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NFT: Printer Suggestions?

Anando : 5/26/2016 10:42 am
Looking for a printer for a home office.

Doesn't need to be color - black and white is fine, something that prints quickly and is reliable.

I'm assuming laser is better than inkjet?

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!
i inherited an  
mattlawson : 5/26/2016 10:48 am : link
HP laserjet at work in 2007. I've never had a problem, and have never had to change the toner
How much printing are you going to be doing?  
jcn56 : 5/26/2016 10:50 am : link
Do you need something commercial class/fast, or just the occasional print?

I do a lot of printing, scanning, color, so I have a few printers - but my cheapo B&W is my workhorse and it does a great job, under $100.
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2300D-Monochrome-Printer-Printing/dp/B00NQ1CLTI - ( New Window )
This will be on a daily basis, so probably closer to commercial status  
Anando : 5/26/2016 10:54 am : link
Thanks for the suggestion
agree with cheapo laser  
Heisenberg : 5/26/2016 11:03 am : link
I got one of these and it is fast and the most reliable printer I've owned. I normally hate all printers but this one is great. Reviews say that it has some trouble printing wirelessly from Macs but we don't use them.
Link - ( New Window )
great printer  
I Love Clams Casino : 5/26/2016 11:04 am : link
.
link - ( New Window )
OH!  
I Love Clams Casino : 5/26/2016 11:04 am : link
hmmmph!
We just got a Brother 6180  
Deej : 5/26/2016 11:16 am : link
to share in a small office. Had very strong reviews and is working out nicely.
One thing I like about the one I linked is that it does duplex  
jcn56 : 5/26/2016 11:24 am : link
which happens to save me quite a bit of time and paper.

If you're going to be scanning as well, might want to consider one from the same line that has a multi-function capability, to throw in scanning and faxing in the same unit.
RE: We just got a Brother 6180  
Stan in LA : 5/26/2016 12:55 pm : link
In comment 12972177 Deej said:
Quote:
to share in a small office. Had very strong reviews and is working out nicely.


One of my printers is a B&W laser Brother 2240. A war horse. Never a problem in 4-5 years and prints 3000+ pages per cartridge.
I am a fan of HP's cheap black and while laserjet printer.  
yatqb : 5/26/2016 1:06 pm : link
I've never had a problem with mine (an older model, M1212nf, MFP).
Lasers are a lot cheaper than ink jets in the long run.  
Red Dog : 5/26/2016 1:13 pm : link
The ink for ink jets is expensive if you do much printing, so the cost per printed page is a lot lower with a laser printer.

And many laser printers also double as convenience copiers, scanners, and/or fax machines - which still have some usefulness.

Although cheap lasers are plastic toys compared to serious professional machines, they cost a hell of a lot less. So they are probably the best choice all the way around if you don't need color.

I've had great luck with HP equipment, and have used other brands that worked fine most or all of the time, notably Brother. However, HP is the market leader so supplies are for their printers are the most readily available.

One last tip - do NOT use refilled toner cartridges. Stick to brand new OEM stuff to both protect your machine and get the lowest cost per printed page.

RE: RE: We just got a Brother 6180  
Deej : 5/26/2016 1:14 pm : link
In comment 12972427 Stan in LA said:
Quote:
In comment 12972177 Deej said:


Quote:


to share in a small office. Had very strong reviews and is working out nicely.



One of my printers is a B&W laser Brother 2240. A war horse. Never a problem in 4-5 years and prints 3000+ pages per cartridge.


Similar printers. The one I have holds more paper and is spec'd to handle more volume. From my research, it seems that the recommended duty cycles (i.e. pages/month) are actually pretty important. You cant get a cheap printer and then put 10,000 pages a month on it. They're made with cheaper parts and will wear out faster.
Epson has put out  
sphinx : 5/26/2016 1:21 pm : link
some models that they claim will save a ton (gallons?) of ink. Don't know the quality of the machines but it may be worth a look up.

Two must have features:  
NoPeanutz : 5/26/2016 3:43 pm : link
1) Laserjet
2) Auto duplex. You want to make sure it does Auto duplex.

This looks like a good one http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2340DW-Monochrome-Wireless-Printing/dp/B00LZS5EEI?ie=UTF8&keywords=brother&qid=1464291696&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

I have a variation of this one for more than five years now, as does my good friend and his parents. We're all very pleased.

Much thanks to everyone for the suggestions  
Anando : 5/26/2016 3:50 pm : link
I passed along the Brother printer to our IT guy, and he mentioned that it has a "slow" start up time - i.e. it takes a while to get warmed up and print the first page.

Is there a particular name for this metric, so I can compare it across printers?
RE: Much thanks to everyone for the suggestions  
NoPeanutz : 5/26/2016 3:55 pm : link
In comment 12972855 Anando said:
Quote:
I passed along the Brother printer to our IT guy, and he mentioned that it has a "slow" start up time - i.e. it takes a while to get warmed up and print the first page.

Is there a particular name for this metric, so I can compare it across printers?


It's on all the time...
Ink Jets  
Fred in Atlanta : 5/26/2016 4:05 pm : link
are better for photos.
HP 8600  
Homer_Jones : 5/26/2016 6:50 pm : link
Have owned it for some time. Idiot proof setup. Flawless wireless printing from day 1.

Ink is middle of the road expensive. Some more, some less.

It is the ink that kills you. You should get a free printer with the cost of all the ink you will use.

I used cheap refill ink on my Canon that didn't last long and I think the ink did it in. I could be wrong but I only use the good stuff and have had zero problems.
Above HP  
Homer_Jones : 5/26/2016 6:54 pm : link
is an ink jet. My brother has a Laser jet and the color is not nearly as good but it is really fast. Mine is fast enough. It's in the basement so by the time I get down there, it is done.
RE: Epson has put out  
Jim in Fairfax : 5/26/2016 7:45 pm : link
In comment 12972491 sphinx said:
Quote:
some models that they claim will save a ton (gallons?) of ink. Don't know the quality of the machines but it may be worth a look up.

They flipped the sales model. The traditional sales model for printers is " give away the razor, make money on the blades." The Epson Ecotank printers are much more expensive than other comparable printers, but the ink is much less expensive.
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