Reliable consumer level colour duplex printers.

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Folks

I'm probably going to junk my vritually new HP laser printer as described in my
previous posting. The black cartridge is at 10% and the colour cartridges at 34% so
to heck with spending the money to repair it.

What suggestions would you foilks have amongst the following options conveniently
available to me at a Staples? The criteria are consumer level, colour, duplex.

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410
Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410
Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730
Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440

I will very grudgingly consider
Hewlett Packard LaserJet CP2025dn Colour Printer $560
but I'm real ticked at HP so that's highly unlikely.

Prices are in CAD.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410
Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410
Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730
Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440

I priced out the toner cartridges. The first price is black, second price is colour.
The 2K, 4K 5K and 6K are the number og pages in the toner cartridges.

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410
TN 110 $75 2.5K $85 1.5K TN115 $100 5K $135 4K
Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410 $95 $110 2K
Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730 $88 6K, $135 5K
Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440 $90 $94 2K, $120 $135 5K
from www.tonerparts.com

BTW I got the printer model numbers from www.staples.ca by putting in T5K 0L5 for the
postal code.

So it I was to go with the double (or 2.5x) capacity replacement cartridges the
Brother and the Samsung are the best value. Okidata is the higher initial price.

Tony

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Did it not come with at least a one year warranty? Most color laser
printers may be worth buying an add on warranty (or use your credit card
is it has usch a feature) since they are complex, still aren't fully
reliable, and costly to repair, and to meet current pricing are probably
not built to last anyway.

But it may be worthwhile contacting HP and give them the specifics and
see if they have an unwritten warranty, or something.

Art

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[xavi]

What suggestions would you foilks have amongst the following options

conveniently
available to me at a Staples? The criteria are consumer level, colour,
duplex.

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410
Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410
Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730
Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440
I will very grudgingly consider
Hewlett Packard LaserJet CP2025dn Colour Printer $560
but I'm real ticked at HP so that's highly unlikely.

I'm interested in the same printers but more on quality output (colour and
text) that on consumer level. Only changing OKI model to the C5950N.

What models are the best?

Thanks
Xavi

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Did it not come with at least a one year warranty? Most color laser
printers may be worth buying an add on warranty (or use your credit card
is it has usch a feature) since they are complex, still aren't fully
reliable, and costly to repair, and to meet current pricing are probably
not built to last anyway.

But it may be worthwhile contacting HP and give them the specifics and
see if they have an unwritten warranty, or something.

I've already been in contact with HP for troubleshooting. It's been out of warranty
for over a year. The fact that I've printed so few pages is not relevant to them.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

It's too bad you contacted them. For $49USD you could have
bought a 1 year post warranty, next day replacement extended
warranty (#UE177PE), or a return to depot 1 year post warranty
agreement for $39 (#HC124PE).

Good idea. But it's been 2.5 years.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

There's no post warranty time limit specified. As long as a product is on
the list, and has a post warranty plan available, it must be eligible.

Ah, interesting. I'll have to check that out.

Umm, stupid question - so how do I buy those? I'll keep poking about but I don't see
a convenient button labelled "purchase now".

tony

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I've already been in contact with HP for troubleshooting. It's been out of warranty
for over a year. The fact that I've printed so few pages is not relevant to them.

OK, thanks for that. Sad, but good to know, and not particularly
confidence inspiring. That is the type of information that is useful to
know because it says something about their build quality as well their
attitude to their clients.

No one expects a forever warranty, but when several parts fail after
minimal usage, and when the product has developed a know reputation for
being problematic, good companies stand up and take their hits to
maintain clients and reputation. Any manufacturer can design a bad
product, it is what they chose to do about it that is telling.

Art

 

[Warren Block]

Folks

I'm probably going to junk my vritually new HP laser printer as
described in my previous posting. The black cartridge is at 10% and
the colour cartridges at 34% so to heck with spending the money to
repair it.

What suggestions would you foilks have amongst the following options
conveniently available to me at a Staples? The criteria are consumer
level, colour, duplex.

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410

While I like the output from these, that's a PCL-only version. They
used to go on sale at Officemax for $200-$250 from time to time (maybe
without a duplexer). Not sure about supplies cost, but the toner tanks
seem pretty small.

Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410

Years ago, I decided never to buy or recommend a Lexmark because of
their predatory pricing practices. So far, I see no reason to change
that.

Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730

This is a winprinter. I know of one higher-end version that's been in a
hot and dirty warehouse environment for years. It looks terrible but
just keeps on printing. Another aspect in favor of some Oki models is
that you can reset the usage counts and keep printing until the toner
really runs out, giving a very low cost per page. Can sometimes be
found on craigslist or other classifieds at a low price.

Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440

No experience with those. From the specs, PCL only. Seems to be well
regarded on Newegg.

I will very grudgingly consider Hewlett Packard LaserJet CP2025dn
Colour Printer $560 but I'm real ticked at HP so that's highly
unlikely.

No experience with that one either, but it has PS emulation. Also
popular on Newegg.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

If you're in the US, there is a Buy Now next to each warranty.

Which I'm not.

If not,

note the product number for the warranty you want, then click "How
to buy". Select store or shopping, but not parts, and do a search
on your selected product number. If you want to be sure you are
eligible for the warranty, contact the HP store at the 1-800 number.
I noticed that for the US there are 3 PW choices for your 2605;
next day exchange (for a refurb unit), send your's in for repair (3 day
turnaround), or a one time only next day exchange for a brand new
replacement.

Trouble is I don't have the box or foam inserts so shipping it out is not going to
work for me.

I can find the UE177PE number on the HP site but I can't find the Canadian version
UC733E <sigh> Why am I even bothering with this?

