Reliable laser for a college student?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
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K

Ken

My freshman daughter needs a printer for school. I figure a laser is
probably the best bet because the consumables are less expensive.

Which brands are the most reliable?

Thanks
Ken K
 
My freshman daughter needs a printer for school. I figure a laser is
probably the best bet because the consumables are less expensive.
Which brands are the most reliable?
Click to expand...

Here's a good place to start
http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1874,1639039,00.asp

I have a Brother 8440 multifunction at home, and like it a lot, a bit
over a year old, about 1.5 boxes of paper so far with no problems

At work I have an HP 1012 which does very well, just under a year old
and about the same 1.5 boxes of paper (use it every day for work) and
also no problems at all

John Thomas Smith
http://www.direct2usales.com
http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith
 
For college work I would look at an HP Multifunction Laser. It would be
very useful to have a photocopier and that is what the machine can do.

If you want an inkjet then look at the Canon MP780.
 
Ken said:
My freshman daughter needs a printer for school. I figure a laser is
probably the best bet because the consumables are less expensive.

Which brands are the most reliable?

Thanks
Ken K
Click to expand...
-------------------

Consumables are not necessarily less expensive with a laser. I run an ink jet
very cheaply by refilling cartridges. I spent about $25 for a refill kit at
Sam's Club, and it looks like I may get probably 10 refills from it. It depends
what kind of inkjet you buy whether it's simple (or even possible) to refill.

Of course one can refill some lasers too I suppose, but I have no personal
experience with that.

Good luck with your choice...

Bill
 
SHE NEEDS TO SPEND HER TIME STUDYING AND LEARNING NOT WASTING HER TIME
MESSING WITH INK TO SAVE A BUCK.
 
Ken said:
My freshman daughter needs a printer for school. I figure a laser is
probably the best bet because the consumables are less expensive.

Which brands are the most reliable?
Click to expand...

Something to consider is getting an inkjet printer. The laser will
deliver good black and white prints but an inkjet does this and will let
her inject color into her reports/presentations. Plus with the low cost
and good performance of compatible cartridges the operating costs can be
as low as a laser.

IMO, an ideal inkjet for a college student would be an all-in-one like
the Canon MP780/760. They can be bought for around $150-$200 and will
give her the same print engine as is found in the Canon iP4000. She
will be able to printer in color (with duplex capability), print very
good black text, scan documents with a flat bed or sheet fed option, fax
(MP780 only) and copy black & white/color pages. I have used an MP780
for about 9 months and don't have one complaint so far. I use
compatible cartridges that cost around $2 each and my black & white
print cost is as good as a laser and maybe even better.
 
Something to consider is getting an inkjet printer. The laser will
deliver good black and white prints but an inkjet does this and will
let her inject color into her reports/presentations. Plus with the
low cost and good performance of compatible cartridges the operating
costs can be as low as a laser.
Click to expand...
THE FOLLOWING IS EXACTLY WHAT I SAID IN AN EARLIER POST. THAT MIGHT BE
THE BEST CHOICE SINCE THE COMBO ACTS AS A PHOTOCOPIER.
 
Have you ever met a college student in your whole life that didn't find 10
minutes to waste on things less valuable than saving money?

Bill
-------------------
 
Bill said:
-------------------

Consumables are not necessarily less expensive with a laser. I run an ink jet
very cheaply by refilling cartridges. I spent about $25 for a refill kit at
Sam's Club, and it looks like I may get probably 10 refills from it. It depends
what kind of inkjet you buy whether it's simple (or even possible) to refill.

Of course one can refill some lasers too I suppose, but I have no personal
experience with that.

Good luck with your choice...

Bill
Click to expand...
Bill,

Which brand cartridges do you find easy to refill? Which model printer?

Thanks
Ken K
 
Something to consider is getting an inkjet printer. The laser will
deliver good black and white prints but an inkjet does this and will let
her inject color into her reports/presentations. Plus with the low cost
and good performance of compatible cartridges the operating costs can be
as low as a laser.

IMO, an ideal inkjet for a college student would be an all-in-one like
the Canon MP780/760. They can be bought for around $150-$200 and will
give her the same print engine as is found in the Canon iP4000. She
will be able to printer in color (with duplex capability), print very
good black text, scan documents with a flat bed or sheet fed option, fax
(MP780 only) and copy black & white/color pages. I have used an MP780
for about 9 months and don't have one complaint so far. I use
compatible cartridges that cost around $2 each and my black & white
print cost is as good as a laser and maybe even better.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Well worth considering. You say that you use "compatible"
cartridges. I had been concerned about problems with clogging. Where
have you found a reliable brand/source?

Thanks
Ken K
 
Ken said:
Bill,

Which brand cartridges do you find easy to refill? Which model printer?

Thanks
Ken K
Click to expand...
----------------------

Personally I've got a Dell 962 multifunction ($99 rebuilt). It's dead easy to
refill, but the driver software will continue to natter that the cartridge is
nearly empty until you check the box to stop showing you the warnings. And I
did buy one new black and one new color cartridge that I keep in a drawer
against the day that the old ones I keep refilling finally die at a critical
moment. I've refilled them 5 times so far though and they're still working well.

The printer is really a Lexmark (x7170?) under the covers though. I believe
I've read that most (all?) the Lexmark's are easy to refill though I don't know
that myself. I believe the Canons are easy too, but I shied away from them
because their print head is built into the printer, whereas the Lexmark's are on
the cartridge and can be easily replaced if it dies. I once had to trash a
Brother because of built in print heads clogging and have avoided that design
since. Probably an unreasonable concern on my part though since I've only heard
good things about Canons in general.

