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Inkjet versus Laser
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ejgippy
20 Posts
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1
May 3, 2011 - 10:04 am

Hi Guys , I would like to start the ball rolling in regard to Printers . I have an Epson bottom of the range Inkjet printer [TX100] Now I don't use it very often and sometimes have ink drying problems , but my biggest concern is the fact that I only use it for Black printing . It is configured for Black only, but I know that these machines are designed to use a certain amount of color ink so as to produce Black. This is really annoying when I go to print something and find I am out of magenta or whatever ! Considering the price of even Generic brands of color I am finding it is costing me heaps just to produce a dozen or so Black pages per month , yep I said a month , I did say that I don't use it much !
In my wisdom I decided to search out the reliability and cost of a Monochrome Laser printer , now without going into the prices and etc I consider that after the initial outlay it would be more beneficial for my use than an Inkjet printer ? The two brands I am looking at are Brother and HP How say you Guys any feedback please. ejgippy.from down under.

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Chad Johnson
867 Posts
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2
May 3, 2011 - 11:47 am

In my opinion, for straight black mostly text printing, laser cannot be beat.
Toner does not dry out (try to use your printer once every month or so).
Black and white printers are dirt cheap---ish.

I have a HP Laserjet P1006. Had it for almost two years now. It's stood up to everything I could throw at it and then some. Still on my initial toner cartridge too.

Toner looks more expensive up front, but the benefits outweigh the price...

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Mindblower
Montreal, Canada
664 Posts
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3
May 3, 2011 - 12:00 pm

Having used Inkjet for several years now, mostly 'cause I needed some colour every now and then, I'm definitely considering adding any low cost black Laser printer since the refills are out of this world. Only concern is that these printers (unlike the ribbon ones) require some usage to prevent clogging. Brands and models vary with time, Mindblower!

"For the needy, not the greedy"

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ejgippy
20 Posts
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4
May 4, 2011 - 10:41 pm

Hi guys ,I'm back, I have made a decision about a Printer ,as I have not got it in my little hot hands as yet I will make no comment as yet.
After I set it up I will return with a short report , but a sneak is that it is a Laser! Cheers ejgippy from Oz.

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ejgippy
20 Posts
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5
May 5, 2011 - 5:35 am

Hi , I said I would be back . Well why wasn't I told ? and where have these Laser thingos been ? I cant believe how simple it was to Set up , considering I have only used Inkjets before and their setting up can be very bothersome to put it mildly, this Laser was a piece of Cake !
And quiet , my Computer desk used to rock and roll with the Inkjet machine , but this laser printer practically whispers !
I finished up buying a 'Brother' HL-2130 the cost was right and the store close by well closer than anyone else , as we live 40ks. [25miles]from the nearest large shopping area.Thanks to everyone who helped with the decision [Includes you to JIM] I am a Happy Chappy ! Cheers to all...ejgippy.
PS. I think this thread can be closed now thank you Mr.Moderator.

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Mindblower
Montreal, Canada
664 Posts
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6
May 5, 2011 - 9:38 am

Did some checking and found this tidbit ejgippy .

[i:u71b9qnb][color=#0040FF:u71b9qnb]TrustedReviews says...
Anybody looking for a laser printer, rather than an inkjet, in the sub-

"For the needy, not the greedy"

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David Hartsock
1117 Posts
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7
May 5, 2011 - 12:00 pm

Laser...
Pros:
Extremely sharp print
Low per page cost
Does color graphs well
Cons:
Toner cartridges are expensive (but last far longer than inkjet cartridges)
Doesn't do photographs well.

Basically if you aren't printing photos, or aren't concerned with the quality of photos, a laser printer is the way to go!

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ejgippy
20 Posts
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8
May 5, 2011 - 8:55 pm

