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Hi, the subject says it all. I would like to get a LASER printer, network interface built in would be nice, and I have seen some All-in-one units from Brother that look pretty good. But I am not stuck to Brother, or all-in-one. A stand alone printer is also fine.
Question for you guys: there are many brand out there: canon, HP, brother, lexmark, minolta, samsung are only a few of what comes to mind right now. I know nothing about toner and drums, and I think this is where you can help me. I read that on some units the drum is part of the toner cartridge, and that makes it more expensive, but you do get a new drum each time and perhaps a better output quality. At the same time, on other units, the drum will last like 25000 pages, i.e you replace the toner cartridge about 5 times before you replace the drum.
So which system is better? Can you recommend one system over another, perhaps recommend a model?
My printing needs are *very* light, I would say about 50 pages per month, but that's because we're too lazy to hook up the printer to the laptop and wait for the ink-jet to do it's thing, I suspect that if we had a networked laser printer we might print up to 100-200 pages per month. Thanks
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I've had a number of Brother lasers... I have a HL-1440 at home that has been cranking away for several years. I also have an AIO MFC 6800 at home and currently an AIO MFC-7420. All have been great. The only drum I replaced was in the 1440, but that machine has been cranking for 4 years I believe.
Toner can be had any places... with brother, I've found that genuine toner works better. I had some problems with "cheap-o" toners and went back.
I'd look at a few models, and then look at what replacement toner/drums cost. They should tell you how many pages average you'll get out of both (ie, 6000 page toner...).
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I have a Brother AIO, with color scanner and monochrome print--the 7820N. Networkable or USB. Very, very nice piece.
However, I'm about to pull the trigger on the new Xerox color laser AIO for $679 retail.
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How does photo print quality compare between a top quality inkjet (I use a Canon ip8500) and a Laser printer? Do you use the same photo paper to print on?
BTW, I'm glad that someone brought up this subject, since I've always wondered about the comparison between inkjet and laser.
Thanks for your thoughts,
GeneL
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I second the praise for the Brother MFC-7820N: that little guy will give you a lot for under $300. Not really ideal for people who do high volumes of printing, though (small paper tray and very small exit tray). If you can't spend in the $600 range, the higher-end Brother MFCs are also pretty good.
Keep your inkjet handy for what it's really best at: color output and photos.
Hmm, that Phaser 6110MFP looks pretty nice. Guess it's based on Xerox' low-end color laser engine, which did a pretty respectable job. Wonder how the Mac drivers are for scanning and/or faxing.
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my brother 2070N rocks. toner prices are way cheaper than the HP i used to have. i've printed about 2500 pages. i have about 9500 more pages to go before i'll need a new drum.
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i recommend brothers to all of my clients these days and everyone has come back pretty happy
looking at one for myself -- since i dumped my HP4MV sometime back (great printer, just too big)
we are not talking color lasers Gene -- but no color laser can touch a good inkjet for photos -- some try, but theres no comparision...
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i also could not stand being tied to an inkjet and finally moved last year to a laser printer.
my home office needs sound similiar to your own. i found that i could purchase a hp laserjet 1020 for less than $100 if u can wait for a sale to crop up which is usually every other week thanks to the office supply wars between staples-office depot-office max.
the print driver was easy to find, load and get running. after a year of use, i replaced the toner catridge for $60. i could have gone cheaper w/a hp compatible but since the 1020 has run flawlessly i'd thought i'd stick to hp products.
the drumbeat for brother products on this board is often pretty steady. and i am not disagreeing with the collective wisdom and experience of others. i'm simply stating a successful alternative.
be well
rob
