Is this Laser Printer any good?

MrsMondragon

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149330
Opinions please.

AHAR

I don't know about that specific printer but as a general rule, cheaper laser printers have higher a cost per page in toner usage. Check out the cost of replacement toners and see how many pages you'll get out of them.

ManAtHome

Probably cheaper to run the carts down then bin it (sadly).

I am a Samsung laser fan, my colour one is the big beastie CLP-500 - would probably replace it with the 310 if it died or the carts ran out tomorrow (replacement 500 carts are around £80each - payback time to keep it would be a good few years).

Don't buy one for photo printing though - Epson or Konica do it better (although not as good as an inkjet).

MrsMondragon

Im only intending on using it for day-to-day printing, nothing fancy. Thanks.

p5x

Go for it + you can also get £30 cashback on it at the moment:

http://www.samsung.com/uk/printercashback/

Steve_xx

The printer you propose is a heavy duty beast, capable of producing 20,000 prints per month.

The other concern with toner based printers is their mode of operation. This one has 4 toner cartridges that will cost you about £34 apiece when they run out. Toner printers normally take more of each toner colour than they need when they produce a print, and then promptly dump the excess it in a waste toner container which you hen have to throw away because the colours are mixed up.

In addition to that this printer also requires a Drum Kit. This is what creates the print inside the printer before it is transferred to the paper. The Drum Kit has a life that is normally expressed in the number of copies it will produce before it needs replacing. You'll know when it needs replacing, because more than likely it will have a counter on it that will signal when it's due to be replaced. However, it may well run for a good while in excess of the indication to change it. It will definitely want replacing if you start to see lines on your prints or feint images of something you printed earlier.

The costs of its consumables are high and if you want a printer for very low use then I think you would do better with a lower cost inkjet.

I've attached a link to a site that sells it's consumables so you can see the potential for it to be an expensive option:


http://www.pcwb.co.uk/catalogue/item/A0435873

You will need to click on the "Accessories" tab to see detailof the prices of its consumables.

topher_2

I've got one of these printers on my desk at work. The print quality is fine but it takes an age before the first page is printed.

I run a network with around 30 printers on it and its the only printer where we've had to change the Waste toner collection bottle within the first year (only 3 people share this printer). These are only about £12, so not a major cost.

I'd pass on this printer personally and look for offers on either HP or Dell printers. Dell is/has refreshing the models available so you might find a bargin by looking on ebay for the old version.

safesound

I have this printer at home and I think its brilliant. I got fed up with my inkjet print heads drying out on my old Epson because I only used it maybe once a month and the amount of ink I'd waste was disgraceful.
The only downside with the Samsung is you have to wait maybe 10-20 seconds for it to warm up the first time its used but any subsequent sheets print instantly. Its not a problem for me and if you are only using it as a home printer then I can see it being a problem for you either.

Steve_xx

safesound wrote: »

I have this printer at home and I think its brilliant. I got fed up with my inkjet print heads drying out on my old Epson because I only used it maybe once a month and the amount of ink I'd waste was disgraceful.
The only downside with the Samsung is you have to wait maybe 10-20 seconds for it to warm up the first time its used but any subsequent sheets print instantly. Its not a problem for me and if you are only using it as a home printer then I can see it being a problem for you either.

I see your point, but would say it's a hefty beast for a once a month use. I take your point about inkjets drying up; it's certainly a problem. However, toners do have a shelf life and they can absorb moisture, causing them to coagulate. This in turn causes the toner to scratch the Drum Kit, and the Drum Kit is an expensive item to replace.

safesound

Steve_xx wrote: »

However, toners do have a shelf life and they can absorb moisture, causing them to coagulate. This in turn causes the toner to scratch the Drum Kit, and the Drum Kit is an expensive item to replace.

The average shelf life of a laser toner cartridge is about two years, plenty of time to use up the "between 700-1000 pages"
Our experiences of using laser printers obviously differ so I suggest the OP weighs the options and does what they think is best.

thirascule

We have the samsung for DD's homework etc. For my mum I got a Xerox thingy

http://www.oyyy.co.uk/product.php/32245/xerox-phaser-6110v_n-colour-printer--network-gdi--usb-64mb-150-sheets-input/07ec10731d0fab0f641f50cb5da94ce9

Which turned out to be identical apart from the branding, it's currently £89.99

Or for £10 more there is this Dell
http://www.oyyy.co.uk/product.php/79459/dell-1320cn-colour-laser-printer--network-ready-/07ec10731d0fab0f641f50cb5da94ce9

Mind you it's a big old beast, but has a 4 year warranty, which is nice.