What printer

[Pet Nanny]

I hope this question is in the right section!

I want to buy a new printer that also scans and photocopies, but unsure which to chose for best quality.

I currently have an Epsom which is fairly good, but we do run off leaflets and the quality of print is really not that good.

We dont want to spend a fortune, but are happy to pay for one that will do a good job.

Advice greatly appreciated since we need one pretty quickly.

 

[kulture]

To get a proper qualified answer you need to supply more information.

For example, what do you want to print (documents, photos, newsletters etc etc)

what volumes do you want to print

Do you need colour

Do you need it connected to a network, or WiFi

would you consider seperates (for example can you use the epsom scanner/copier and spend the money on a really good printer without a scanner)

 

[Michael Gerard]

I am not an expert on printers and hence could not recommend a suitable one. But, I can tell you, from experience, to stay well clear of any Brother make. We purchased a 4050CDN about 2 years ago, for about £400, but they absolutely stripe you up on the consumerables!

Firstly, the printer decides when it is time to purchase new toners - no matter how much toner is left. It took us about 12 months to finally learn how to override this, and have found that the toners actually last about 3 times longer. We did complain to Brother, but they said it was to ensure quality - joke, quality is just as good.

Secondly, it is the price of the consumerables, which far outweigh the initial capital outlay of the printer - 3 full toner replacements come to more than the printer cost, and that is ignoring other things like belt drives, drums etc.

We went back to our old Samsung printer, which allows to use every last drop of toner without stopping, does duplex and the quality is still great, albeit the machine a more noisy.

Probably on most new models nowadays, all manufacturers build in this pre-determind level and then makes you replace the consumerable, but it will be interesting to see what recommendations you do in fact get.

 

[kulture]

For straight forward printing I have always found Kyrocera laser printers to be the best overall. They have very very low running costs. They do not need to replace expensive drums or belts or whatever, you just keep on buying the toner and that is the only consumable. HOWEVER they do not do a multi function printer (scanner/copier) with their long lasting drum, I do not know why.

If your volumes are low and you need photo quality, then a kodak inkjet or a cannon may suit. But if you are doing leaflets then I am guessing you should be looking at a laser.

 

[Pet Nanny]

Well, we currently have an Epsom which is a three in one printer, copier and scanner, for a very modest budget :redface:

The good thing about our current printer is that we do not need to use the actual Epsom inks, since I know a company who do comparable ones for half the price.

I had considered a laser printer, but we would need to get a seperate scanner and copier, so I think it will have to be another three in one.

We need to be able to do regular letters etc and the occasional leflet run, so would require one that produces good quality leaflets.

 

[kulture]

You do not need to get a seperate scanner and copier. You can get multi function lasers. Lasers are cheaper to run than inkjet, and a lot faster. They produce good quality prints too. The only thing some inkjets are better at are photographs.

That said, how often do you use the scanner and copying features. If you keep the epsom as a copier and scanner, then you can scan to disc and print from the laser when you need high volume print runs. And print from the epsom if you want a quick copy.

If you choose a multi function laser (or indeed any laser) then you need to factor in not just the toner cost but also replacement drum/belt costs every 10-20,000 or so pages. UNLESS you buy a Kyrocera.

My first colour laser was a Samsung. Great little printer. But after 15,000 pages you had to replace the drum. It was cheaper to replace the printer.

After using up a few Samsung printers I bought a Kyrocera. 100,000 pages latter (and 5 years) I am still just replacing toner. I will probably retire it soon, but it has worked out to be very cheap to run.

 

[Pet Nanny]

You do not need to get a seperate scanner and copier. You can get multi function lasers. Lasers are cheaper to run than inkjet, and a lot faster. They produce good quality prints too. The only thing some inkjets are better at are photographs.

That said, how often do you use the scanner and copying features. If you keep the epsom as a copier and scanner, then you can scan to disc and print from the laser when you need high volume print runs. And print from the epsom if you want a quick copy.

If you choose a multi function laser (or indeed any laser) then you need to factor in not just the toner cost but also replacement drum/belt costs every 10-20,000 or so pages. UNLESS you buy a Kyrocera.

My first colour laser was a Samsung. Great little printer. But after 15,000 pages you had to replace the drum. It was cheaper to replace the printer.

After using up a few Samsung printers I bought a Kyrocera. 100,000 pages latter (and 5 years) I am still just replacing toner. I will probably retire it soon, but it has worked out to be very cheap to run.

Such a lot to think about:|

I didnt know that you could get a multi function laser! I guess I just need to shop around. Thanks for the advice folks.

 

[kulture]

Try http://www.printerbase.co.uk/acatalog/kyocera-fsc1020mfp.php

but my personal favourite is http://www.printerbase.co.uk/acatalog/kyocera-fsc5350d.php (which works out cheaper than its smaller siblings due to the 12,000 sheets per toner cartirdge)

 

[Pet Nanny]

I think we may just get another all in one inkjet printer, since we only do the occasional leaflet run, while the majority of our work is invoices etc.

To date we have had Epsoms which do exactly what it said on the tin. While lasers undoubtedly produce a far better quality print, I don't think the volume of work we do justifies paying the premium.

I really appreciate all the advice though and a big thank you once again to my forum friends

 

[4little1s]

We have had many printers over the years and while not an expert I have always found HP really expensive to run and stuck with Lexmark and Kyrocera ones. Have had a couple of Dell all in ones that came as a package (PC, printers etc) but they always seem to pack up on me after a few months....

