Ink vs. Laser

[gedman]

I have a color 4-in-1 fax/print/scan/copier. However, I rarely use it. It is always on to receive faxes. Combined printing and faxing is under 10 pages per week. The problem is that the ink keeps drying up from lack of use, and replacing 4 cartridges (black, yellow, blue, cyan) is expensive (even the cheap on-line deals). My total pages per cartridge set is very low since the ink dries up before I can use it all.

I am thinking of getting a multifunction laser fax/print/copier instead. Can anyone tell me if laser toner cartridges also go bad ("dry up", etc) due to lack of use? Since toner is a powder and not a liquid ink, it can't really "dry up", but perhaps other problem occur from lack of use.

(PS. I don't need color printing, so losing color doesn't bother me.)

Thanks!

GF

 

[corkyg]

Lasers do not dry up at all. I have both laser and ink jet. The inkjet gets used maybe once a month, but has never dried up (HP-990cx).

 

[Jeff7]

I was in a similar situation - since I finished college (for now anyway), I printed things rarely. What I print now is mostly shipping labels. I had a dying Epson 600 - its heads were getting clogged, probably from, guess what - lack of use. I ditched it, and on another user Roadraider's helpful recommendations, I got a good deal on a Minolta 1250W laser printer ($70 rebate, through Staples, which I did receive). Thus far, it's worked wonderfully. It uses a USB connection, prints quick, even over the network, and has in general produced good prints. It doesn't have a duplex (2-sided printing) option, at least the one I got doesn't have that capability. PM Roadraider with a link to this thread, and kindly ask him to post his recommendations here. I had to delete his PM's, because my subscription ran out in early October - 1000 PM limit was sliced down to 100. 🙁
Just found the link for the printer - $200, minus $70 rebate. And maybe someone can tell you the proper way of getting free shipping, which I recall that I had at my disposal.