser printer
We purchased a Brother MFC L2750DW at Costco for $159 + tax in 2019. It's still going strong. Only had to replace toner once. I was recently looking up cost of toner and was surprised to fine the price of the printer is anywhere from $249 - $299 today. I LOVE costco. (well inflation, parts and chips sourcing issues also contributed but I still love costco)
student
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Re: Laser printer

Post by student »

Circe
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Re: Laser printer

Post by Circe »

I have a 25-year-old Brother laser printer/copier that is still in great shape. I don't use it much anymore but it got heavy use for the first 15 years. I went to a store (Best Buy or Walmart or Staples?) 5 years ago to buy a new toner cartridge. They had a HL-2305w Brother laser that they were selling for less than the cartridge, so I bought it! It's great except printing envelopes is a little tedious and it's not a copier. They are workhorses.
niagara_guy
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Re: Laser printer

Post by niagara_guy »

I have a Brother laser printer. The cartridge that it came with is a 'starter cartridge' with a very limited number of pages. They design it so that you can't refill it (you can refill it but it has some logic inside to prevent it from being used) and therefore force you to buy a new cartridge. Other than that it's been a very good printer.
RJC
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Re: Laser printer

Post by RJC »

We have a Brother B+W Laser printer for most jobs and a HP Color Inkjet for occasional ones. The trick to inkjet is to print a test page once a week so it does not dry out.
GeMoney
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Re: Laser printer

Post by GeMoney »

Another vote for Brother laser printers. You can typically get cheap generic replacement toner cartridges. I also was tired of the clogged print heads from inkjet printers due to low usage.
hudson
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Re: Laser printer

Post by hudson »

FB01 wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:20 am Hello,

I do not print that often so I am not interested in buying inkjet printer where the ink might get dried if I do not use the printer for couple of months. I believe that issue does not happen with laser printer. Can anyone recommend good laser printer?

Also, what are the recurring cost associated with buying laser printer
color or black and white?
I have this color laser on my list in case my current Brother all-in-one needs replacing.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FMS1DMX/?c ... _lig_dp_it

I usually keep a box with all 4 replacement toner cartridges. I use other than brother cartridges and that works for me. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brother+hl-l ... 5k5pze7y_e

Black and White...wireless...duplex printing...Brother: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0763WDSYZ/?c ... _lig_dp_it

Cartridge for above B&W printer: https://www.amazon.com/Brother-TN730-DC ... C92&sr=1-3
Last edited by hudson on Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
homebuyer6426
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Re: Laser printer

Post by homebuyer6426 »

Bought black and white wireless <$100 Brother laser printer 10 years ago and it still works. Only had to replace the toner once. Have left it unused for a year without issues. Can even print double-sided without any extra steps.
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pointyhairedboss
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Re: Laser printer

Post by pointyhairedboss »

I bought a budget b&w all-in-one Brother Laser printer a few years back. It has been wonderful. It just works. Within seconds after submitting a print job, the printer produces a perfect print out, regardless of how much time has passed since my last print out.

Contrast that to the old Canon Pixma inkJet madness where I would have to spend 15-20 minutes invoking printer maintenance jobs such as cleaning the nozzles and aligning the print head before I could submit an actual print job. Never again.
02nz
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Re: Laser printer

Post by 02nz »

Silk McCue wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:40 am Our Brother inkjet runs an occasional head clean cycle even when I haven’t used the printer for a while. We are gone for a couple of months at a time and never have an issue upon returning home.

Cheers
The issue is that these cleaning cycles use up a significant amount of ink, proportionally greater if you print infrequently. For those users the laser really makes more sense, esp. if color is not required.
twh
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Re: Laser printer

Post by twh »

Still using my 1999 vintage HP 2100 LaserJet.
random_walker_77
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Re: Laser printer

Post by random_walker_77 »

For your use case, a cheap brother laser printer would be perfect. This one's on sale for $110 new, w/ duplex printing and wifi. They sometimes show up as refurbs for under $80.

These printers come with starter toner that will cover the first 700 pages or so, which might last you a long time. Generic toner to cover another 6000 pages costs under $40 on amazon. At 10,000 pages, you'd need a new drum, but for a light user, if you get there, it might be time for a new printer.

I had a color laser printer die on me after about 10 years, because the drum's belt broke. So do plan on these dying from old age, eventually.
DSInvestor
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Re: Laser printer

Post by DSInvestor »

We have brother laser printers as well and they work great.
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retiringwhen
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Re: Laser printer

Post by retiringwhen »

Another vote for Brother B&W Lasers. They are cheap and reliable.

