Black/White, Monochrome, Grayscale?

I need help from someone who is a lot more techy than I.

My plan had been to replace my inkjet printer with messed-up print heads with an AIO laser color printer. I was planning on spending enough for one (under $400) that I could also use it to print a genealogy book that I am creating for my four kids and several siblings. The book would be under 200 pages and include some B/W photos. Also, with my wife being rather crafty, I would like to be able to print/copy some color photos/drawings that she uses in doing her crafting stuff.

Anyway, my research seems to be telling me that laser printers do not do color photos well. With that, I am rethinking my color laser printer selection.

I am now thinking that I really don't need to fax anymore but would like to print/scan/copy ..... And that black/white would be fine since most of genealogy photos are B/W anyway. So, my question is, do laser printers provide grayscale that I could then reproduce B/W photos adequately? And if so, do I need to look for something specific about a laser printer to insure that if can reproduce grayscale?

Of course, on the other hand ..... have I researched this "color" issue too much and as long as I use the correct paper with the laser color printer I will get acceptable reproductions. I mean these are just family photos, I am not entering a photographic contest.

One more item, my wife often uses cardstock for her crafting (85#) .... do I need to be concerned with paper-handling with this heavier paper? It works just find on my Epson Workforce inkjet printer.

Any help with this would most certainly be appreciated.

Jim
Leesburg, GA

I see this is a fairly old thread now, but I'll chime in with my two cents...

Laser printers will produce very crisp text at all times if functionally sound,
as well as line drawings, charts, etc.

Black-only lasers, in my experience, will do a more than adequate job of
printing B&W photos as long as the source image isn't too dark and/or contrasty.
High contrast between light and dark areas tend to be a bit amplified in print,
and often, an image which seems adequately bright on your display will in fact
be printed darker overall.
This is simply my own personal observation and opinion; I only have working knowledge
from about a dozen printer models of more than a decade ago. Modern lasers may
be quite a bit better in these regards.

I can also offer some insights with my own color experiences.
I've owned a Samsung CLP-300 for 7 or more years. It hasn't been available as a
current printer for some time now.
It's rather small(for a color unit), reasonably quiet and decently fast.
As expected, black-only output is excellent for text and such.
More unexpectedly, photo-quality graphics are very good as well.
I haven't printed actual photos with it, but my biggest use of such graphics
has been for DVD-case covers printed from scans.
As long as the scans have been of good quality, print output has been, too.
By comparison, text and fine detail within the scanned image will transfer
more clearly to plain paper, while inkjet of the same to plain paper
suffers greatly.
Color reproduction is also very good, appearing very close to the image I see
on my PC's displays. I've had no reason to try/evaluate B&W-only of such content.

I have only one caveat to offer in this:
Exercise due dilligence in making a selection. Meaning: research and read reviews
and comparisons. After printing only around 500 pages, my Samsung began acting up
on me in various ways. Stopping mid-print, or not coming to a ready state upon
power-up, etc. It's apparently a troublesome little devil to many people.
I purchased based on A - Color, and B - Price.
It was a brand-new model to the market, and I was jazzed to finally afford color laser
for roughly $250. Too new to be researchable for long-run dependability, however.
It only comes to a ready state half or less of the times I turn it on, but when it
does output print, it's still extremely good quality.
I'll replace it eventually, and I'll only consider models which have some established
time on the market after I collect information about them.