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#1 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 11:15 AM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To All [Msg # 164253.1 ]

Heyla, folks....

Just about three years ago, I was looking to replace a deceased color printer, and folks here chimed in with some very useful suggestions, in this thread.

Owing to the fact that we ended up replacing not one, but two cars shortly thereafter, a new color printer went to the bottom of the priority list.

However, it's beginning to drift up to the surface again. Given the spead at which computer hardware modifies, I'm wondeing what may be available. Checking the HP site, the last time, they had a "finding the replacment" spot, but I'm not finding THAT feature this time (or maybe it's just buried).

I'm thinking, this, time, that a color laser might be the way to go, but, as before, I want separate cartridges for black and each of the colors.

Many thanks for your assistance.

-- Marilyn

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#2 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 1:45 PM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.2 164253.1 ]

Hang on for more advice, especially from Lee K as before ....

I still love my PS8250 which uses the Vivera O2 ink system where there are 6 cartridges that only contain ink linked to seperate printheads and with a recirculating ink system so that you do not waste the ink used for priming after an interval of non-use --- frequent non-use in my case --- or for cleaning.

That model has been replaced and Lee K can advise on the current models better that I could.

Color laserjets will give you heart-failure when you do need to replace a toner cartridge -- a set of 4 may cost more than a new printer ..... You may need to check about "starter cartridges" and whether they exist and are used.

Be a good idea to repeat your use requirements in terms of type of color printing and of monthly volume.

What version of Windows are you using?

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#3 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 3:02 PM

From chowderhead411 Posts 133 Last Nov-24
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.3 164253.1 ]

I went to laser because it's cheaper, faster, higher quality and does not run.

all the color lasers will have separate cartridges per color; the major option is single pass or multi-pass.

as implied, single pass, it picks up a sheet of paper runs it past four print stations and spits out the paper.
multi-pass puts the paper on a drum and makes four revolutions to print four colors.

do not buy a Konica Minolta; junk. lasted 14 months before it decided it no longer wanted to feed paper.
tossed that, bought an HP 2600 series. works fine. just replaced the black toner at almost double the rated sheet count; original color cartridges still working well past their rated life - time wise almost two years.

a full set of toners does set you back $135 or so; of course my other option was buying 2x$35 color/black ink jet cartridges every other month or so. ink jets are cheap to buy, not so cheap to keep in ink.

on the whole, I prefer technology that works and does not require you to trouble-shoot it every other week.
I've never regretted moving to a laser - it's cheaper per page but even if it was more per page it'd be worth it.
at the price of ink jet cartridges, you should get a $500 refund on a $100 printer . . . .

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#4 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:06 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.4 164253.2 ]

Hugh,

My machine is using Windows XP Pro -- I'll be getting a new one in a few months, which will also be XP Pro. (Sorry for all those Vista fans out there... not ME!)

I will mostly use the printer for printing out things like multi-color name tags and such-like for church functions. I haven't gotten into photo-printing yet -- I think I'll let Sam's Club handle that!

I also print out color images of historical costuming, maps, etc. etc. etc.

I haven't really looked at the photo printers because most of them want me to put memory sticks in them, and my Sony camera uses a mini-CD, not a memory stick.

Now, to answer the questions asked originally in the other thread:

1. The amount of printing I do is variable. Some months, nada. Other months, I might do up to ten thousand. The coverage on them is variable, too. Name tags with a small graphic and color lettering take up lots less ink or toner than full page graphics of historical color plates.

2. How much speed do I need? Well, certainly no less than the 2000C, and any improvement would be nice.

3. Duplexing would be a nice benefit, and would cut down on paper usage, but it's not a make-or-break requirement.

4. Do I have a budget? Uhm, yeah -- since most of what I do is volunteer stuff, let's try not to go over what I won't be earning at Borders Books during Christmas Insanity Season, ie, somewhere around $500. (New GM who says I am too old and too slow for the fast-paced modern retail world.) However, if there's a really classy machine that will give me long service life and etc. that is a bit more, I can fall on my knees and beg the parental units (who usually line up the volunteer jobs for me) for a loan -- they bought me the 2000C outright, after recommendations here about six years ago.

I feel that, based on ink usage during the lifetime of the 2000C, that separate ink cartridges or toner cartridges are a requirement. I went through a lot more blue and yellow, for instance, than I did magenta and black, and it would be silly to replace those every time I replace the yellow or cyan.

-- Marilyn

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#5 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:13 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To chowderhead411 [Msg # 164253.5 164253.3 ]

Thank you for your suggestions. I am, I admit, leaning towards the laser end of things because although replacing the cartridges can be a gasp-choke, there's definitely a better page per contridge output.

on the whole, I prefer technology that works and does not require you to trouble-shoot it every other week.