 

[kulture]

I think we may just get another all in one inkjet printer, since we only do the occasional leaflet run, while the majority of our work is invoices etc.

To date we have had Epsoms which do exactly what it said on the tin. While lasers undoubtedly produce a far better quality print, I don't think the volume of work we do justifies paying the premium.

I really appreciate all the advice though and a big thank you once again to my forum friends

Do yourself a favour, and work out the actual running cost over 3 years for your epsom vs a laser. You may be surprised at the result. Lasers have a much higher up front cost but over 3 years MAY (depending on your volumes) work out hundreds of pounds cheaper.

I have used lasers for years and recently purchased a cheap inkjet for my office occasional printing and even with my very low volume use of it I can see it working out more expensive. I am forever buying ink for it. The laser goes months between purchases.

 

[eutrans]

Why not stick with your printer and just get a batch of leaflets printed by a printer it would probably work out cheaper than doung it yourself anyway.

 

[TotallySport]

This looks a bit nice:

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...sa=X&ei=mdCPTZ2FG4KEOqujsaAC&ved=0CFUQ8wIwAA#

 

[kulture]

It does look nice. Does it have the same problem as in post no 3 of this thread?

 

[TotallySport]

I would recommend HP laser printers all day long, if you can get a secondhand one I would recommend them just as much, although I have no idea about colour ones only black and white, you can get fairly cheap toners, and they last forever and the print quality is exception. Inkjets will always go through consumables faster than lasers.

For a cheaper options I would somelike an Epson SX400 for the 3 in 1, and get something like a HP 2015 for the printer, total cost about £80, but the HP is black and white, not colour. I have never used a laser colour so have no idea of consumable costs.

 

[Officey]

Before choosing a printer, if your worried about the cost of consumables it might be worth checking if there are compatible toners available for that model.

I've sold quite a few of the Brother DCP-9055CDN http://bit.ly/gtspko and had no negative feedback from my customers, will have to check on the automated toner level thing.

You can get multifunctional for as little as £45 for inkjets http://bit.ly/fDGH1j but you do usually end up spending more on consumables.

I personaly use the HP LaserJet Pro 1415fnw http://bit.ly/fr2kEF for printing flyers, posters, newsletters etc... and the quality is astonishing.

 

[kulture]

Remember that with many lasers, you also need to factor in the price of replacement drums/belts/transfer units or whatever after x pages (10,000 or 20,000 or 30,000).

 

[LyndaD]

Whatever you do DO NOT buy the HP Photosmart. I got through 4 in 6 months & even now the latest model is not working properly!

I spent 4 DAYS on the phone to some numpty in HP SOUTH AFRICA only to be sent RECONDITIONED models each time!

HP's customer service is appalling - which I'd stuck with Epson.

 

[Davecopping]

Hi,

Totally agree with making a full comparison of costs before choosing a device.

Typically an inkjet printer will cost about 20p+ to print a page. However, the more ink you put on the page, the more the price increases. For example a full colour A4 size photo can easily cost £1 per page on an inkjet printer.

A Laser printer will be a lot cheaper per page. Approx 2-5p for a mono (black and white page) and 10-20p per colour page. The prints will normally be a much better quality with a more glossy finish which will present a better image of your business on external literature such as leaflets.

BE VERY CAREFUL of the number of pages that each toner says it will be produce. These figures are calculated based on the amount of toner the manufacturer thinks you will put on a page. Most manufacturers use about 5% coverage (ie. 5% of the page surface has got ink on it). This is very unrealistic and probably the amount of text I've typed here on an A4 page is over 5% (without any logos, borders etc). Go over 5% coverage and the number of pages the toner/ink will produce will go through the floor!

REMEMBER INKJET INK COSTS MORE PER ML THAN VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE

Hope this helps...

 

[David A]

I would suggest you give your local Cartridge World refiller for their recommendations of inkjet printers.

I have read that Dell are Lexmark badge jobs, and most modern Lexmarks know via a hidden internal chip in the cartridge whether it is genuine (which cost a fortune, and require replacement well before they are empty). The bloody annoying thing is that there is a nag message that has to be clicked off before the printer will print using a compatible.

 

[Officey]

The problem is while the price of printers drop, the price of cartridges will not. The majority of printer manufacturers research and technology actually go into the development of the cartridges not the printer.

Shop around, you can get compatible cartridges with chips for the above mentioned brands

 

[Christiane]

I've also been looking around for a new colour printer. The cartridges of the last one I had were almost £100 each!

The Canon Pixma MG5150 has excellent reviews. I tend to use 'trustedreviews'. I usually have laser but since I don't print that much in colour I decided an inkjet would do. I also make sure the coloured cartridges are separate and not in one cartridge like the Canon MX330.

 

[Officey]

I also make sure the coloured cartridges are separate and not in one cartridge like the Canon MX330.

Totally agree, separates go a whole lot further and if a colour runs out, you can usually set up your printer to print black only

 

[F1ink]

If you don't need to print colour, then get a cheap laser printer. Much lower cost per print, and generally faster. Perfect if your just using it to print invoices or packing lists etc.

 

[lee248]

Compatible or remanufactured cartridges can help you to cover the cost of your prints. They are usually up to 70% cheaper then originals and provide almost same quality.

 

[F1ink]

I have to agree with Lee regarding remanufactured and compatible cartridges. There is no loss in print quality and they usually contain more ink than the originals so your cost per print is reduced even further.

 

[Delan]

4050CDN is best.

 

[lee248]

4050CDN is best.

Can you explain it why? or give some of its pros or cones (if any)?

My experience with this printer is little bad....