Printer costs and advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter James Silverton
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James Silverton

Hello All!

I have looked thro the available m.public newsgroups with print in their
names but don't seem to see a suitable one. I am considering a new
printer for home use under WindowsXP and was greatly impressed by the HP
LaserJet CP1215 for under $300. It is interesting that the cost of a set
of refill ink cassettes would be $285 (red, blue, yellow and black.)
Unless the cassettes that come with the printer contain a smaller amount
of toner, it seems almost cost effective to buy a new printer!
--


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
Unless there is a specific reason you need a color LaserJet printer, you
might consider using a B&W LaserJet
in combination with a color Inkjet printer. While new Inkjet cartridges are
not cheap, if you only use color on an infrequent basis the two printer
solution may be more cost effective, especially if you do a high volume of
black and white printing.

On other factor is the cost per page, how many pages are the LaserJet
cartridges rated at. Color Inkjets have a high cost per page rating.

JS
http://www.pagestart.com
 
well, i think that choosing
hp is a good choice.

however, everything is
disposable so spending
anything more than 100
bucks will be a waste of
money.

for about 60 bucks you
can get a b/w laser printer
and for another 50 bucks
you can buy a scanner/fax/
color printer.

color printing sounds like
a great thing to have, especially
if you get one with true black
cartridge.

but printing documents with
black ink is not better than
with laser toner.

also unless you use it all
your inks regularly, the
ink will dry up and clog up
the micro jets.

or if the printer has a self
cleaning mode, the daily
testing and cleaning of the
jets will eventually use up
the cartridges.

then of course you have
issues with calibration,
whereas the red suit on
santa clause appearing on
your screen is printed in
reddish brown or orange.

-------------

i think i recall that there is
no walmart in your area.

however, uploading images
to a business and having
them process the color work
is far cheaper, reliable and
gauranteed.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
 
wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:17:45 -0600:
however, everything is
disposable so spending
anything more than 100
bucks will be a waste of
money.
Click to expand...
for about 60 bucks you
can get a b/w laser printer
and for another 50 bucks
you can buy a scanner/fax/
color printer.
Click to expand...
color printing sounds like
a great thing to have, especially
if you get one with true black
cartridge.
Click to expand...
but printing documents with
black ink is not better than
with laser toner.
Click to expand...
also unless you use it all
your inks regularly, the
ink will dry up and clog up
the micro jets.
Click to expand...
or if the printer has a self
cleaning mode, the daily
testing and cleaning of the
jets will eventually use up
the cartridges.
Click to expand...
then of course you have
issues with calibration,
whereas the red suit on
santa clause appearing on
your screen is printed in
reddish brown or orange.

i think i recall that there is
no walmart in your area.
Click to expand...
however, uploading images
to a business and having
them process the color work
is far cheaper, reliable and
gauranteed.
--
Click to expand...

The initial question still stands as to why one should not just buy a
new laser instead of a set of cartridges. Looking at current prices
from HP, the printer sells for $199, a black cartridge for $74 and
colored (red, blue, yellow) for $69 each. In other words a new set of
cartridges would be $281: $82 more than a new printer!

With limited desk space I would prefer to have only one printer. I had
not previously considered a color *laser* but the results of a colored
test page on the CP1215 were very impressive. Even if 600dpi might be
thought of as a bit coarse, informal 4x6 color prints look good! I am
willing to have Kodak or Ritz do more formal printing and the cost would
be less than those from any inkjet I could buy. The black LaserJet toner
cartridge produces great typescript and is rated for more pages than the
colored ones. The page ratings are 2200 for black and 1400 for the
colors.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
James,

Just a thought. When you buy a new inkjet printer, the included
"starter" ink cartridges sometimes contain much less ink than the regular
cartridges you purchase later. I don't know if that applies to the laser
printer you're looking at. But try to find out. That may help you decide if
buying another printer, rather than buying refill cartridges, is cost
effective.

Milt
 
Milt wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:38:00 -0800:
Just a thought. When you buy a new inkjet printer, the
included "starter" ink cartridges sometimes contain much less
ink than the regular cartridges you purchase later. I don't
know if that applies to the laser printer you're looking at.
But try to find out. That may help you decide if buying
another printer, rather than buying refill cartridges, is cost
effective.
Click to expand...

