It's interesting, with the different time zones (I guess) your question
appeared after Tony's answer...
Anyway,I have dealt with this question numerous times, so I am going to
repeat an edited version of a previous response I supplied in this
regard below:
A couple of questions come to mind for consideration. Will you be
working with OEM toner cartridges, or refilled/remanufactured
cartridges? The reason I ask is because the availability of 3rd party
remanufactured or commercialized refilled cartridges may vary
considerably with the brand, and the savings can be considerable if you
can refill or buy refilled cartridges.
Some models make it very difficult to refill using chips which self
destruct, etc. If your budget includes buying new cartridges when they
empty, that changes the landscape considerably.
Also, be aware that lower end printer, in particular, often come with
"starter" cartridges which are only partially full, and the replacement
cartridges are usually quite costly, often almost the cost of the
printer. Some printers which cost more *may* come with full cartridges,
at least. The laser printer industry has become a dirty game of cat and
mouse, as the inkjet industry has been, only worse, because the printers
cost more to produce, so they often rely upon that first replacement of
the toner cartridge to make the profit, requiring that those cartridges
cost the price of the whole printer. It is a horrible con game, and it
is getting progressively worse.
I have been following color lasers lately and as one example, HP has a
entrance level printer that in Canada is selling for under $200, but it
comes with half filled toner cartridge. For about $75-$100 more the
next one up has the same cartridges, (only they are full), networking
capability, and a considerably higher duty cycles, making it
considerably cheaper in the loner run. It is really a buyer beware
situation.
Another thing to look into is if the memory the printer uses is standard
type of proprietary. Many low end laser printers come with just enough
memory to print one letter size page. For complex printing, legal size,
or to queue up more than one page to save time, you may need to purchase
extra memory. Most laser printer manufacturers will be happy to sell
you their "own" memory sticks (at about 4 times or more the price you
can buy them for at a computer store) but if the memory is design only
for their product you have no choice. So, ask if the printer can use a
standard memory type for expansion.
Which printer is appropriate for you depends on the number of copies you
plan to print, what kind of coverage your printing involves, and the
speed and quality you require, the type of paper you need to print on
(thickness and quality) and lastly the quality you require. Get samples
from the store or manufacturer.
Lastly, some toners are matte and some are glossy, and some allow for
changing the characteristics by changing the fuser temperature of speed
the paper goes through at, the an type of paper used. If you will be
mainly printing on a glossy or semi-gloss stock, you probably want one
that uses a higher gloss toner, if you mainly print on matte/flat
surface papers then go for a matte surfaced toner. Unlike inkjet
printers, the colorants on laser printer sit on top of the paper surface
and so the toner has it's distinctive quality. White and low density
areas mainly show the paper surface, white dark areas mainly show the
toner surface, and this can look odd when looking at the image on an
angle, where one part may be glossy and the other matte.
You may wish to look at some Konica-Minolta or Samsung models. The
Konica-Minolta models provide excellent output and most use a matte
surfaced toner, which I prefer. However, I have not looked into cost of
consumables. Samsung has a very small color printer out which allows
you to reuse the drum over numerous toner cartridges, so you pay for the
toner and container, rather than a complete toner/drum unit for each
color. Fuji makes some models for Dell, and OKI-data also makes some
interesting models using their LED imaging technology.
Because color laser printers are much more complex than inkjet printers,
but are now selling at similar prices, you really have to do your
homework to figure out which provides the features and price range/value
you need. I suggest speaking to a reputable cartridge refiller, if you
are at all thinking of having your cartridges refilled, before making
your purchase.
This whole industry needs a good kick in the pants, IMHO. At a time
when people and industry is supposed to be lowering their carbon
footprint, we have printer manufacturers producing perfectly good
technology which is cheaper to toss out after the cartridges empty than
to replace the consumables. It is truly unconscionable in this day and
age.
Art
