Mono laser... Any recommendation?

[websnail]

Have updated my earlier post so it's a bit clearer... It was the Brother HL-2270DW model...

 

[stratman]

Like inkjet printers, it is total cost of ownership (TCO) that matters. After settling on what feature you need from the printer, look to cost of consumables -- Toner and drum may be separate or combined in one unit. These will be the lion's share of where your money will go for typical users.

How easy is it to get the consumables when needed? If you run a business then being able to buy consumables in your neighborhood at a moment's notice may trump lower cost internet only purchases. Also, look to third party after market consumables for even lower prices. Sometimes these are found locally as well as on the internet.

Shop on the internet for the consumables both from local stores that sell office supplies as well as on the internet. Use the manufacturer's item/part number for fast Google searching.

I don't understand your bias towards HP as they do make great SOHO printers that you can find aftermarket consumables as well as ubiquitous consumables locally for a non-rural lad as yourself. Not every HP laser printer is a winner but there are diamonds to be had.

That said, Sammy's offer some inexpensive laser printing as well, at least here in the States.

Recommend checking user reviews such as on Amazon and Newegg as well as professional reviews whenever possible.

 

[websnail]

Agree completely @stratman... Just to flesh things out and qualify a couple of points.

1. I'm not at all wed to HP printers... Just found that the older HP Laserjet models like the Laserjet III, etc.. were not designed to make HP tons of money from toner but to work. Most of the units now are designed with recycled materials and high TCO that doesn't come to light until it's too late.

2. The Brother unit works ok, but for the size, toner capacity, etc... it's just not what I needed and I misjudged my needs anyway... So mea culpa.

3. My current unit is a cast off from a school refit so the initial cost is £20 down and £37 for a compatible toner. It's not going to pull massively high duty as it's just used for integrated label invoices and shipping manifests due to the bar code scanners having problems with inkjet output.


Were I to go again I'd probably have a much clearer idea of spec' and not jump the gun but the silver lining here is that I've recreated the issues a lot of my inkjet customers go through so I get a sense of where they're coming from which will be useful. Every days a school day I guess...

 

[stratman]

Every days a school day I guess...

Truth. The day we stop learning is the day we die. Life is grand!

 

[drmike]

Laser mono printer: While I have continued to use my Canon i950 for photo printing, refilling carts probably a hundred times a least, I needed a laser mono printer for office use for basic mono printing and to use as a copy machine. The Brother MFC 7360N is cheap and is a workhorse. You can buy one refurbed for very cheap. Not only is it a workhorse and pretty fast and dependable but you can refill the toner cart for about 4 bucks - really!! There are lots of Youtube vids showing exactly how. Also non-Brother toner carts are available much cheaper than Brother ones. Same for Drum. Took a bit of getting used to after years of inkjet cart refilling but now it's very easy and no big deal - takes about 5 minutes so the cost of printing is extremely low. But as I said more than that it's a great machine - no jams, no smears and it 's a MFC. I also have a mfc-7240 that is a smaller but also great machine PLUS it uses the same toner cart and refills and drum as my bigger 7360. Check it out - you won't be disappointed! I promise!!!