I think I had heard rumors that much less toner or ink came with a new
printer and I wondered if anyone could tell me if that was true. I would
not feel swindled if there was a "starter" amount but it would be good
to know. Polaroid cameras were ridiculously cheap in comparison with the
film but you had to buy film. It did not usually come with a camera.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
well, it really boils down
to one's preference, needs
and comfort.

if you buy a newer model
then it is hoped that it will
have newer electronics in
addition to style.

even though the outside
might look updated the
inside might still be
old technology.

also, it is possible that
the same electronics used
to make the 300 dollar machine
can be ascertained from a
60 dollar machine like this
one:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...infoType=Specs&oid=63069503&category=Products

instead of allocating 60 bucks
for ink cartridges, the same ink
can be ascertained from 15
dollar cartridges.


basically, there is no way
of knowing if you are giving
up something that is reliable
for something that is built to
be reliable for only 12 months.

perhaps a valid argument is if
the old one still works then
no point in adding to dumpster.

but if i were to buy another
machine, i would base it on
the need, cost of operation and
reliability.

though i haven't used my color
printer in over two years, i think
it was around 60 bucks with
1200 dpi and the cartridges
were 15 per color.

for example i have 2 hp's
lasers and 1 color by epson
similar to the model in the
link above but it is a couple
of years older.

based on price and specs
it might perform like or better
than the model you are
considering.

everyone has their preferences
and so what mine are cannot be
the same as yours.

but i don't mind sharing my
opinion...

---------

i almost forgot that about four
or five years ago i bought a
multifunction/color zerox for
several hundred dollars.

it became incompatible
after sp2 was released and
zerox didn't want to provide
an update.

when i opened the oversize
and fancy case, it had a measly
little circuit board inside.

so i felt dooped and vowed never
to spend more than 100 bucks
for printers again and buy from
zerox.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
 
actually, i recalled that
i would never buy an
epson as well.

so i went back into my
home office to check,
the color printer i have
is from hp.

however, it's shape and
specs are very similar
to the one in the link i
provided.

but since its a hp, it's
more reliable (in my opinion).
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
 
JS wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:21:05 -0500:
Look near the bottom there is a "What's in the Box" section.
Which most likely is a cartridge set with less toner.

The only good news is that you can buy the B&W
and Color cartridges individually so you are not forced
to buy all four at once.
Click to expand...

I did not really believe that a new printer each time would be cost
effective but they don't emphasize the "starter" information :-)


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
They never do.

Most of the money any company makes on a printer is with the cartridge
replacements.

Also be aware that the use of refilled cartridges usually voids the
warranty.
They do this for a good reason as a few years back the company I was working
for insisted on buying refilled toner cartridges. They leaks toner all over
the inside of printer, caused various types of damage and in the long run
saved little if any money.

JS
http://www.pagestart.com
 
James

My experience is based on the UK market.

You should not be paying under $300 -it should be much less
http://www.amazon.com/HP-Color-Laserjet-CP1215-Printer/dp/B00165TATA

Cartridges for CP 1215.
http://snipurl.com/5y73h [www_shopping_hp_com]

Compare to similarly priced not entry range black / white Laserjet P2035
http://snipurl.com/5y89f [www_shopping_hp_com]

Cartridges 30% of those for an entry ramge Color-Laserjet
http://snipurl.com/5y89f [www_shopping_hp_com]

In the UK you get the first cartridge with the printer but cables are
extra.

You can buy a colour inkjet for the saving on cartridges.

What you buy will depend on what you use the printer(s) for. If you want
to print photos I would not use a Color-Laserjet. Cartridges bought at
big stores ( like Staples ) in the UK are dearer than my local
commercial stationer -I save 20% on cartridges.

Do not buy a printer with a vertical sheet feed. They are susceptible to
paper jams. A fat bed sheet feed will occupy more desk space.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
JS wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:07:07 -0500:
Most of the money any company makes on a printer is with the
cartridge replacements.
Click to expand...
Also be aware that the use of refilled cartridges usually
voids the warranty.
They do this for a good reason as a few years back the company
I was working for insisted on buying refilled toner
cartridges. They leaks toner all over the inside of printer,
caused various types of damage and in the long run saved
little if any money.
Click to expand...