IMHO, the printer works well for simple office use -- and/or color charts and
such. Scans, copies and faxes too. Personally I wouldn't use it to print
photos, but then I would never do photos on a printer anyhow so that doesn't
bother me.

By-the-by, whatever printer you choose make sure it will work with the computer
in question. Some printers these days will only work with certain operating
systems because they don't want to write 1,000 drivers. My Dell works only with
XP I think.

Good luck with your choice....

Bill
 
Ken said:
My freshman daughter needs a printer for school. I figure a laser is
probably the best bet because the consumables are less expensive.

Which brands are the most reliable?

Thanks
Ken K
Click to expand...


Get a Brother laser multifunction printer. You can't imagine the amount
of the stuffs that they need to print and/or copy and SPEED is one of
the reasons to go with laser. If your kids are studying science, you
might even consider a color laser. It's handy for color charts and
graphics. I can't imagine to print all that on an ink jet!
 
Ken said:
Hmmm. Well worth considering. You say that you use "compatible"
cartridges. I had been concerned about problems with clogging. Where
have you found a reliable brand/source?

Thanks
Ken K
Click to expand...

You should be very concerned. Almost all of the Vendors who sell what
they call "compatible" cartridges are labelers and will not tell you
what you are getting and who the mfg/formulator is. Do not listen to
anyone on this ng. Find out for yourself. Google inkjet or ink and go
to many websites and see what you find. The problem is you can purchase
the same printhead clogging ink from a variety of places all under
different names mfg by the same place and not know it.

If your daughter spends the appropriate time studying and using draft
mode except for the papers that are to be turned in then she will be an
average or even less than average user and are much better off using
Canon OEM ink.

Keep in mind that most of what you read here is printed by hobbyist and
tinkerers. Worse yet many of the regulars work or are associated with
groups who make money and are in the printer business either directly or
indirectly and there is a specific group who have joined together anf
formed a special forum to spread their message. Do not be duped.
 
This is a messy time consuming problem creating pain in the ass. Have
your daughter put her effort into grades not makeing a relabeler rich.
 
Ken said:
Hmmm. Well worth considering. You say that you use "compatible"
cartridges. I had been concerned about problems with clogging. Where
have you found a reliable brand/source?

Thanks
Ken K
Click to expand...

Ken
I am not going to recommend for or against compatible cartridges, only to say
that there are some excellent compatible products available and also some
excellent bulk ink.
Measekite has now developed a conspiracy theory which is about as believeable
as the existence of the Tooth Fairy.
If you have not already done so, please read his offensive and misleading posts
elsewhere in this newsgroup and judge for yourself.
On the one hand he says this ng is full of tinkerers and hobbyists and on the
other hand he says it is full of people in business trying to make a dollar.
That is contradictory to say the least. You be the judge.
Good luck in your search.
Tony
 
Ken said:
Hmmm. Well worth considering. You say that you use "compatible"
cartridges. I had been concerned about problems with clogging. Where
have you found a reliable brand/source?
Click to expand...

I have used a couple of suppliers off ebay for cartridges. They have
worked fine for the nine months I have had the printer. The only set of
OEM cartridges my MP780 has seen are the ones that came with the
printer. Buying the cartridges prefilled is very convenient and your
daughter won't have mess with refilling. In the 9 months I have had the
MP780 I have only had to do a cleaning cycle a couple of times and
that was for the color cartridges. Sometimes I only print black text
for a few weeks straight and the color nozzles may have an issue from
non-use. A cleaning cycle brings them back to normal.

The last set of BCI-3e black carts I bought was from this supplier:
http://tinyurl.com/bopwy I got 5 black BCI-3eBk cartridges shipped to
my door for around $10. Each cartridge is good for 500 sheets so for
$10 I can print 2500 pages. Considering a toner cartridge for a laser
printer costs $60-$90 and only prints 3,000-4,000 pages a Canon inkjet
printer with compatible cartridges is quite a bargain.

Here is a link for a color and black cartridge package deal:
http://tinyurl.com/cafqu
 
I have used a couple of suppliers off ebay for cartridges. They have
worked fine for the nine months I have had the printer. The only set
of OEM cartridges my MP780 has seen are the ones that came with the
printer. Buying the cartridges prefilled is very convenient and your
daughter won't have mess with refilling.
Click to expand...

There is not one seller of prefilled carts that will disclose on their
website what they are selling except 88inkjets.com. They do disclose
they sell formulabs ink that they have prefilled in noname carts in
China. They did tell me on the phone that their prefilled BCI3eBK is
pigmented ink but it was reported here in this ng that a user bought it
and claimed it was not true and the ink was not pigmented. So you never
really know what you get.

Your daughter will not be a high volume user so why take any chances to
save just a little money and have aggravation and take her mind off her
prime objective.
In the 9 months I have had the MP780 I have only had to do a cleaning
cycle a couple of times
Click to expand...

In 14 months using Canon ink I never had to do a cleaning cycle.
and that was for the color cartridges. Sometimes I only print black
text for a few weeks straight and the color nozzles may have an issue
from non-use. A cleaning cycle brings them back to normal.
Click to expand...

I do not have that problem
The last set of BCI-3e black carts I bought was from this supplier:
http://tinyurl.com/bopwy I got 5 black BCI-3eBk cartridges shipped to
my door for around $10.
Click to expand...

He thinks they were pigmented
 
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