B/W laser recommendations
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B/W laser recommendations

 
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Jeff
Guest





Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:38 am    Post subject: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for 14-15
years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser printer. My
requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This is for home use but
occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I do not have a set price
range but because this is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds
of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks


--

Jeff Stevens
Email address deliberately false to avoid spam
jeff@stevens.com
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Jeff
Guest





Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:40 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Jeff wrote:
Quote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser
printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This
is for home use but occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I
do not have a set price range but because this is for home use I do
not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

Thanks


--

Jeff Stevens
Email address deliberately false to avoid spam
jeff@stevens.com
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El Castor
Guest





Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:13 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

Quote:
Jeff wrote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser
printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This
is for home use but occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I
do not have a set price range but because this is for home use I do
not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

Thanks

I just went through the same process. My criteria were about the same
as yours. I was looking for something under a hundred bucks that
preferably had a 250 page paper tray, was reasonably fast, without a
lot of complaints about jamming, and would be easy to refill. After
reading a lot of reviews, I pretty much tilted toward a Samsung,
Brother, or HP, and wound up buying a Brother HL-2040, which was $90
after a $30 rebate -- delivered free from Office Max, but only if you
live in the "trade area" of one of their stores. It's half the size of
my previous Canon inkjet, makes zero noise when it's in the sleep mode
waiting to print, and is typical laser noisy when it's actually
printing. On the minus side, all the cheaper lasers seem to curl paper
a bit, although I think it can be minimized by buying the right paper,
I've seen lots of complaints about envelope feeding -- and they can be
expensive to operate if you buy the manufacturer's toner or drums.

A convenient place to find to find rebate deals is salescircular.com.
The new stuff is published Sunday mornings.
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Bob Thompson
Guest





Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:19 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Quote:
I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

In my experience, the Epson printers are the best.
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Jeff
Guest





Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 9:00 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

El Castor wrote:
Quote:
"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

Jeff wrote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another
laser printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and
maintenance. This is for home use but occasionally I will print a
100 page document. I do not have a set price range but because this
is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise
and durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

Thanks

I just went through the same process. My criteria were about the same
as yours. I was looking for something under a hundred bucks that
preferably had a 250 page paper tray, was reasonably fast, without a
lot of complaints about jamming, and would be easy to refill. After
reading a lot of reviews, I pretty much tilted toward a Samsung,
Brother, or HP, and wound up buying a Brother HL-2040, which was $90
after a $30 rebate -- delivered free from Office Max, but only if you
live in the "trade area" of one of their stores. It's half the size of
my previous Canon inkjet, makes zero noise when it's in the sleep mode
waiting to print, and is typical laser noisy when it's actually
printing. On the minus side, all the cheaper lasers seem to curl paper
a bit, although I think it can be minimized by buying the right paper,
I've seen lots of complaints about envelope feeding -- and they can be
expensive to operate if you buy the manufacturer's toner or drums.

A convenient place to find to find rebate deals is salescircular.com.
The new stuff is published Sunday mornings.

Thank you. Did you find out what the replacement toner would cost or its
cost per page?

Jeff
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Ajanta
Guest





Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 1:34 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Jeff <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

: My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for 14-15
: years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser printer. My
: requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This is for home use but
: occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I do not have a set price
: range but because this is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds
: of dollars.
:
: I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
: durability. Networking is not a priority.
:
: Thanks

I am in a similar search. Look at Brother 5240. About 30 pages per
minute. However, an extra $20 gets us duplexing AND neworking model
5250DN, so I am thinking why not?

I would still read what others say, but going by paper specs these
Brothers seem hard to beat.
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El Castor
Guest





Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 8:26 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

Quote:
El Castor wrote:
"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

Jeff wrote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another
laser printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and
maintenance. This is for home use but occasionally I will print a
100 page document. I do not have a set price range but because this
is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise
and durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

Thanks

I just went through the same process. My criteria were about the same
as yours. I was looking for something under a hundred bucks that
preferably had a 250 page paper tray, was reasonably fast, without a
lot of complaints about jamming, and would be easy to refill. After
reading a lot of reviews, I pretty much tilted toward a Samsung,
Brother, or HP, and wound up buying a Brother HL-2040, which was $90
after a $30 rebate -- delivered free from Office Max, but only if you
live in the "trade area" of one of their stores. It's half the size of
my previous Canon inkjet, makes zero noise when it's in the sleep mode
waiting to print, and is typical laser noisy when it's actually
printing. On the minus side, all the cheaper lasers seem to curl paper
a bit, although I think it can be minimized by buying the right paper,
I've seen lots of complaints about envelope feeding -- and they can be
expensive to operate if you buy the manufacturer's toner or drums.

A convenient place to find to find rebate deals is salescircular.com.
The new stuff is published Sunday mornings.

Thank you. Did you find out what the replacement toner would cost or its
cost per page?

