laser vs ink jet costs?

Hey I'm looking for an entry level printer (100-200$) and have found this Brother printer on what looks like a great discount:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=569_34_451_455&item_id=027307

Brother HL-3040CN Color Laser Network Printer - 17ppm Mono - 17ppm Color - 2400 x 600 dpi - USB, Fast Ethernet - PC, Mac...from $289 to $129.

I was looking at ink jet printers because the toner cartridges are cheaper, ink cartridge are $65 canadian for this laser printer. Wow that's a lot. But I thought maybe the laser printer cartridges put significantly more pages or hold more ink than the ink jet ones?
Or is laser more expensive because of the quality of the print? I don't want a laser if I'm going to end paying more per page than ink jet.

Also ink-jet's are always multi-function...like printer/scanner/coppier/fax...all for $60.
How can it be any good at printing when it does all that for so little? I can't help but feel skeptical.


Thanks for any feedback...the sale on this ends in two days!

 

I can't speak to the cost of laser vs inkjet because I haven't owned a laser printer in ages, but I can speak to the quality of current multifunction inkjet printers. They are fantastic. I have an Epson multifunction printer/scanner/copier/CD printer, and it's output in all three modes is fantastic. You'd be surprised how far they've come over the years. One caveat though. If you buy the cheapest model, you'll get what you paid. In other words, spend the 129 or whatever (but not 60) for a multifunction unit and you'll be a happy camper. I highly recommend the current Epsons.

 

it all comes down to how much you are going to be using it.

laser is better and more cost affective if you use it a lot. inkjet is a lot cheaper and better if you only print from time to time.

 

That looks like a great price. I've owned a HP 6p lazer for many years. Black print only. After 4 years of use it finally ran out of ink. $70.00 to replace it. Along with many ink jets. Ink jets cost quite a bit of $ to replace a cartridge. If no use for a bit. The head drys out. Slow to print compared to a lazer.

Toner cartridges for a lazer are more $. Compare the cost of ink jet vrs cartridges on use before they need replacement. How many pages. A lazer is the way to go.

Look at the copy page usage, per cartridge black & white vrs color. -> http://www.buyprintersonline.com/p147481-brother-hl-cn-digital-color-laser-printer.cfm

Now look at any ink jet on copy page per useage on an ink cartridge.

 

Ok I'm getting mixed messages here, is it laser or ink jet that dries out over time if you don't use it alot. 'Cause one person is saying Laser and the other Ink jet is what best for occasional use.

Is it like if I buy an $60 laser cartridge I have to use it within a certain time...and that's why if I'm only printing from time to time I should just get the ink jet? Is that right?

 

Yes, inkjet is for you. I had an HP for the last 5 years and the ink never dried up. The only reason that I got rid of it was the $40 cost/cartridge and its age. Looking at the paper that I've got left I figure I got some 400 pages.The laser sounds good at the price as long as you don't need to buy a cartridge, remember there's four of them at $60 apiece. I couldn't find how many average pages the laser prints but black is the one to get most often replaced.

As to which dries out first, I'd say an inkjet as laser still uses a powder last time I looked.

 

I have 2 printers on my computer. The B/W Lazer is used the most. And a HP ink jet that will fax-copy and print B/W, color. Swap between the two in printer propertys for use.

My experience is the ink jet head would dry out from low use. In figuring cost, the lazor has 4 toner cartridges. Black-Cyan-Yellow and Magenta $50-70.00 or so each. It says in one sight. 2,200 pages Black. The colors are around 1,400 pages. How many ink cartridges would you have to buy to print out that many pages? They sell printers in-expencivly so they can make money on the ink or toner. Lazers use toner and ink jets use ink. My 1st reply I typed ink and ment toner for my lazor. "After 4 years of use it finally ran out of ink"

You might be using it for a long time without replacing a toner cartridge, if low useage.

 

Inkjet cartridges dry out when the printer is left powered on for long periods without being used. When the printer is turned off, the print heads are parked so as to reseal the cartridge and prevent it drying out.

 

I think I get the cost difference now...and found a site the says one black ink-jet cartridge runs only 150 pages?!! That's nothing. B/W laser looks like the best cost wise...

BUT...there's one thing I read, that laser printer emit particles that are bad for your breathing and people can be sensitive to it. Is this something people notice alot?...Will lasers fill the house with weird chemicals or is this hardly noticeable?

http://www.ehow.com/list_7380181_hazards-toner-particles.html

 

My lazer is about 1-2ft away from me. Been there since 04? I haven't smelled any toner out of it, and I'm still kickin.

