Colour Lazer Printer

[Blonde brain]

Any recommendations for a colour lazer printer taking into account the usual requirements of affordability and quality (nothing too expensive!).

Thanks in advance

[acompton]

I've always believed that you can't go wrong buying an HP, especially where quantity printing is required. The real price of colour laser printers lies in the cartridges - often around £75 a colour (you need four). The printers that come supplied with cartridges often have very little in them.

Alan Compton
www.greenknightgames.co.uk

[jont]

I use a QMS31000 which has a single-pass drum to reduce office noice - resolution is excellent but weighed in at £1300+ 18 months back This will also duplex (print both sides as the same time)

Had a QMS2200 prior to that and this again functioned brilliantly (although again this was a £1000 printer)

Top tip is never to feed part used label sheets through a laser printer - very expensive mistake to make

[chris ashdown]

It's the toner and replacement drums that are the expensive items

I would suggest trying the PC Mags for their best value products as all are now made to the same standard or nearly so but running costs are the key

Dont forget some machines just stop when they require a new drum as they work on a fixed number of prints whilst others just keep going forever with just a slight reduction in quality as time goes by

Staples offers a good way to see a good selection and often have good deals

Brother printers come with a full toner, but I think HP have special low capacity ones with the new printer

[jont]

It's the toner and replacement drums that are the expensive items

It is worth doing an actual price per page comparison as some manufacturers / models can lure you in with cheap initial start-up costs but then really hammer you with the consumables

[Miranda Stamp]

May be coming in a bit late to this but do you need a laser?

Reason I ask is we have a laser a Konica 5430DL which is fine, fast over 20ppm and is mainly used in B&W nmode. However we HATE replacing the toner cartridges. The cartridges take up HEAPS of room, and are a faff to recycle via Parcelforce (driver moans).

At home I have a Phaser 8400 now over 31/2 years old and apart from one design fault - the replacement part is now stronger and its been fine since, has been great. Prints up to 24ppm colour or B&W, but is solid ink - the waxy blocks come in yoghurt type pots packed in recylable cardboard boxes. SO not bulky at all! Works out very economical and the print quality is fine apart fom the magenta ink cooks a little if you don't use too much colour. A modern version is the 8550 and it's about half what I paid - we have the version with autoduplex & extra memory as we print our brochures & booklets on it

[Stereo Steve]

We use an Epson C1100 and do approx 400 sheets of B+W A4 a day for invoices and it copes well and is fast. Occasionally use it for colour flyers which it does well too.

My biggest moan is that once it decides the cartridge is empty it just blummin stops and refuses to print! Even if it's printing fine up to that point. Our little Samsung Mono will go on and on until it runs out. Plus with the Samsung you can refill the toner for a fiver, which you don't seem to be able to do on the Epson.

Problem is it's too slow for invoices so we use it for PPI labels.

The Epson was very cheap and I am generally pleased with it but with a few niggles. For black and white printing it's fairly economical. Wouldn't use it for a lot of colour work though.