Amen to that! <wry grin> I determined that the proprietary card reader required by some medical software doesn't like 1.x USB ports, so.... gawd, I hate trouble shooting!

-- Marilyn

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#6 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:16 PM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To chowderhead411 [Msg # 164253.6 164253.3 ]

I doubt the color lasers will achieve photoprint quality some day ... but not yet.

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#7 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:19 PM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.7 164253.4 ]

<< 1. The amount of printing I do is variable. Some months, nada. Other months, I might do up to ten thousand. The coverage on them is variable, too. Name tags with a small graphic and color lettering take up lots less ink or toner than full page graphics of historical color plates. >>

Then it does sound like a laser printer would be best for you.

See what Lee K can add on choice.

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#8 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:44 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.8 164253.6 ]

All we have to do is look at how far color lasers have come in the last three years!

-- Marilyn

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#9 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 6:46 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.9 164253.7 ]

-- Marilyn

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#10 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 8:10 PM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.10 164253.8 ]

Indeed -- but I don't believe that we can yet match a laser color printer with an inkjet photoprinter, by a long shot. But if you don't need to do that and can swallow $100 per color cartridge ....

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#11 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 8:11 PM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.11 164253.9 ]

As always -- I have the LJ2200d and love it.

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#12 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 8:22 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.12 164253.11 ]

Mine's the LJ2300D, and I love it, also.

-- Marilyn

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#13 of 78 Posted 11/17/08 8:28 PM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.13 164253.6 ]

No, laser printers are definitely not yet ready for photo quality. But when you consider that just a few years ago, you had to look at some kind of thermal gel or other kind of printer, which ran around $1300 for a small one just to get any kind of color printing, and look at what is presently available, it's astounding.

But for printing out copies of my historical costume plates and printing out nametags and sleep apnea charts and things like that, laser should be superlative -- good quality combined with reasonable cost per page.

-- Marilyn

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#14 of 78 Posted 11/18/08 12:43 AM

From Kayza Kleinman Posts 300 Last Jul-5
To Marilyn L. Alm [Msg # 164253.14 164253.1 ]

The Laser section definitely has the "replace" feature, but I generally don't bother. Most lasers come with separate cartridges, as do the Xerox phasers (that's not a laser, but comes with separate ink sticks)

Before you decide on a printer, you need to know what you are going to be using it for, how often and with what kind of paper. The more you print the less of an issue the cost of the printer is and the more of an issue cost per page is - if you print enough, you can often make up the difference in price in surprisingly short order.

I'll look at the rest of the thread before throwing in any more comments.

-- Kayza

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#15 of 78 Posted 11/18/08 12:47 AM

From Kayza Kleinman Posts 300 Last Jul-5
To Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET [Msg # 164253.15 164253.2 ]

>>Color laserjets will give you heart-failure when you do need to replace a toner cartridge -- a set of 4 may cost more than a new printer<<

A lot depends on the printer - for instance the HP 2600 series will do that to you, bit the cp3505 won't (and it's a MUCH nicer printer. More expensive, too, but if you print a lot much lower cost per page)

Something to keep in mind is that cost of the cartridge is not really the issue but the cost per page, if you are doing a fair amount of printing. For people who can go weeks without printing, it's not really an issue, though.

-- Kayza

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#16 of 78 Posted 11/18/08 9:57 AM

From Marilyn L. Alm Posts 164 Last 4/6/09
To Kayza Kleinman [Msg # 164253.16 164253.14 ]

I think I posted my usages to Hugh, although admittedly not in the original message. It was also in the thread from three years ago.

To repeat:

Now, to answer your questions:

1. The amount of printing I do is variable. Some months, nada. Other months, I might do up to ten thousand. The coverage on them is variable, too. Name tags with a small graphic and color lettering take up lots less ink or toner than full page graphics of historical color plates.

2. How much speed do I need? Well, certainly no less than the 2000C, and any improvement would be nice.

3. Duplexing would be a nice benefit, and would cut down on paper usage, but it's not a make-or-break requirement.

4. Do I have a budget? Uhm, yeah -- since most of what I do is volunteer stuff, let's try not to go over somewhere around $500. However, if there's a really classy machine that will give me long service life and etc. that is a bit more, I can fall on my knees and beg the parental units (who usually line up the volunteer jobs for me) for a loan -- they bought me the 2000C outright, after recommendations here about six years ago.

I feel that, based on ink usage during the lifetime of the 2000C, that separate ink cartridges or toner cartridges are a requirement. I went through a lot more blue and yellow, for instance, than I did magenta and black, and it would be silly to replace those every time I replace the yellow or cyan.

-- Marilyn

Options

#17 of 78 Posted 11/18/08 11:06 AM

From Hugh Wyn Griffith WUGNET Posts 5671 Last Jul-7
To Kayza Kleinman [Msg # 164253.17 164253.15 ]