 

My advice is to check the availability and pricing of aftermarket ink or toner before buying any printer.

Most printer manufacturers attempt to make their money off replacement ink sales. I have seen cases where the cost of a set of OEM black/color ink is almost as expensive as buying a new printer...FAIL!

A quick way to check is to go on eBay and search for the make/model of the printer - if aftermarket ink is available, it will come up in the search - often for up to 75% less than OEM ink at Walmart, Office Depot, etc.

If you buy aftermarket ink/toner from a reputable seller with good feedback, your cost per page will be cut by at least half.

As for the inkjet versus laser argument:

* Inkjet: Lower initial printer cost. Best for users with light (<250 pages/month) needs. Better image quality for high-grade photo use. Downside: Ink may not be waterproof, can bleed or smear if the document gets wet.

* Laser: Best for medium to high volume users. Overall cost per page is usually lower than inkjet (esp. with aftermarket supplies). Downsides: Takes up more space, uses more electricity.

 

You forgot to mention speed. Ink jet, chunka chunka. Lazer click print, bzz ding done. Something I read years ago and works. When the lazer gets weak results on printing with the cartridge. Take it out. Jently shake it back and forth and keep it leval. <--> It will work fine for a few months more. I looked up the lazer I have and the cartridge is good for 4,000 pages. Personaly if my lazer ever dies as it's old. I'd buy what your looking at.

 

Here's my 2 cents. I have an all in one ink jet printer. I buy bulk ink that you can inject into the cartridges. I haven't paid for a new cartridge in years.

 

Robert, On the 2 camps. Lazor or inkjets. Depending on your use. Ither would be a good choice. Lazers print B/W about the same as inkjet. Just faster. Color prints, the inkjet prints a better photo. Cost, lazor per page beats the inkjet. But, quality suffers on color prints.

You mentioned, "Also ink-jet's are always multi-function...like printer/scanner/coppier/fax...all for $60" I have a HP Office jet that does what you mentioned. Use it when I want to use it's diffrent functions. Works well at it. 2 cartridges. One black & one color. Mainly I print to the lazer. It's my default printer. I can change the default printer in printer propertys to print to the Office jet on a one time print for color.

For ppl that re-fill a cartridge. I've had poor experience doing it. Must be me as I usually make a mess.

There are other options if they didn't know about them. A CISS system. I'd think you could find one on diffrent systems for any inkjet you have. Model specific. Just one to look at to see what they are. ->

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...Toner&rt=nc&si=O9I9Tl2HvFlx3bf7LbmBSWQI6Hc%3D

Pull the trigger on buying it yet?

 

@Locodave

No, I haven't decided, I'm still searching for page output on the black inkjet cartridge. G-man863 said 250 pages, that's on a 20 dollar cartridge..sounds allright but am still searching around for more data on that, as some articles say 125.

With The inkjet I have an option for color photos. But what if get used to printing alot? I have to decide how much I'm going to use it and how much the toner smell might be an issue if I go with laser as I have some chemical sensitivities.

There's these two inkjets:

$60
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=569_34_458&item_id=037028

$109
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=569_34_458&item_id=022618

I'd feel safer with the one that's a bit more expensive...just have to wait for it to come into stock so I have that time to decide. If I decide I'm going to print out web articles to read away from the PC then I'll go with laser and just put it in the basement if the toner smell bothers me.

 

errr...not always.

Although the manufacturers' pages per minute (PPM) ratings are usually grossly inflated b:***t, it's now at the point many mid-line inkjets will smoke lower priced laser units on speed (especially in draft or normal color mode). As an example, my Samsung CLP-310 (a nice entry level color laser) kicks out about 4PPM color (even if the only "color" is a blue hyperlink); a $100 retail Canon AIO will kick out 6-8 in standard mode if minimal color is involved.

For most home users, speed isn't that big of an issue. Unless you're cranking out 40+ page reports, going to get a soft drink in the kitchen while a slower printer finishes won't stress you out as much as staring at it while it prints.

Good tip - shaking a laser cartridge gently will usually give you between 50-200 extra pages.

On inkjets, ignore the "low ink warning" at first and get a feel for the number of pages from when the warning first pops up until you get streaks in pictures or text. On certain Canon inkjets, this can be up to 100 standard text pages!


My final cheap tip of the day: If you want to cut ink/toner costs by about 40% (regardless of the model), setup the print default to black and white draft (do you really want to spend the bucks to print your grocery list, e-mails, etc. in color?). If you do a lot of color; set to color draft. This will use a lot less ink/toner, and you can always change the settings on a per document basis when printing something really important.