Looking for Duplex printer for small-size paper

[fairbro]

Hello

If anyone can help me with this, I would greatly appreciate it. I have become numb going through E-bay and craigslists, checking specs, manuals, etc.

I am trying to self-publish my book (300 pages) at home. The paper size for the book is half-standard - 5.5" by 8.5". I am looking for a printer that will accept the blank half-size paper, that would have at least 250 sheet input tray (I can't expect more, for the low price I want to pay).

Also, it has to be able to do duplex printing. Manual duplex is acceptable, auto-duplex would really be nifty, neato-keen.

So far, I have found lots of printers that do duplex - but only for standard size paper.

Also, it has to be a laser printer, because I think an inkjet printer is going to go through cartridges too fast to make it cost-effective (I am trying to make a profit from this book).

In summary, a laser printer, with a long-lasting cartridge, with an input tray that can handle, in volume, odd-size (5.5 x 8.5) paper, and that is able to do duplex.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Lindsey

 

[gsaldivar]

Why not simply print duplex to 8.5 x 11" and then cut the pages in half? If this is an option, I would look into getting a refurbished HP LaserJet 4000 series printer. These printers can be found all over Craigslist & eBay for less than $100, usually including the cost of the Duplexer, and are built like tanks. This method will allow you to enjoy years of trouble-free printing and cheap toner refills off eBay. Each ~$20.00 high-yield cartridge will give you about 10,000 pages of output, and each cartridge can be refilled about 3 times. Your cost per page (excluding paper) should run about 0.002 cents per page.

Good luck!

 

[fairbro]

I have a Laserjet 5MX si I got at an auction for $10.The problem is the special paper for the books - it has a prepared ridged edge on it. The ridged edge makes it possible to do the "perfect" binding (the typical method for printing). So I would have use twice as much paper (using 8/5 by 11 ridged paper -it comes in only these two sizes) and throw the other half away. It might work, I have to do the numbers...Thanks.

 

[kranky]

If you know of a printer that will handle the paper size and the only hangup is the duplexing, check into an app called Clickbook. It might be able to manipulate the printing process to give you what you need.

 

[bruceb]

This can do it, but it will run about $2,000 (but it is a color laser)

http://www.copiersuperstore.com/xerox-8560d.html

Xerox may have a similar black & white version.

 

[fairbro]

Thanks, everyone, for suggestions and solutions.

I always thought Clickbook was an accounting program. Looks like just what I need.
It makes sense, someone would develop this Clickbook software, when you consider that, when you run a print job, the whole thing gets shuffled off to RAM memory, I think, so it is there to be manipulated any which way by Clickbook.

Happy New Year! (Wish I had some fireworks)