Inquiry re Best Color Printer

 Hi,
Long time lurker/infrequent poster here!  I know there was a recent thread
about printer cartridges and the 'throw-away' inexpensive printer concept as
compared to the disproportionately higher cost of replacement cartridges.  I
don't want to repeat that exact thread, but I am interested in knowing the
best buy in a color printer, in terms of function as well as replacement
cartridges/toner.  Our color printer recently went belly up and is not
worthy of resuscitation.  I'm an artist and work from printed color digitals
of my subjects, so I need relatively good quality.  We're thinking about
just going ahead and spending the extra $$ for a Laser color printer since
the toner replacement is less frequent and possibly cheaper than cartridges
although the per page cost is not as low.  The printer that died was an HP
720 inkjet - a good printer for the duration (probably 3 years or more), but
no more.  And it's no longer made, evidently.  I considered the 'throw-away'
concept, but would probably rather just buy a quality printer for the best
money instead.

Any suggestions on input on a good color printer would be highly
appreciated.  (And yes, I'm conducting searches as well to compare features,
cost, consumer feedback, etc., but thought maybe someone here relied on
their printer and found a good one!).

Thea

 

I do not even know what model numbers that HP is up to, I have a Deskjet
832c which has served me well for many years.  Cartridges last a long
time and are cheap to refill.  But they don't make this model either.

Like Thea, I am also looking for a good inexpensive color printer.
Somthing cheap, easy to refill, and it must be laser.  I need to have
water (or damp) proof copies.

 Hmm, seems that if they keep discontinuing previously good models, then they
would be replacing them with something equally good (I know, it's probably
just a frugal consumer's dream : - ).  If anyone has an HP color laser
printer that's still being produced and has given good service and doesn't
bankrupt you on the replacement ink, tell us.

Gordon and I have inquiring minds and we want to know!

Thanks in advance,
Thea

 

You aren't going to find a combination like that.  Color laser carts
are much more expensive than inkjet carts.  Figure close to $100 per
cart, and there are three color and one less expensive K (black).

Color variation and finish are also issues.  I have a (heavy) Lexmark
network laser printer that sits in storage here because the cost of
the fix for it was more than the cost of a new little Oki color laser.
The Lexmark had fine color rendition and would be suitable for
artistic work, but IIRC I paid a deeply discounted price of over $1600
for the refurb one I bought.  DId I mention  it was heavy?  It came
shipped on a pallet and takes two people to move.

The Oki works fine for my pamphlets and fliers because it has a
semi-gloss finish on the printing, which makes bold solid colors
"pop."  Color balance is loose at best, and nowhere near as good as
the Lexmark for anything like a photograph.  You'll find that all the
cheaper laser printers have color glitches that you have to work
around.  Come to think of it, that is also true for many ink jet
printers when the ink is viewed under artificial light.  Home printing
is still nowhere close to the standards of offset printing.

FWIW, If you get a color laser printer, you'll find the difference in
paper grades makes a huge difference in the quality of the output.  I
have found the paper I'm most satisfied with is the Office Depot 28lb
COLOR laser paper at $10/ream of 500.  I just returned a bunch of
their 24lb laser paper that is _greatly_ inferior to the color laser
paper, even though it only costs a couple bucks less.

I've kept my Canon ink jet for photos, use a Brother multifunction
laser for everyday use, use a dot matrix Oki for program dumps and
certain reporting, and use the color laser for promotions, invoicing
and the like.  I also have thermal receipt roll and ticket printers,
but those are a different story.  The point is that no one printer is
best for all tasks.

If you only have a passing need for waterproof output from an ink jet,
get artist's clear fixative or a can of clear spray shellac or laquer
and go outside and spray the finished photo.

 

But how many pages do you get out of a cart??  Since I intend to
print flyers and brochures that only use spot color (not full
page color) the color cart should last a good long time.


I'll have to look for one.


I plan to keep my deskjet for for that too.


Good idea but not feasable on 400 pieces.