Cartridge Life and Recommendations

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shemp
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Shemp

I'm considering a laser printer for home use.

My biggest concern is cartridge life because they are more expensive then
inkjet. Can anyone tell me how long one should last and also any
recommentations on a good mid-range laster printer?
 
I am very fond of the HP laser jets in the $300 range.
My 1200 prints 20-50 text pages 5 days a week.
The cartridge lasts nearly a year at this level of use.
 
I'm considering a laser printer for home use.

My biggest concern is cartridge life because they are more expensive then
inkjet. Can anyone tell me how long one should last and also any
recommentations on a good mid-range laster printer?
Click to expand...
If you are worried about toner cartridge life, you'd better get yourself an
inkjet printer.
 
Shemp said:
I'm considering a laser printer for home use.

My biggest concern is cartridge life because they are more expensive then
inkjet. Can anyone tell me how long one should last and also any
recommentations on a good mid-range laster printer?
Click to expand...


They range from about 2,000 pages of text up to nearly 10,000 pages of text.

Prices range from $50 to $150.

The most expensive toner cartridges do not necessarily correlate with
the largest number of printed pages.

How many text pages do you get from an inkjet? At how much cost?

Note, to avoid being helpful, neither of us is mentioning any model
numbers/names of printers.

It would be foolish to be that helpful.

I would stick with HP Laserjets still. The supply of cartridges is much
better still today.

I remember several other brands of laser printer from the past that are
no longer made, and supplies are nearly impossible.

Feel free to select whatever saves you a dollar or two in the short run,
and you'll get taken to the cleaners like you were with inkjets for much
the same set of reasons.

Jim
 
I'm considering a laser printer for home use.

My biggest concern is cartridge life because they are more expensive then
inkjet. Can anyone tell me how long one should last and also any
recommentations on a good mid-range laster printer?
Click to expand...

I've used B&W laser printers since 1991. I've owned HP LJ III, and
IIIp, and a LJ 4. In addition, I've owned a Brother HL-10V (a HP LJ III
clone), and now own a Brother HL-5150DLT. The old, built like a tank,
HP's were very good printers. The single-piece toner cartridges lasted
a long time, but I think my cost of operation for the Brother lasers is
less. Some Brother lasers, including the HL-5150DLT, use a two-piece
system, a toner cartridge, and a drum cartridge. The old HL-10V, on the
other hand, used a HP Laserjet III one-piece cartridge. Overall, the
cost per page with the Brother is equal to or less than that of the HP's
I've owned.

Personally, I think the HL-5150DLT with its dual-tray, and full duplex
capability is a bargain. I would never consider a Brother inkjet, but
their laser printers are very good. I've never had any problem finding
supplies for the Brother laser printers. I can walk into Office Depot or
Staples anytime and buy whatever supplies are required.

Of course, this is only my opinion, and others may differ - as I'm sure
they will!

Don
 
I'm not sure I understand the comment below.

Price per unit, especially for black printing, is cheaper with laser
than inkjet, unless you are considering self-refilling.

As stated by others, the yield of the cartridges vary.

Watch out for "starter cartridges". Some printers come with a cartridge
which is only 1/2 or 1/3rd filled with toner, and will only produce that
same fraction of prints. Also, keep in mind that most yields for black
prints are given in terms of a 5% coverage. That is a short letter in
standard font, with no or minimal letterhead. In the real world, a
letter is probably closer to 8-10% coverage or more.

You can figure out costs per print by looking at the cost of the
cartridge and dividing it by the number of copies at the 5% yield, if
your letters are more like 10% coverage, double the cost per print, and
so on.

Also consider other consumables, if there are any (fuser oil, drums,
etc). Today, most laser printers have a one piece cartridge which is
self contained and includes the drum. Some of these unit can have the
toner refilled a number of times before the drum is requiring changing.

Art
 
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