Wols Lists wrote: > On 26/04/19 18:00, Dale wrote: >> Only printed the test pages but they look neato!!! I hope to give this >> thing a test drive once I know it is set up correctly. >> >> Thanks to all for the help. This may be the best printer I've ever >> had. :-D >> > Just don't expect it to last as long as you hope ... there was a thread > somewhere recently where they were discussing long-lived printers, and > it was noticeable that there were almost NO printers mentioned between > about 5 and 10 years old mentioned. Old printers are tanks that go on > and on. New ones seem to just about outlast the extended warranty and > then die. > > Covering the same sort of topics as everyone else, but ... inks. A lot > of modern ink-jet inks are permanent once dried, so they no longer run > like they once did. They also don't dry up in the cartridge like they > once did. That doesn't stop them being more expensive than vintage > champagne! But I would NOT refill toner cartridges myself - buy > remanufactured ones. Toner is nasty stuff. Think of it as wax - it's > stuck electrostatically to the paper then melted on. If you spill it it > makes one heck of a mess - wipe it up with tissue paper and then clean > it down with COLD water. If you wash your hands in hot water it will > print onto them ... :-) > > Cost - I found a cheap laser printer for £50. I think I did the maths > and worked out that even if you threw it in the bin after using up the > starter cartridge, it was cheaper than an equivalent ink-jet! Bear in > mind that your typical ink-jet cartridge struggles to do a pack (ream) > of paper, your typical (nowadays) laser cartridge does about a box of > paper. And unfortunately, yes, if you want photos then use an ink-jet. > And use the expensive manufacturer inks and paper too ... > > Brother printers - that's what my mum uses mostly ... > > Usage - a laser should be fine up to a box of paper a month. Sounds like > you'll be nowhere near that. Just try not to go mad - a boss of mine > years ago looked at the "X pages per annum" figure for some - they were > dot-matrix back then - printers we had and said "why are they always > breaking, we don't do that many pages". I said in response "yep, we > don't do that many per year, but we do do near enough the entire year's > allowance over two months!" If you stay under one pack of paper every > two to three days you'll be fine. > > I've always bought "buy X cartridges and get a free printer" jobs > before, but having recently binned a broken printer along with far too > many spare cartridges, I've changed tack. I had a b&w duplex printer, > along with a colour printer/scanner, and I've now replaced both with a > powerful little workstation, a M477fdn. Laser colour, duplex print, > duplex scan. The starter cartridges have lasted about six months, > including two newsletter print runs (which paid for a new high-capacity > b&w cartridge). I now need to replace the colour cartridges, but seeing > as HP offer a free 3-year warranty provided you only use HP cartridges, > I'm going to fork out for them. That *should* see out the warranty, and > at £300 for the printer and £400 for a fresh set of cartridges, that's > not too bad for three years. Once the warranty's gone, I'll use > compatibles, and if the printer breaks I'll have saved enough for a new one. > > Laser printers cost up front, but once I've paid for this set of > cartridges I'm probably set up for a couple of years. Just don't expect > modern lasers to go on and on, and budget to replace it ... :-) > > Cheers, > Wol > >
Well, this printer weighs about 50 lbs. My arthritis is still complaining about bringing it in. Should have used something with wheels. I had a friend that had a really old mono laser printer and it was about the same weight wise. If weight means anything, it should be built pretty well. Still, if it lasts me 10 years, it will still be better deal than those crappy ink jet printers. Plus, who knows what printers will be by then. ;-) I refilled my friends black toner cartridge a couple times. If one is careful and slow, it doesn't make a mess. I might add, back when I was working, we had to add toner to our old copiers. The cartridges were made to be refilled and I always did my own. Most everyone else got the techs to do it, weak little things. lol While its been a while, it is doable. My last ink jet would not pass the water test. If I put a drop of water on the ink, it would run after a few minutes. I couldn't depend on it. I've read that photo printers don't run but they cost more, the printer and the ink. So far, this printer meets and even exceeds my expectation. When I realized it does duplex printing, I was in love. That alone was worth me getting a laser printer. I always hated printing on only one side. So far, this is the best printer setup I've ever had. No complaints at all. Dale :-) :-)
