Need laser printer recommendation

[Guest]

I just purchased a Samsung ML-1710, and it is completely inadequate
for my printing needs. When I first got the printer, and printing
400 menus for my brother's deli, the toner was light and sketchy.
I found that the toner that comes with the printer is a starter
cartridge, and only good for about 400 copies. Fine, I went to
Circuit City and pad $80 for another cartridge. I just completed
about 800 copies of the menu, and am experiencing the same problem --
Toner is missing in may areas of the printed menu. So, I tried
shaking the cartridge, turning off "toner save mode", etc., but
still it doesn't print right. I guess this printer is OK for
printing 10 page reports, or a few web pages, but evidently can't
handle print jobs in the hundreds.

Can anyone recommend an affordable laser printer that could print
thousands of menus? Also, toner is a factor. Paying almost as
much for the toner as the printer is not desirable!

-Thanks

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

I just purchased a Samsung ML-1710, and it is completely inadequate
for my printing needs. When I first got the printer, and printing
400 menus for my brother's deli, the toner was light and sketchy.
I found that the toner that comes with the printer is a starter
cartridge, and only good for about 400 copies. Fine, I went to
Circuit City and pad $80 for another cartridge. I just completed
about 800 copies of the menu, and am experiencing the same problem --
Toner is missing in may areas of the printed menu. So, I tried
shaking the cartridge, turning off "toner save mode", etc., but
still it doesn't print right. I guess this printer is OK for
printing 10 page reports, or a few web pages, but evidently can't
handle print jobs in the hundreds.

No kidding. Really.

You mean, you get what you pay for?

You'd have been better off taking that print job to Kinkos.

 

[Don]

I have an HP1200, and the toner lasts a l-o-n-g time. It is not designed
for large jobs, however, and I have noticed it getting quite hot when
printing even 50 - 100 pages.

Most laser printer manufactureres give some indications on their web pages
what size jobs the printer is designed to handle. One for the size your
talking about will be more expensive than the light-duty ones. Having used
various HP lasers for years, both at home and at work, I would recommend
them. It will be considerably cheaper than Kinkos, even when you amortize
the cost of the printer, if you are really doing thouusands of menus at a
time.

Don

 

[Guest]

[quoted text muted]

No kidding. Really.

You mean, you get what you pay for?

You'd have been better off taking that print job to Kinkos.

What a dork.

 

[Joe Hayes]

Are you sure the printer isn't defective? I've seen the output from this
printer and it looks excellent. No streaking, smudging, or flaking like the
HP LaserJet 1300. You might want to swap it out for another one just to be
sure. Do the same for the toner cartridge if you're still within Circuit
City's return period. Also, the type of paper has a great impact on toner
adhesion and image sharpness. Choose the smoothest finish paper you can
get, like one with a Sheffield value of 50 to 100.

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

[quoted text muted]

No kidding. Really.

You mean, you get what you pay for?

You'd have been better off taking that print job to Kinkos.

What a dork.

Really? What's the matter? Didn't you like what I had to say?

Sorry, pal. You're learning a lesson: you get what you pay for.

What you wanted was a $100 laser printer to do magical things for your
business. Guess what. $100 printers are barely suitable for light home
work. And oh yeah, they cost $100 because the manufacturer figures
they'll get you on the ink cost.

Buy the $1000 printer instead. The ink costs less! Imagine that. The
less the printer costs, the more the ink costs and vice versa. In other
words, there's a very wide range of printers for which the cost per copy
is the same no matter which printer you buy.

Didn't you think about the cost per copy? Did you think that the costs
ended the moment you bought the printer, and that's why you bought the
cheapest printer?

You're the dork--the dork who's learning a lesson. You'd do well to
shut up and listen to people who know a lot more than you do. That you
came in here all surprised that the $100 printer didn't do what you
needed for your business is not at all surprising.

Maybe you should have asked these questions BEFORE buying the printer.

If you're making 400 copies now and again, take it to Kinkos. If you're
making 400 copies an hour, and it's the same thing day after day with no
changes, have a quick printer put it on a press. Both of those
solutions are FAR superior (by superior, I mean better quality *and*
cheaper) to your buying a $100 printer for this need.

But hey, if you want to go around calling people dorks because you don't
like to hear their message, that's your business.

 

[Dave Crocker]

Agreed. Get yourself a nice used LJ5 for around 200.00, and you'll be set.
Dave C

 

[steveinflorida]

Yes, A laserjet 4+ or 5 (a laserjet 4 is also good, just a bit slower) is an
excellent choice.. I have a couple that I reconditioned.. Shoot me an email
and maybe we can work something out.

THanks,
Steve D.

(e-mail address removed)