Is today laser printer good for B/W photo?

[catloki]

Newbie says hi
To all knowledgeable folks here. As an artist wannabe in my kind of work I deal with B/W only. I wonder if a decent monochrome laser printer today can yield a good enough quality B/W photo or I have to go the inkjet route? I wish the answer wont have to be the latter for it will save me not just $$ but lot of hassle, troubles etc..
Thanks in advance for any input.

catloki

 

[The Hat]

Newbie says hi
To all knowledgeable folks here. As an artist wannabe in my kind of work I deal with B/W only. I wonder if a decent monochrome laser printer today can yield a good enough quality B/W photo or I have to go the inkjet route? I wish the answer wont have to be the latter for it will save me not just $$ but lot of hassle, troubles etc..
Thanks in advance for any input.

catloki

The simple answer to your question is no, laser printers are not better at B&W on matte paper,
at the moment the Pro 100 is going for a song in the high street shops and on Craigs list.

Whats wrong with an inkjet printer when it can give you the most stunning B&W on nearly all paper surfaces
isnt that what youre looking for, i.e? great quality and the most affordable price.

Besides photo printing on a laser is far more expensive than any inkjet printer could ever be,
the ink coverage per sheet would be about 75% and your cartridge would go nowhere at that rate..

 

[Simon R.]

I've never used a laser printer on a photo paper... let me know how that comes out!

 

[The Hat]

I've never used a laser printer on a photo paper... let me know how that comes out!

Dont forget it, its just a waste of good photo paper, it doesnt work..

 

[PeterBJ]

OHP transparencies come in two versions, one for inkjet printers and one for laser printers. Ink will not stick to a transparency for laser printers, and a transparency for inkjet printers will melt inside the laser printer, in the fuser station, necessitating a costly repair or possibly making the printer a total loss.

As far as I know some photo papers have a polyethylene backing. This plastic layer could melt inside the printer and ruin the printer, behaving like a transparency for inkjet printers.

 

[catloki]

Thanks for straight me out Hat. The happened is I used to with inkjet age ago, recalling my ancient Epson gave me all kinds of troubles: inks gone too fast, clogged print heads all the time, costly replacing cartridges etc Then I havent been using home printer for years. Things are much better now as I heard: better print quality, ink refilling widely available However, the simpleness of laser attracts me. My thought was: as the inkjet has evolved much perhaps so does the laser, though its colors are sure still inferior to inkjet but the b/w could be closed!

Besides photo printing on a laser is far more expensive than any inkjet printer could ever be,
the ink coverage per sheet would be about 75% and your cartridge would go nowhere at that rate..

Honestly I dont know any about laser printing in that aspect. I only think of everything I print will be on matte paper, no glossy. Instead of text, they are photos and my created line arts. How come is it so different in cost?
Ok, I go back to inkjet. No Pro 100 for me, any letter size printer that gives good result in b/w and easy to find the ink refilling would fulfill my need. Come across the Canon PIXMA MG2220 Color Photo Printer with Scanner and Copier on Amazon. Oh my, it is damn cheap ($27.00) and even comes with scanner (that I need)! What do you think?

 

[Lucas28]

Inkjet photo papers are not suitable for laser printers. The heat will damage the paper and the plastic sticks on internal parts of the printer.
I've heard of photo paper for laser printers, but have no experience with it.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Oh my, it is damn cheap ($27.00) and even comes with scanner (that I need)! What do you think?

Maybe too cheap. If you are an artist, you want your stuff to look good. I don't know that model, but the ultra-cheap printers are often the most expensive to run, and the hardest to refill.

 

[The Hat]

Honestly I dont know any about laser printing in that aspect. I only think of everything I print will be on matte paper, no glossy. Instead of text, they are photos and my created line arts. How come is it so different in cost?
Ok, I go back to inkjet. No Pro 100 for me, any letter size printer that gives good result in b/w and easy to find the ink refilling would fulfill my need. Come across the Canon PIXMA MG2220 Color Photo Printer with Scanner and Copier on Amazon. Oh my, it is damn cheap ($27.00) and even comes with scanner (that I need)! What do you think?

ThrillaMozilla is right about cheap printers they are designed to get you into printing and before too long
youre going to need more ink which often costs as much again as the printer itself.

The cheaper the printer is to purchase the more expensive it is to run and
the MG2220 is no exception to that rule so be prepared to pay dearly for inks.

Laser printers are designed to use about 5% toner coverage per sheet so therere good
at keeping print costs down to a minimum with no maintenance to worry about, just print and go.

The inkjet on the other hand need regular maintenance which it takes care of itself
but uses up expensive ink in the cleaning process,
its not as fast as a laser printer but it does make a much better print overall..