Is a laser printer worth it?

[BigCheeZ2000]

I live with 3 other guys in an apartment. We are all in college and print stuff off pretty regularly. Most of the time it is just text so black and white. We all have printers but we were wondering if buying a laser printer and networking it would be cheaper. I know laser printers are more expensive but I wonder if the more pages per toner is a beter trade off. So my question: if there are 4 of us and we all print stuff off, would it be more cost effective to buy a laser printer and buy toners for it or should we just stick with our inkjet printers? If you think that a laser printer would be better then which one would you recommend. Thanks.

 

[MobiusPizza]

You definitely save loads on toners.
If you do print documents a lot, and large volumes of it; laser is the way to go

Plus you can always use the old inkjet for coloured stuff

 

[John]

I highly recommend a laser for your environment.

Samsung ML-1740 $49.99 after rebate

 

[Arcanedeath]

I'd suggest a Used HP 4000N or higher via ebay or 2nd hand, they last virtualy forever and you only rarely have to replace the toner plus they come network ready so you can print directly to an IP, I recently replaced my LJ 4 that had been in service for over 14 years w/ one of these.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
I'd suggest a Used HP 4000N or higher via ebay or 2nd hand, they last virtualy forever and you only rarely have to replace the toner plus they come network ready so you can print directly to an IP, I recently replaced my LJ 4 that had been in service for over 14 years w/ one of these.

our 4100n rocks.

 

[slsmnaz]

Try seeing if your school has a surplus material dept. This where they will sell used furniture, computers, printers, bikes etc. to the public. Also, if the Univ. doesn't then the local public school system should. I just picked up a laser for myself from the Arizona St. Univ. surplus dept.

 

[Davegod]

Find out a decent enough budget printer and get toner from ebay etc. worth checking out toner prices before selecting the printer.

 

[dullard]

Most lasers: 2-3 cents per page (cost for paper, toner, and drum).
Most ink-jets: 10-11 cents per page (cost for paper and ink). $1+ if it is full color picture.

You do the math to find out how much printing it will take to save a ton of money with a laser printer. There are certainly a few exceptions to those numbers. A couple ink-jets are a bit cheaper to print and a couple lasers are a bit more expensive to print.

 

[woodchuck69]

If you do the math, those little $50 after rebate machines end up killing you on toner prices compraed to buying a used HP 4100.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

HP 4xxx series - all. the. way.

 

[mode101wpb]

Laser printers are nice, the ink won't bleed when it get's wet unless you spray all your ink jet docs with special spray. They used to be so expensive for the home user, replacement toner and drums weren't cheap either. Now though the prices have came down considerably. You can even buy a color laser for under $500.

I'd go laser if your volumes will be high.

 

[PsYcHoCoW]

I love my Lexmark E210... me and my brother bought it several years ago. It has served us well through like 4 or 5 years of school (HS/college). We've only changed the toner once ; we don't print often, but when we do print a few pages, the ink is never dry (as can be a problem with inkjets) and the pages print fast. Thumbs up to my laser printer..

 

[Oyeve]

Ive been using my HP 2200M for years now and it still hasnt run out of toner. I think the yeild is something like 20,000 pages per cartridge os something. I would buy a used older laser printer rather than these new cheaper ones.

 

[Aquila76]

I bought a couple HP 1320n printers for the office a couple months ago. These things are great. Ended up at $350 after rebate and the toner is ~$50 for 5000 pages (if you hunt for it).

 

[Malladine]

b&w yes colour no

 

[piasabird]

I have had a HP Laser printer for 6 months and have not replaced the cartridge yet. The cheap one I have does not have a fan and sometimes curls the paper a bit so be careful what you buy. I have an ancient HP Laserjet 400 at work and it keeps running strong. These big Office models are very dependable. It is slower and has to warm up, but it runs great.

 

[BigCheeZ2000]

thanks for all the advice, now I just have to find one we can afford. I am looking at the hp 4000n's on ebay.

 

[Aquila76]

Originally posted by: piasabird
I have had a HP Laser printer for 6 months and have not replaced the cartridge yet. The cheap one I have does not have a fan and sometimes curls the paper a bit so be careful what you buy. I have an ancient HP Laserjet 400 at work and it keeps running strong. These big Office models are very dependable. It is slower and has to warm up, but it runs great.

When we replaced some older (read: DINOSAUR) LaserJets at work, my Dad snagged one. He had to fix one of the rollers which broke off; but with a little patience, ingenuity, and Super Glue he has a great running HP 4Si - for free! And yes, HP still makes toner for these, even though they're about 15 years old.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Laser is cool. If you still need color and need network for consumer? Go with me and my bro's option. An HP5850. This thing is cool. 10/100TX network, usb, or 802.11b. We currently use the 10/100TX option. Its very easy to set up.