[Discuss] color laser printer

[Dan Ritter]

On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 03:04:49AM -0400, Tom Metro wrote:
> My printer use is quite light. So much so that it seems hard to justify
> even replacing the printer.

Color lasers are more mechanically complex than mono; they break
more often and in stranger ways. The color toners last for a
year or so, but the mono toners are lower-volume and more
expensive.


My take on printing:

- general document printing? Get a mono laser.

- occasional photo printing? Get CostCo or any of the reputable
  online print bureaus to do it.

- special project color printing? Local print shop.

- frequent photo or spot color printing? See if you can justify
  a thermal wax printer in addition to a mono laser -- the wax costs
  are high, but if you need a good quality print *now* and often, they
  are a good solution. If you can't, buy a cheap color inkjet
  and plan on replacing it every five thousand pages or so.

So, for low volume color printing and somewhat higher mono, I
would suggest you get a mono laser -- Brothers are decent -- and
send photos to an online service.

Finally, the only suitable interface for a printer these days is
wired ethernet. Wireless will work in some circumstances, but
likely be unreliable when you haven't printed anything in a few
weeks. Ignore USB and stranger options.


-dsr-