Do not under any circumstances buy an HP Laser printer. They have been horrible junk with nasty drivers for at least a decade. I used to be an HP fanboy (I had one that lasted almost 12 years of regular use), but they have truly abandoned building a useful product for the retail market.
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BolderBoy
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Re: Laser printer

Post by BolderBoy »

twh wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:34 am Still using my 1999 vintage HP 2100 LaserJet.
... and I'm still using my 2003 HP 3330 Laserjet.
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GerryL
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Re: Laser printer

Post by GerryL »

I recently changed out my 11+ year old Brother B&W multi-function laser printer for a new one (L2710 DW). The old one was still working fine, but there was no updated driver that would work with the all-in-one computer I bought 2 years ago (to replace my 10+ yo AIO). I've been very happy with Brother laser printers. I don't do a lot of printing.
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Bogle7
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Re: Laser printer

Post by Bogle7 »

We print 400 pages a year.
Brother laser. Important letters are: CDW
Our 2nd one is 7+ years old.
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marc in merrimack
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Re: Laser printer

Post by marc in merrimack »

Bogle7 wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:57 pm We print 400 pages a year.
Brother laser. Important letters are: CDW
Our 2nd one is 7+ years old.
Not everyone wants or needs a color printer.
AnthonyC487
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Re: Laser printer

Post by AnthonyC487 »

FB01 wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:20 am Hello,

I do not print that often so I am not interested in buying inkjet printer where the ink might get dried if I do not use the printer for couple of months. I believe that issue does not happen with laser printer. Can anyone recommend good laser printer?

Also, what are the recurring cost associated with buying laser printer
Laser Printer is much more expensive than Inkjets, but it's almost always a bit cheaper per page to print. So if you do not print often, a Laser Printer is a better choice. The most common issue with laser printers is the toner. Unlike regular ink, you can get a laser printer to run out of toner (though it is expensive). If you do not print often, the toner may get dry. In that case, you have to replace it with new toner.
EagertoLearnMore
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Re: Laser printer

Post by EagertoLearnMore »

Brother Laser Printer works well and dependable.
Brother makes a High-Yield Toner Cartridge as well as the Standard Yield Toner Cartridge. The High-Yield Toner Cartridge provides more printing capability for a cheaper overall price per page.
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jabberwockOG
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Re: Laser printer

Post by jabberwockOG »

MariaT wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:28 am Been very happy with our Brother (HL-L2395DW) laser printer. Bought it 4+ years ago and still going strong. It fits the checkmarks for both durability and reliability that you are looking for.
this +1
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arcticpineapplecorp.
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Re: Laser printer

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

another vote for a brother. mine cost $99, purchased a year ago. regret not doing it years ago.
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Normchad
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Re: Laser printer

Post by Normchad »

arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 9:04 am another vote for a brother. mine cost $99, purchased a year ago. regret not doing it years ago.
Absolutely agree. They are the Toyota Camry of printing. Mine has been going for over ten years now. It just sits there and works.
csmath
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Re: Laser printer

Post by csmath »

Another +1 for Brother Laser Printer. I finally ditched inkjet for a Brother DCP-L2550DW a few (or more) years ago and it has been perfect. It goes long periods of time without use and then when I need it, it puts out great copies. Unless inkjet has massive technological improvements, I don't plan on ever going back.
lazydavid
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Re: Laser printer

Post by lazydavid »

AnthonyC487 wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:56 am If you do not print often, the toner may get dry. In that case, you have to replace it with new toner.
I was with you until this statement. Toner IS dry. It is a powder with no moisture in it. if you get it wet, it turns into a clumpy mess.

I've seen infrequently-used laser printers with toner cartridges over a decade old still happily printing when asked.
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Re: Laser printer

Post by csmath »

lazydavid wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:17 am
AnthonyC487 wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:56 am If you do not print often, the toner may get dry. In that case, you have to replace it with new toner.
I was with you until this statement. Toner IS dry. It is a powder with no moisture in it. if you get it wet, it turns into a clumpy mess.

I've seen infrequently-used laser printers with toner cartridges over a decade old still happily printing when asked.
I'm with you, lazydavid. What you quoted is what I would expect when describing an inkjet printer, and is the primary reason why I switched to laser in the first place. The long term cost for someone who does not print often is much higher with an inkjet for the fact that the ink will dry and need to be replaced regardless of how many copies it produced.
Surfcaster
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Re: Laser printer

Post by Surfcaster »

jabberwockOG wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 8:47 am
MariaT wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:28 am Been very happy with our Brother (HL-L2395DW) laser printer. Bought it 4+ years ago and still going strong. It fits the checkmarks for both durability and reliability that you are looking for.
this +1
This +2

One thing I like about this printer is that even though it is a B&W printer, it scans in color. Generic toner is readily available and cheap. Much better than my old HP inkjet.
nalor511
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Re: Laser printer

Post by nalor511 »

Buy a cheap Brother or Canon Laser (non-multifunction). Easy decision
chuckwalla
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Re: Laser printer

Post by chuckwalla »

I also endorse Brother. Just wish they were more elegant in operation and not make so much clunking noise like it's breaking.
wolf359
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Re: Laser printer

Post by wolf359 »

Get a Brother laser printer.

- Although third party toner cartridges are available, get a high capacity toner cartridge from Brother. OEM costs more, but it's still not expensive (compared to HP and others.) If you don't care about streaks or the quality, you can get 3rd party toner.

- There is a setting for what happens when the toner runs out. You want it to keep printing. The toner out sensor will stop the cartridge from printing while there is still toner in the cartridge. Change your settings so it will print, then put up with the error messages until the toner actually fades out.

You didn't ask, but I also got an Epson Eco-tank. These printers come with tanks of ink rather than cartridges. Because there is so much ink, they don't dry out even if we print only every few months. The cost per page is similar to that of the laser printer, except that it can do color.

The recurring costs of a laser printer are:
- paper
- toner
- drum

The toner is rated by number of pages (but this varies depending upon what you print.)

The drum needs to be replace every 3-4 toner cartridges.
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