Hi Guys , I am not sure I about the Cutesy bit , but this is the way I look at my situation , although I am fair to muddling with Computers , I have found over the last two decades that everyone has a bugbear and I think mine is Printers , I think my first one was a thing called a dot matrix printer ,not sure about that , but the paper had sprocket edges for the feed. So back to my hang up about Printers I have never had any joy with printers they either die of refuse to co-operate with anything I want to do, and the biggest bugbear has always been the cost of ink , I mean go buy a Lexmark which is about $49-00 AUD ,you get a sample ink fill which lasts about 10 pages , so off you go to buy more ink , $110 later nuff said. So having persevered with the likes of Canon at about $210-00 AUD and then Epson at at $65-00 AUD I realised that ink is the real problem here , If you have a reasonable machine with good specs and the like , and its mechanics are sound it all boils down to the ink again , if it doesn't dry up thru' lack of use it gobbles up colors to supplement the black [well I think that's how it works?] and I found with canon it was costing me about $93-00 AUD per full refill ! The Epson which only cost me $65-00 AUD once again with a sample ink fill lasted for 5 pages and another ink fill cost me $73-00 AUD. At this stage and what with drying ink and other wastage it was costing me well over a $1-00 per page . So you will understand that my purchase of a Laser printer is somewhat a minor miracle for me [well so far] as it operates similar to a photo copy machine , which is something I can get my head around , having worked for the Govt. for almost 40 years I had a lot of hands on experience with copiers so it fits in with my capabilities , having said that here is what it has cost me . Brother Mod. HL-2130 $95-00 AUD. Toner came as short cart. approx. 700 pages Drum standard approx 1600 pages , so far so good ,one 500 sheet packet of Reflex paper thrown in for Free , and this adds up to approx. 13c per page if it goes for 700 pages that is ? Now as I have stated in my previous reply I only use Black but as a test I grabbed an image of this very page that we are reading and printed it out, Dave's photo was nice and crisp ,good contrast etc. The Text from 'Mindblower' which was a lazy blue in the image came up half to three quarters black and very readable , and the text from Dave's which had a hazy gray background [ I think cos I am slightly Color blind] came up magic , good three quarter black text and a nice hazy background which did not impose on the text.
I apologise for the lengthy reply , I think it is the excitement of actually having a printer that I- ME- MYSELF can actually use without fear for all things evil !
Cheers and Happy Mothers Day to those that are lucky to still have them around ! [Our Mothers Day is Sunday the 8th. May. Down here ]

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Chad Johnson
867 Posts
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9
May 6, 2011 - 2:18 pm

For a long time, I was treating inkjet printers as disposable.

New Lexmark ink jet color printer: $20.00. Would last me about 100 pages of printing.
New inkjet color cartridge: $55.00
New inkjet black cartridge: $55.00
The refills would last me about 200 pages before they dried up from non-use.

There was a two year period where I would buy a Lexmark every 3 months rather than new ink.

Now I have a laser printer. All is well.

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ejgippy
20 Posts
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10
May 9, 2011 - 8:30 pm

Hi Guys , 6 days later and the Laser is still going strong , unblemished copies at the touch of of a mouse point !
I have one question tho' the printer is on all the time and the light shows "Ready" ,now I assume it's in what they seem to refer to as a 'deep' sleep
which is good because I also assume that whilst it is warm it keeps the Toner separated ? , is this the way to go rather than only switch it on when required ?
I seem to also remember that it is pulling about 65W whilst in 'sleep' [?] mode. This may not please the Climate control people but it pleases me !
Cheers ejgippy.

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Chad Johnson
867 Posts
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11
May 9, 2011 - 8:44 pm

I leave mine off for long periods of time without any worries (long periods = upwards of two weeks). Can't speak for what the internals are doing while it's on...

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Jim Hillier
2700 Posts
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12
May 9, 2011 - 9:07 pm

[quote:1ephseth]it is pulling about 65W whilst in 'sleep' [?] mode[/quote:1ephseth]
Are you certain about that figure EJ?? Are you sure it isn't actually 6.5W?? Maybe you missed the decimal point mate...around 6 watts would be a lot closer to the norm.

When a printer is in sleep mode it's powered all the way down to bare minimum, only what is required to identify a new print job coming in. It will then fire up, print the job and, after a few minutes of inactivity, resume sleep mode.

Conventional wisdom is to leave the printer switched on all the time, and only shut down completely when you are away for an extended period of time.

I leave mine always 'on'...only very minor repercussion is when 'Restarting' the computer.....takes just a little longer to boot up.

Cheers mate....Jim

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ejgippy
20 Posts
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13
May 9, 2011 - 9:28 pm

Hi Jim, coldest May Day in three years down here ! Here are the specs for the HL-2130 other Models are slightly higher [Wireless etc]
Deep Sleep. 0.8W....Ready.... 62W....Printing....421W....Peak.....1,056W.....Cheers and Beers...ejgippy.

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Jim Hillier
2700 Posts
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14
May 9, 2011 - 9:44 pm

Hey EJ - Don't worry, it's bl**dy cold here too mate! Current temp is around 19c, but the wind chill factor must be minus something or the other.

Yep, that's more like it, 62 watts is being consumed in 'Ready' state. Sleep mode is much lower consumption.

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Chad Johnson
867 Posts
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15
May 9, 2011 - 10:27 pm

19c...according to Google, that's pretty average for us right about now.

this week we're hitting 27c (again, calculations according to Google). This is well above normal for us. We're usually about 21c this time of year...a very nice balmy weather.

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