Colour lazer printers

JustAnotherSaver

Are these any good? I didn't even know they did colour lazer ones.

My Deskjet/Inkjet, whatever you call it, it uses so much ink. It really doesn't last long at all. It was only a cheap £30 one so maybe that';s what you get. I remember my old £150 one didn't use anywhere near as much ink.

How long do these toners last? I know it depends on how much you print but i don't do much these days.

I saw this: http://www.ebuyer.com/433141-dell-c1760nw-colour-printer-210-41094 Ok it'll be a budget printer no doubt but i just wondered what these things are like?


I'm interested in lazer printers with them being quiet.
I don't know how toner lifespan stacks up against standard ink cartridge lifespan though or how much they cost.
Am also liking the idea of wireless printing too.

mattlem

The problem with Inkjet printers is that they are initially cheap, but cost a fortune to run.

You would get around 5000 pages out of a toner cartridge, however they are more expensive to buy but the cost per page is lower than inkjet printers.

Looking at the reviews of ebuyer.com for that printer, it seems to score pretty high.

Another thing to watch out for is that the quality of your prints are sometimes not as good as inkjet printers, however if your using the laser printer for it's main purpose (printing documents, not photos) you shouldn't notice any difference.

4743hudsonj

As mentioned a Colour laser will cost more initially and refills can cost a lot but the cost per page works out significantly lower.

You should also have a lot more flexibility on what you can print on.

closed

they don't dry up and waste ink on cleaning the heads like inkjets, for sporadic use they are much better.

JustAnotherSaver

Thanks.

Yeah these days i mainly print documents. Of course i print the odd picture, but i don't do photo printing if that's what you mean. I'll print a web page off, which will be colour but again it's just basic imaging & coloured words. If you're just referring to photos then no i don't do that at all.

May take a punt on one then. Thanks. I'll have a look tomorrow to see what other wireless laser ones are going for etc as it's time to hit the sack now.

hjibds

Laser printers can be similar to ink jets, the more you spend at the beginning the cheaper the printing costs.

The cheap lasers generally have toners that are smaller I.e rated at 2000 pages @ 5% coverage. These usually come in around £30-40 each.

Where as a more expensive laser will take larger toner cartridges that are rated around 10,000 pages. These come in around £50-70 each.

The printers are usually built better as we'll the more you spend. The main thing you need to work out is just how much you will be printing. If it's just a few documents here and there, a budget laser makes sense as it would take years to pay back the initial investment in a more expensive laser. Also one point to note is the laser printers can be a good bit bigger and heavier than an inkjet.

As said above laser printers are no good for photo printing. I.e. Don't put in photo paper or it will break the printer. The coating on the paper melts as it goes through the fuser.

Check ebuyer to see what deals they have on. They usually have some good prices for colour lasers. Ebay can also be worth a look but as always buy for a reputable seller.

I don't think you mentioned if you wanted an all in one device (copier/scanner) etc. you also get colour laser versions of these. Then there is connectivity, a lot of the new all in ones come with wireless which is handy if your main machine is a laptop.

Automatic duplex is good for saving paper, however it will start to push up the price of the paper.

As for quality, generally it will be very good for text/graphics on a laser printer. However the difference in paper quality can make a big difference. Tesco extra value paper is cheap but for only £1 more or so you can get decent paper that makes print outs so much better looking.

Sorry for the long post, think I've covered most things if I can give you any more advice or answer any other questions you may have, give me a shout.

A.Penny.Saved

Toners are not the only replacement parts for laser printers because there are other running cost to consider.

What you need to figure into the costs is the cost of a new photoconductor unit which can be expensive. It is possible to reuse the photoconductor by replacing a part to get a little more life out of it.

Toner can also be expensive as well but for some laser printers you can refill the toner cartridges. You would need to check this out to ensure that the printer you are considering can be refilled because some manufacturers like to use chips inside the toner cartridges to terminate their life when they become empty. The chip can be replaced to indicate it is a new cartridge but it does make it a little more difficult and expensive to refill them.

My Epson colour laser with duplex and postscript is enormous but makes very good quality prints even with full colour photos onto paper the quality is very decent. I got mine from eBay.

kwikbreaks

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Of course i print the odd picture, but i don't do photo printing if that's what you mean. I'll print a web page off, which will be colour but again it's just basic imaging & coloured words. If you're just referring to photos then no i don't do that at all.

You might want to consider a B&W only laser printer then - they are signficantly cheaper to buy and run.

That colour laser really is very cheap - you need to check if it comes with any toner cartridges as they are not mentioned and can cost almost as much as that printer for each colour,

JustAnotherSaver

This is amazing. 8 replies & nobody has corrected my spelling of the word laser

Anyway, B&W would be really no good tbh. I print documents but sometimes print requiring colour.

Anyway, thanks for the advice all. I'll have a gander at what's available at what prices.

spannerzone

I'd never go back to inkjet - I print rarely and all the various inkjets always clogged up, needed cleaning and wasted loads of ink.

I got a £50 b/w laser and used it occasionally for the last 3 years and only now is the supplied toner running out and a non original was £12 to replace it. No mess, no cleaning inkjet heads and no stripey printouts.

Next upgrade is a colour all in one laser.... just make sure you look at the cost of toner as that can be expensive.
More info on that link given by OP
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-c1760nw-wireless-colour-laser-printer-89-99-reduced-40-69-ebuyer-1891660

closed

It's not actually a laser or a lazer, it's led