LaserPrinter: which one is better investment ?

[SuRGV]

I've been using Brother HL-1230 for about a year and realized it has cost me too much to buy its ink cartridges. even the 6,000 page-rated torners ($120 CAD + 15% tax) only help me survive for about 3 months (about more than 1,500 pages printed, 300 dpi, mostly academic articles). Another thing is I will have to change the drum unit too (more than $200 each) though I've not had to change it for a year.

Do you think getting another printer from HP, HP LaserJet 1012 for example, is better in the long term since its cartridge toners are cheaper and I don't have to change drum unit?

In your experience, HP's or Brother's printers are cheaper in term of toner costs?

[Dilitante1]

the shops i worked for went HP
i currently have a Laserjet 4 (a tank but 350K pages later still chugging along)
and a Laserjet 1100 with the HP fixit kit in and working fine as well

someday i will go color laser but once i win the lottery

[Kruzin]

At my last job, we had about 10 of each (various HP and Brother LJs).
The HPs are by far more reliable, and live much longer lives.

[Taz]

Go with HP, they make the best lasers no question

[Wombat]

The old HPs are great, and you can find a LaserJet 4 or 5 cheap quite often.

[az]

There are also refill toners out there.

AZ

[Kurt]

Get an HP 2300 series. The 10xx series are rated for high output (compared to oldentimes at least) but the business workhorses are in the 2xxx/4xxx series. Toners are bigger and they're more reliable.

[gt40]

Get an HP - my 6P is a workhorse - never let me down in 4 years.

I have seen some paper feeding probs in the 5l series though.

[SuRGV]

it seems all of you agree to go with HP.

In term of reliability, my Brother HL has not given me any trouble any all since its purchase. Only more than a year though.

Thanks all. Your comments make me feel great because actually the HP LJ 1012 is on its way here.

[K6-III]

Go with Samsung. Something like the ML-1650 or the like should serve you well. Toner cartridge rated to 10,000 pages.

If you want to get quite a bargain, check out the ML-1710.

[az]

Get a Xerox Phaser 340, 350, 360, 840, 850, or 860, and you get free black ink (solid ink color printers). Those models aren't available new anymore, but used ones should be available.

AZ

[a_h]

The most used laser printers here are from Kyocera - not that cheap, but toners are built for (at least for my FS-1010) 6000 pages (costs ~70E), drum lasts for 100.000 pages.

Personally I'm printing with costs less than 3.5 euro cents (paper + toner) per page.

Cheers, Hannes

[chaoliang]

HP 5L, 6L and 1xxx series which have vertical paper feeding mechnismen have problems with paper feeding. When HP, then horizontal paper feeding.

[Kurt]

They never sold the paper-loading problem on the 5L, 6L and 1100 models. The new ones are thus with horizontal loading... Anyway, the 10xx series isn't that great...remember, it's the CHEAP model...

[Chrono_Wanderer]

Yes, HP is the best in Laser printers, no doubt. I had a LaserJet 4P from 1993 and its still working like a champ!