Laser Printer recommendation

color laser is more expensive, think on most solutions as around 300 dollars and the color cartridges will cost around that each 4000 pages you print

you could start with a simple cheap hp laser printer, black only and see if the cost and quality is what you need

then move to a color printer

hp is the most common but there is brother printers with great quality, kyocera, okidata

lexmark if you find one, is great and cost effective

i have a simple black toner samsung printer, ml 2165w, 1000 pages per each toner cartridge

i had very good experiences with samsung laser printers in the last decade, with this one and other very old models

some hp laser color printers are great

i have yet to use a hp color laser for home use, for office i have used many and they are great but toner is expensive

a friend had a model similar ot this one

https://www.amazon.com/HP-LaserJet-M277dw-Wireless-Printer/dp/B00TVACKEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497231947&sr=8-1&keywords=hp+laser+color

and he sold it few months later for the toner cost, the small display to handle copies and mail, i hate it but the print quality and speed is very good

lexmark, i used alot and is great quality too, but most models cost at least 1000 dollars(big ones, fast ones with huge toner cartridges), this model

https://www.amazon.com/Lexmark-CS410dn-Printing-Professional-Features/dp/B009SM8GHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497231375&sr=8-1&keywords=lexmark+color

i have used it alot last month and prints very well and fast, relatively, the cost of toner cartridges and image unit is a bit high but i do like the results and duration of those

i would like to have this one

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC9130CW-Wireless-Printer-Replenishment/dp/B00C6MNP52/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497231513&sr=8-2&keywords=brother+laser+printer+color

but no idea how good is

i have used a model similar to this one

https://www.amazon.com/OKI-MC362w-Wireless-Multifunction-Printer/dp/B00DFB7UHM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497231644&sr=8-2&keywords=okidata+laser+printer+color

toner tanks are cheap and is fast but is a noisy printer, no idea why, but prints great

i used a model similar to this one

https://www.amazon.com/Konica-Minolta-Magicolor-1600W-Printer/dp/B001Q3KMUI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1497231701&sr=8-5&keywords=konica+minolta+laser+printer+color

and works nice too and toner bottles are cheap too

most of these models are meant for small offices, not for home but if you search for toner cartridges they are cheap for some models and expensive for others but in general all models are good quality

you need to calculate the cost of the printer, the cost of the toner cartridges and image units if they use, and calculate how much each page cost

you might find that print color on laser is not for you and keep using ink printers, but as you mention, hit and miss, describes perfectly a ink printer

that is why i mention to start with a cheap basic black toner only printer form samsung, or hp and see how things go from there

I've had good luck with Brother, though frankly no printers made these days are as good or reliable as the ones from the early 90s. Everything now is designed on purpose to break down to force you to buy a new model in 3+ years.

I'm not sure you'll be able to find a color printer for under the $200 mark but B&W is doable. This model will do what you want. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MFG5854?tag=price15225-20&ascsubtag=wtbs_593df4f94c8e09b2c8cb3f6e

we have had a canon mf229dw for awhile now and it has performed well. it might only be a black&white model but it prints fast, we get decent life out of toner and the auto-scan tray is nice. drivers/software seem to work okay as well.

the toner and drum are one cartridge so there is no real cleaning required. yes, expect higher "per box" costs for toner vs inkjet ink but you will be buying less of them in the long run. we get at least several months out of a cartridge whereas with inkjets we were buying 3-5 a month

hi ikissfutebol I can understand your situation. A laser printer is a good choice but its too costly and toner will make you spend more money while compared with ink cartridges. But I can recommend you a hp Officejet 8700 series printer. It has latest technology called instant ink cartridges. It generally saves ink up to 50%. value for money.

robert,

too costly? i would really like to hear the proof to back up that opinion as every single study done that i've seen is counter to that and it goes against everything i've noticed personally as well.

inkjets typically cost 15-20 cents per page for color, 6-8 cents per page black and white... generally

laser typically costs 8-12 cents per page for color, 1-3 cents per page black and white... generally

ink, due to being a liquid will dry out over time and clog print heads. toner is a dry medium. it is a known proven fact that not printing regularly on inkjets can be a problem.

yes, toner cartridges are more expensive than inkjet cartridges. if you compare only price i suppose it would look more expensive but you fail to take into account how many pages a cartridge will print.

yes, often do you pay more for a laser printer but keep in mind that all printers are sold at a loss and the real money is made on ink and toner. if you print enough its easy to make up the difference. if you dont, then factor in the costs of new inkjet ink every few months due to drying/clogging you want to print and you still may come up equal or ahead.

as an example, our laser printer takes canon #137. even the high retail price at staples is $83 for up to 2400 pages. that is 3.4 cents per page. our inkjet takes hp #98. at staples retail price this is about $30 for up to 420 pages. that amounts to 7 cents a page. when comparing online cartridge prices or offbrand prices the savings are even more noticeable.

considering how many cartridges we ended up throwing out due to them becoming dry or clogged up or color cartridges replaced due to only one color being gone and the price for the inkjet was even higher by at least 50% over what catridge costs per page would seem to indicate.

quite honestly if only a few pages need to be printed every few months not owning a printer and just going to staples/office store of your choice and printing the pages are the most economical.