Psychologically I've rolled the printer down a hill watching the parts fly in all
directions with a great deal of glee.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I can relate to that!

I figured folks would smile at that.

Of the printers you mentioned I would opt for the OKI, I have a very high
regard for their printers especially the colour laser series. For most people
the fact that it is a winprinter is of little consequence.

I only run Windows so that's not an issue to me. It does have a network port which
is important to me.

"Operating Systems: Windows Vista®, XP, 2003 Server, 2000 (all 32- and 64-bit); Mac®
OS X 10.2.8 and higher; UNIX®; Linux "

http://www.okidata.com/mkt/html/nf/c5650dnspec.html

(And I'm thinking to myself that a wireless network adapter is what, $10 or $15 at
the manufacturer price level? And bluetooth about $1. Why not add those in.
Hopefully the next generation of printers will have those. Along with WPA security
of course. Sure, initial setup has to be with a wired connection but after that
....)

You will know best whether that is an issue for you.
I have seen dozens of OKI colour lasers working hard with very few issues,
their drivers are good and install easily. Being a flat deck printer they can
handle card and envelopes better that most and earlier models could print
banners (up to 39" I think????).

"Single Pass Color™ Digital technology for printing up to 110 lb. index stock (203
gsm) and banners up to 4 feet long "

Hmm, I'm not familiar with what 110 lb stock means. I have some business card stock
I buy a few sheets at a time but it sure feels like relatively light weight card
stock compared to most business cards.

I don't like the brother colour printers, they are often clunky and the
cartridges are a pain in the b???
I detest Lexmark for the same reason as you and the HP printer you mention is a
little too close to the entry level for my liking.

Any comments on the Samsung?

The biggest problem with the Okidata is the $300 higher initial price. That said if
the quality is anything like the Okidata dot matrix printers then I would expect the
Okidata to last my lifetime. <smile>

A client once had to replace a print head on the Okidata dot matrix printers after
about 3 or 4 years. Mind you they printed thousands of pages a month. Other than
that I don't ever recall a problem with them.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

It seems to me that although the OKI is more expensive, the real calculation is
cost of ownership/cost per page.
That would take some calculating but you may wish to do that.
The expected life of drums, toner, belts and fuser are the main ingredients
along with the cost of those items. For OKI they are all consumables, for other
printers they will involve some labour cost unless you are happy to remove th
covers and replace fusers yourself.

But the reality for me is that given my low printing volumes plastic parts may start
disintegrating of old age rather than mechanical failures.

I am very confident in the quality of Okidata's engineering. Their printers
remind me of the early lasers in terms of strength and manufacturing detail.

Ahh, now that's a very interesting concept. One MVPs husband hasn't purchased a
replacement for his beloved HP II (IIRC) because none of the printers he has looked
at pass his "not flimsy" testing. <smile>

How long have you been dealing with laser printers and such? What is your day job
that gets you so much experience?

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

35 years in the computer industry, many of those with printers.
Do you remember the ones that IBM made that were about the size of a Centurion
tank and involved small pieces of steel with raised numbers and letters on them
being pushed around an oiled track at about a million miles an hour?

Oh yes, the band printers. Yes, I worked with those on the IBM S/34s and up.

Amusing story. The client would print about 50 to 100 letters a day using the band
printer so the system operator had to change the band to print lower case. Well,
the little extrusions that the plastic print band cover rotated on broke after a few
years. The computer tech guy took a number of hours to remove all the parts off the
cast aluminum base and put them back on the new one. It was all covered on IBM mtce
plan of course.

Well, he comes back a month or two later looking for a page count on an internal
counter on the printer. When asked why he said mtce HQ wanted it so they could
figure out why the cast aluminum base needed replacing. We explained and he laughed
and that made a lot of sense.

Well that and Golf Ball typewriters were some of the earliest I worked with.
Golf Ball printers required enormous skill to repair and adjust.

I built an invoicing system in Access for a client. Besides the fact that it cut
down a weeks time sorting paperwork at the end of the month it saved them from having
to purchase new golf ball heads because they would use the ..... between the invoice
line text and the number of hours. They went through a lot of periods.

My day job is nothing whatsoever to do with printers, you could liken it to
your Veterans clubs which I am sure you have in Canada, (British Legion in the
UK etc.), I manage one of those.

Oh yes, the Legion. I'm quite familiar with those up here.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I've made a transition to inkjet printers more recently.

Trouble is I went with colour laser printing as my ink jet cartridges kept drying
out. Also I really, really like the duplexing now that I've had it.

Tony

 

[Phred]

Years ago, I decided never to buy or recommend a Lexmark because of
their predatory pricing practices. So far, I see no reason to change
that.

The bloke who runs our local "electronics" store out here in the
sticks in the deep north of the deep south, told me about 2 years ago
that he was deleting Lexmark from his stocklist as he'd had far too
many problems with returns for various faults. "They're junk."

Cheers, Phred.

 

[Jerry1111]

Folks

I'm probably going to junk my vritually new HP laser printer as described in my
previous posting. The black cartridge is at 10% and the colour cartridges at 34% so
to heck with spending the money to repair it.

What suggestions would you foilks have amongst the following options conveniently
available to me at a Staples? The criteria are consumer level, colour, duplex.

Brother HL-4040CDN Colour Laser Printer $410
Lexmark C543dn Colour Laser Printer $410
Okidata C5650dn Colour Laser Printer $730
Samsung CLP-610ND Colour Laser Printer $440

I'd recommend Oki. Having printed 40k pages on Oki C5100n I can't say
anything bad. Output quality - excellent. Build quality of printer -
well, it's 4 years old and working like a charm.
Recently our IT guy bought 2 color HP laser printers - well, those are
out of service ~15% of time.