Jeff

A Brother TN350 toner cartridge, good for around 2,500 pages, is about

$40 on the Internet. I've read that a cartridge can be refilled twice.
A two refill kit runs around $22 from one source, and bulk toner good
for one refill is in the $7 - $14 range. Then there is the issue of
the drum, which brother claims is good for 12,000 pages, and costs
around $75. I would imagine it would be about $40 rebuilt -- if I can
find a rebuilt drum when the time comes.
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Jeff
Guest





Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

El Castor wrote:
Quote:
"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

El Castor wrote:
"Jeff" <jeff@naol.com> wrote:

Jeff wrote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another
laser printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and
maintenance. This is for home use but occasionally I will print a
100 page document. I do not have a set price range but because
this is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds of
dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise
and durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

I forgot to add, paper handling has to be good.

Thanks

I just went through the same process. My criteria were about the
same as yours. I was looking for something under a hundred bucks
that preferably had a 250 page paper tray, was reasonably fast,
without a lot of complaints about jamming, and would be easy to
refill. After reading a lot of reviews, I pretty much tilted toward
a Samsung, Brother, or HP, and wound up buying a Brother HL-2040,
which was $90 after a $30 rebate -- delivered free from Office Max,
but only if you live in the "trade area" of one of their stores.
It's half the size of my previous Canon inkjet, makes zero noise
when it's in the sleep mode waiting to print, and is typical laser
noisy when it's actually printing. On the minus side, all the
cheaper lasers seem to curl paper a bit, although I think it can be
minimized by buying the right paper, I've seen lots of complaints
about envelope feeding -- and they can be expensive to operate if
you buy the manufacturer's toner or drums.

A convenient place to find to find rebate deals is
salescircular.com. The new stuff is published Sunday mornings.

Thank you. Did you find out what the replacement toner would cost or
its cost per page?

Jeff

A Brother TN350 toner cartridge, good for around 2,500 pages, is about
$40 on the Internet. I've read that a cartridge can be refilled twice.
A two refill kit runs around $22 from one source, and bulk toner good
for one refill is in the $7 - $14 range. Then there is the issue of
the drum, which brother claims is good for 12,000 pages, and costs
around $75. I would imagine it would be about $40 rebuilt -- if I can
find a rebuilt drum when the time comes.

Thanks.
Back to top
Arthur Entlich
Guest





Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:59 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Jeff,
You will find a few realities today.

1) Very few, if any, laser printers produced today will give you the
type of durability your earlier one did.

2) Almost anything will be faster and probably provide a higher
resolution image than your previous model.

3) Costs are way down. You can get them for as little as $50 US after
rebates now.

4) Like inkjet printers, the business model has moved to consumables
versus the cost of the machine itself. Your printer will come with a
"starter toner cartridge" which is partially full.

The main consideration after print quality should probably be: warranty,
yield of initial cartridge, cost of consumables, speed of first page
out, how much memory is included, cost of extra memory, noise level.

Most units today are small, handle up to legal size, have small paper
trays, can handle up to card stock thickness, and use costly toner
cartridges. It might be worthwhile to speak to a toner refiller as to
which models most easily entertain refilling to keep you costs down.

If you need duplex printing you'll pay more. Sadly, durability ain't
what it used to be, so expect to have to replace the machine in a few years.

Art

Jeff wrote:

Quote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for 14-15
years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser printer. My
requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This is for home use but
occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I do not have a set price
range but because this is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds
of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks

Back to top
Jeff
Guest





Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:31 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

How sad. But I guess that's "progress".

Which one would you buy today?

Thanks.

Jeff

Arthur Entlich wrote:
Quote:
Jeff,
You will find a few realities today.

1) Very few, if any, laser printers produced today will give you the
type of durability your earlier one did.

2) Almost anything will be faster and probably provide a higher
resolution image than your previous model.

3) Costs are way down. You can get them for as little as $50 US after
rebates now.

4) Like inkjet printers, the business model has moved to consumables
versus the cost of the machine itself. Your printer will come with a
"starter toner cartridge" which is partially full.

The main consideration after print quality should probably be:
warranty, yield of initial cartridge, cost of consumables, speed of
first page out, how much memory is included, cost of extra memory, noise
level.

Most units today are small, handle up to legal size, have small paper
trays, can handle up to card stock thickness, and use costly toner
cartridges. It might be worthwhile to speak to a toner refiller as to
which models most easily entertain refilling to keep you costs down.

If you need duplex printing you'll pay more. Sadly, durability ain't
what it used to be, so expect to have to replace the machine in a few
years.
Art

Jeff wrote:

My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another
laser printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and
maintenance. This is for home use but occasionally I will print a
100 page document. I do not have a set price range but because this
is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise
and durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks
Back to top
Ajanta
Guest





Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 1:45 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Arthur Entlich <e-printerhelp@mvps.org> wrote:

: Very few, if any, laser printers produced today will give you the
: type of durability your earlier one did.