I used Staples brand toner cartridges several times in my rather old HP
LaserJet and I think HP may be telling the truth when they allege that
they may not last as long as brand name ones. There were no mechanical
problems nor was leakage apparent but Staples seems to have stopped
selling their house brand. I just bought an HP cartridge, which cost
about 30% more than the Staples, and when that runs out I may look for a
new printer. My present printer is quite acceptable for correspondence
but is only 300 dpi and can only handle a very limited number of paper
and envelope sizes.
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
I think they are more reliable. However, they are expensive to repair.
My understanding is the repairer often has to buy more than needed to
get the part required for the repair. Spare parts are also overpriced
for what they are.

--



Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
James Silverton said:
I have looked thro the available m.public newsgroups with print in their
names but don't seem to see a suitable one. I am considering a new
printer for home use under WindowsXP and was greatly impressed by the HP
LaserJet CP1215 for under $300. It is interesting that the cost of a set
of refill ink cassettes would be $285 (red, blue, yellow and black.)
Unless the cassettes that come with the printer contain a smaller amount
of toner, it seems almost cost effective to buy a new printer!
Click to expand...

HP printers - as is the case with other brands as well - are vehicles
to sell ink. And they are the worst of the bunch in terms of the cost
of replacement cartridges.

I will never buy a printer that I can't put generic ink cartridges
into. And I will never buy a printer that doesn't have separate color
cartridges - at least 3.

So I lean heavily in favor of Epson and/or Canon.

That said, if you are planning on doing photo work at home, better
plan on spending tons of cash compared to what you'd spend having your
photos printed commercially.
 
Big wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:41:05 -0600:
HP printers - as is the case with other brands as well - are
vehicles to sell ink. And they are the worst of the bunch in
terms of the cost of replacement cartridges.
Click to expand...
I will never buy a printer that I can't put generic ink
cartridges into. And I will never buy a printer that doesn't
have separate color cartridges - at least 3.
Click to expand...
So I lean heavily in favor of Epson and/or Canon.
Click to expand...

I think I have indicated that I partially agree with you. I was asking
about color *lasers* whose prints rather surprised me for informal
distribution. As far as I know, all color lasers use separate
cartridges. I am not interested in ink jets.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
James Silverton said:
Hello All!

I have looked thro the available m.public newsgroups with print in their
names but don't seem to see a suitable one. I am considering a new printer
for home use under WindowsXP and was greatly impressed by the HP LaserJet
CP1215 for under $300. It is interesting that the cost of a set of refill
ink cassettes would be $285 (red, blue, yellow and black.) Unless the
cassettes that come with the printer contain a smaller amount of toner, it
seems almost cost effective to buy a new printer!
--


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
Click to expand...

I would suggest you consider one of the Canon PIXMA range of bubble
jet printers with five cartridges including two blacks. Black and white
printing is excellent, as is colour. Also, as long as Canon replacement
cartridges are used, each cartridge can be fully used even after a low-ink
warning, as the software prevents the printer from operating when any
cartridge is actually empty. That system doesn't work with refills.
Cartridges are relatively expensive here in Australia, but appear to be
much cheaper in the USA.
Other than as a user (MP800) I am in no way connected with Canon.
HTH,

Jim.
 
James Silverton said:
Milt wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:38:00 -0800:


I think I had heard rumors that much less toner or ink came with a new
printer and I wondered if anyone could tell me if that was true.
Click to expand...

It's true, and applies to lasers as well as inkjets. They are called
"starter" cartridges and do contain much less than the standard cartridge.

HTH
-pk
 
Milt wrote on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:38:00 -0800:


I think I had heard rumors that much less toner or ink came with a new
printer and I wondered if anyone could tell me if that was true.
Click to expand...


Yes, it's true. I can't swear that it's true of *every* printer, but
it's certainly very common.
 
Yes, it's true. I can't swear that it's true of *every* printer, but
it's certainly very common.
Click to expand...
I've got HP 2605dn colour and P1005 B/W printers and both came with
starter cartridges.
 
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