[Discuss] color laser printer

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

I'm looking to replace an old laser printer whose drive motor wore out
with a new duplexing laser. I've browsed the Brother (often recommended
here) multi-function lasers online, and I see that I can get a color
laser for a fairly small incremental increase in the purchase price.

My printer use is quite light. So much so that it seems hard to justify
even replacing the printer.

But on occasion I do need to print lengthly documents, and that's where
the laser comes in handy (and thus the desire for duplexing, to cut down
on paper use). I'm aware that color lasers do a poor job at photo
reproduction. I have an inkjet that would meet that requirement. So
having the laser be color would be nice, but far from necessary.

Aside from reduced print costs, another reason why I favor laser
printers over inkjets is that you can leave them unused for several
months and not have the ink cartridges dry out.

What I'm wondering is what are the down sides to getting a color laser,
aside from the upfront costs and the additional cartridge costs? Will
the color cartridges last for years if they are rarely used? (The rubber
parts in toner cartridges will dry out eventually.) Is the printer
likely to refuse to print in monochrome if one of the color cartridges
is empty?

Are color lasers more prone to break down? More prone to jamming?

The Brother monochrome toner cartridges seem to run about $20 street
price. I assume the color cartridges will be more. Is the black
cartridges that go into a color printer unique, and thus produced in
lower volume and more expensive?

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA
"Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting."
http://www.theperlshop.com/