Dear technophiles - colour laser printers.

[Admin]

Good idea? ???

Are colour laser printers as good as the black only ones? ???

I'm thinking of getting one for home use but also so I can do some high quality printing of UKS stationery etc.

Are there any features that I should look for or are they all pretty much good (or bad) in general?

[Hazen]

They're pretty nifty but - replacing the ink cartridges generally costs more than buying a new printer. Same goes for inkjets, but they're generally cheaper.

[tkingdoll]

With the initial outlay and the cost of the ink, it's much cheaper to get stationery professionally printed than to buy a laser printer, and it looks way more professional too. I get coated letterheads from my sister's print shop that I then run through my inkjet printer for the text. Works out pretty well that way.

But, if you want to print photos and stuff they are great.

[Admin]

Well I might get one as I've convinced myself that I need one.

I think we should have a word with your sister though and get some stationery done properly.

[Ginger Rogers]

Colour Laser printers are excellent quality which is indicated inthe price. You can by a HP one, for less than 1000, for around £500-600 you can get a fairly decent A4 printer.
if it's for networking make sure you get the one with N in the title

photo quality Ink jet printers are *better* for printing Photo's but if you want crisp clear graphics get a laser. Do remember that the only thing is the 'bleed' effect on an inkjet can compensate for non super-high-res pictures and look *better* - if you get a high resolution laser printer you will get maximum quality images but if the graphic you are printing are less than 1000dpi you won't get the effect you might want.

Toner cartridges for a laser are around £100 each and take 4. Sometimes the black is slightly cheaper than the 3 colours.
Ink jets *usually take 6 and theyr'e about £13 each.

Lasers also have a fuser/drum which is about £100 and often needs replacing after about 6400 pages. it just stops working (the printer will say 'fuser error' or similar.

Anything else you'd like to know about printers? :D

[Admin]

I've seen a couple of colour laser printers in Staples for around £300.

Would that be going too close to the bottom end of the market? ???

I can't remember the specifications but I can always look again.

It will mainly be for home use but I was thinking of using it for UKS stationery, although if Tracy's sister can get some top quality stuff done then that removes the need for a laser printer.

I have a printer, a cheapie, and it is bloody crap. >:(

[Ginger Rogers]

£300 is definitely the bottom end of the market.

I would stay away from the likes of Lexmark, and konica minolta. But that's just my own opinion.
Stick with Epson or xerox but xerox are not cheap.

you often find with the really cheap ones they use up ink quicker and the ink toners are more expensive. But I am not an expert you understand!

I speak from experience and I'm doing iPRO/A+ certification course that's all.

[Admin]

Thanks Ginger.

You're more of an expert than I am.

I have a feeling there was an HP one there but I'm not sure if that was one of the cheaper ones.

I'm now thinking that I might get a good quality normal printer. It should be good enough for home use and I'll get the stationery done professionally.

[Ginger Rogers]

I meant to say stick with HP Epson and Xerox actually.
HP are ok - and their customer services in Ireland are actaully very helpful when I rang them they were anyway. I

[Admin]

I think I'll have a trip to Staples again tomorrow and check them out in a bit more detail.

I've got a black only laser printer for my business and it's great. We do loads of printing off labels etc., and the cartridge lasts about a year before it needs replacing. That makes it extremely cost-effective.

That's why I was thinking of going down the laser printer route.

[DaveWood]

The biggest factor I would consider would be cost of replacement cartridges.

If you're a heavy user the cheaper option could hit you hard when it comes to toner replacement.

That's not to say expensive options are cheap for toner, of course!

A colleague of mine bought a colour laser quite cheaply and the cartridges are cheaper than other makes.

I've never heard of the manufacturer but the results are good.