Printer price comparison

[dynamic08]

We are looking at buying a new printer currently using an inkjet with compatables.

We dont print alot maybe 200 sheets a week. (invoices shipping etc)

I would like to be able to print colour but not an absolute must.

Is it overkill to buy a laser or will it be to expensive compared to the inkjet?

 

[JohnGrove]

I would recommend the Canon ip4600.

I have a bank of them printing thousands of sheets at a time mainly in black.

Quality is excellent and I refill my own cartridges using refill inks from Tescos which works out at about £1.00 per fill. I really don't know a laser that could compete on value.

They are also cheap enough that after 50-60,000 sheets I just replace them.

 

[SneakSMS]

I recently got this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-CLP...ie=UTF8&s=officeproduct&qid=1268836438&sr=8-1

A colour laser printer for £99, so far it's been a godsend!

 

[dynamic08]

thats a lovely looking printer and I like lovely looking pieces of kit. But how much is spares etc

dont laser use toners instead of ink and dont they cost a fortune? How about print quality I imagine it to be alot better...

 

[SneakSMS]

A black toner cartridge is about £36, and prints around 1500 sheets

You need to consider that it can't be used for printing on photo paper, so if you ever want to print out some pics or anything you're best off with an ink jet.

For speed, quality of prints, and long term savings you're much better off with a laser and that samsung is a great entry level one

 

[ukguy79]

I brought a Kodax from pc world few weeks back just printed a full colour double sided catalogue (30 pages so 60 in total) and still on the same inks and then when i do need new inks colour and black for £15 for the 2, cant fault it

 

[sanjiv]

Bought this a few months back:
http://www.printerland.co.uk/acatalog/Xerox_Phaser_6110MFP.html

Really good. At the time there was a promotion where I got the /X model for the price of the /S I think. Brilliant printer if you are going to use the multifunction too.

I probably print about 20-30 pages per week on it though but it works out a lot cheaper than Inkjet and the multifunction is good for me.

 

[dynamic08]

Do you know how much the colour toner is sneak? I think that will be to expensive really to print invoices.

It sounds like penny pinching but we are trying to cut costs on every order that goes out and streamline at the same time cant have both I guess.

 

[SneakSMS]

It's £143 for full pack of blank and colour. Seems like a lot, but in the long run you will save.

I gave up on ink jets cause I never seem to get more than a year of so out of them. Ink will dry out as well.

I think over 18 months or so, this printer will work out cheaper than a semi-decent ink jet. And it's going to last a lot longer.

My experiences anyway

I'm mainly printing reports, essays and research materials though, 100 sheets a week or so

 

[sanjiv]

Also inkjets are slow, noisy and as you say cost more. They also go wrong more often.

 

[SneakSMS]

Also inkjets are slow, noisy and as you say cost more. They also go wrong more often.

Couldn't agree more, give a laser a few seconds to warm up and it'll go like the clappers

 

[dynamic08]

so your averaging about 5p per printed sheet?

 

[sanjiv]

Its something like that.

 

[JohnGrove]

Also inkjets are slow, noisy and as you say cost more. They also go wrong more often.

Rather a sweeping statement, I feel.

Some inkjets cost more if you are forced to use manufacturer inks but as I stated above Canon printers can use use generic refills, especially for back, which makes them very price competitive.

Regarding speeds, with fairly light coverage I can generally maintain a speed of 25 ppm although I accept that heavy coverage on high quality can make them more expensive to run than some lasers.

I've found that the Canon reliability is excellent otherwise I wouldn't use them in a commercial environment.

Another advantage with the ip4600 is the straight paper path which allows me to print heavier card which most lasers wouldn't cope with.

I'm about to print and address 4,000 C5 envelopes and confidently expect to output at least 1,500 per hour using about £3.00 worth of ink. Not bad for a £70 printer!

It's horses for courses I guess but don't immeadiately assume that lasers are cheaper and better.

John

 

[gibby]

lasers are cheaper to run but usually you pay more out for the toner but its far cheaper per page.

A good b/w laser costs very little to run.
Usually you want to look at lasers that can do 5000 pages per toner for best value. HP, Canon & Brother are very good.

Some the the samsungs are very good too & cheaper to start with but do less per toner.


http://www.box-shift.co.uk/ are great for re manufactured toners saving around 50% on branded

they also do some great deals where you buy 3 toners & you get the printers for free

we recently got the £75 deal for the dell b/w printer with 3 toners. its a dell but really a samsung

we have also got the samsung clp 300 colour & its not bad but dont buy orignal toners as they are too expensive

also look out for refurbished HP, canon & brother lasers as for £35 you can do 5000 to 2000 pages in B/w.

hope that helps you


G

 

[sanjiv]

Rather a sweeping statement, I feel.

Some inkjets cost more if you are forced to use manufacturer inks but as I stated above Canon printers can use use generic refills, especially for back, which makes them very price competitive.

Regarding speeds, with fairly light coverage I can generally maintain a speed of 25 ppm although I accept that heavy coverage on high quality can make them more expensive to run than some lasers.

I've found that the Canon reliability is excellent otherwise I wouldn't use them in a commercial environment.

Another advantage with the ip4600 is the straight paper path which allows me to print heavier card which most lasers wouldn't cope with.

I'm about to print and address 4,000 C5 envelopes and confidently expect to output at least 1,500 per hour using about £3.00 worth of ink. Not bad for a £70 printer!

It's horses for courses I guess but don't immeadiately assume that lasers are cheaper and better.

John

Maybe I have just had a bad experience but I have found the unbranded cartridges to be terrible. Have bough Staples ones before and one other which I cannot remember.

 

[JohnGrove]

Maybe I have just had a bad experience but I have found the unbranded cartridges to be terrible. Have bough Staples ones before and one other which I cannot remember.

Yes so have I but I think it depends on the make of printer.

That's why I keep mentioning the Canon as it seems to be extremely forgiving on the ink.

 

[gibby]

canon are really good printers for both ink & laser, especially when you use compatibles.
Its been some time but we used to get 2 inks for £2.90 ish from printcartridge.net

When we switched to laser we found canon were excellent & cheaper again than the ink versions. Quite a few of the HP lasers are canons rebadged but you often pay more for the HP badge

there is a big difference on the cost per page on a laser depending on the number of sheets a cartridge can do
we have an old HP laser that does 20,000 pages plus for a £30 recycled cartridge, often alot more if we use the ecomode.

We also find lasers jam far less but agree a good canon ink often wont have the same issues as an HP or Epson ink

G

 

[Discountbannerprinting.co.uk]

We just purchase an Epson C2800 printer for the office and I have to say it is miles ahead of the inkjet we used.

Crisp Text and images are spot on, prints fast and all for £200 bargain.

5 stars.

 

[KDMINX]

I use one of these:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159567

Works for me, does everything pretty well.

Pros:

Cheap to buy
Cheap to run (cartridges cost a bit to buy £35 for black and £120 for all 3 colour ones and Black but last AGES)
Scans / Photocopys etc
Plugs into network
Great quality

Cons:
Sheet feeder would be nice for scanning / photocopying
Paper tray doesn't hold a whole ream.


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