If durability and rugged use are prime criteria, look at Kyocera-Mita
line. Their drums are rated for 100,000 pages.

For personal use, I would pick the recently introduced Brother 5200
series right now. (This is not a permanent recommendation. Right now
they seem like best deals but competitors would bring out their own
models sooner or later, so look again whenever you are ready to buy.)

The basic 5240 is around US$ 199 with rebate. One up is 5250DN with
duplex and networking, I see the best prices around $235.
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copykat
Guest





Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:09 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Jeff wrote:
Quote:
My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for 14-15
years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another laser printer. My
requirements are low per/page cost and maintenance. This is for home use but
occasionally I will print a 100 page document. I do not have a set price
range but because this is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds
of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise and
durability. Networking is not a priority.


Kyocera is your best bet with the FS-720 looking like a good option
http://usa.kyoceramita.com/KMAGlobalpub/jsp/Kyocera/products_printer.jsp?cid=10555.
Also check out the TCO calculator and their Ecosys technology
http://usa.kyoceramita.com/KMAGlobalpub/jsp/Kyocera/kmaenv.jsp


Their products cost a little more to buy but cost a lot less to run,
they also have a better build quality and that will reflect in its
performance, reliability and life expectancy.

I have worked with their equipment (under various brands) for a few
years now and can say that the new equipment is super reliable.

In general you get what you pay for.

www.oceansidebizmachines.co.uk
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Arthur Entlich
Guest





Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 5:13 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

Like you, I've tried to keep my older machines running. I still use a
HP Laserjet II, and a Panasonic KX series printer (mainly because I was
given 4 brand new toner cartridges for it)...

I do have a brand new Konica-Minolta 1250W but not having used it, I
can't say much other than research indicates it may band with images,
and if you refill the cartridge it slows the printer down 50-75%. This
is some scam K-M built into it to "punish" refillers.

I commonly see Brother and Samsung models. The smaller Lexmark models
are made by Samsung but cost more for less memory and sometimes less
toner too.

I have a hard time making a specific recommendation, but others have
given some suggestions.

Art

Jeff wrote:

Quote:
How sad. But I guess that's "progress".

Which one would you buy today?

Thanks.

Jeff

Arthur Entlich wrote:

Jeff,
You will find a few realities today.

1) Very few, if any, laser printers produced today will give you the
type of durability your earlier one did.

2) Almost anything will be faster and probably provide a higher
resolution image than your previous model.

3) Costs are way down. You can get them for as little as $50 US after
rebates now.

4) Like inkjet printers, the business model has moved to consumables
versus the cost of the machine itself. Your printer will come with a
"starter toner cartridge" which is partially full.

The main consideration after print quality should probably be:
warranty, yield of initial cartridge, cost of consumables, speed of
first page out, how much memory is included, cost of extra memory, noise
level.

Most units today are small, handle up to legal size, have small paper
trays, can handle up to card stock thickness, and use costly toner
cartridges. It might be worthwhile to speak to a toner refiller as to
which models most easily entertain refilling to keep you costs down.

If you need duplex printing you'll pay more. Sadly, durability ain't
what it used to be, so expect to have to replace the machine in a few
years.
Art

Jeff wrote:


My ancient NEC Silentwriter 95 that worked with no complaints for
14-15 years just died (motor gone) and I therefore need another
laser printer. My requirements are low per/page cost and
maintenance. This is for home use but occasionally I will print a
100 page document. I do not have a set price range but because this
is for home use I do not wish to spend many hundreds of dollars.

I would appreciate suggestions and remarks concerning speed, noise
and durability. Networking is not a priority.

Thanks



Back to top
Ajanta
Guest





Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:41 pm    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

: Kyocera is your best bet with the FS-720 looking like a good option
:
: http://usa.kyoceramita.com/KMAGlobalpub/jsp/Kyocera/products_printer.jsp?cid=1
: 0555 .

"A matter of fax" has FS-720 for $289. For a little more ($336), you
can get duplexing, postcript emulation with FS-1020D.

For me it is very hard to ignore the value offered by the new Brother
line: HL-5240 ($179 street) has postscript emulation;
HL-5250DN ($235 street) has that + duplex + networking.
Both are 30 ppm, about 50-100% faster than the Kyocera's.

Kyocera as well as Brother should have low toner costs. Kyocera is
definitely the better built printer and should have longer life. Their
drum is rated at 100,000 pages; Brother's will need replacement at
20,000 and you might as well buy a new printer then.

You have to weigh this against Kyocera's higher price, plus the fact
that you might actually want a more appealing technology, eg, color
laser, in a few years.
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David Chien
Guest





Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:25 am    Post subject: Re: B/W laser recommendations Reply with quote

See www.fatwallet.com/c/18/ -> sales threads on laser printers. You can
easily get a new Brother/Samsung/etc for <$60, and they'll run forever.
Naturally, you may simply buy two or more units at this price - the
cost of the new printer + toner is cheaper than a replacement toner!
Donate the used, empty toner printer afterwards.
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