Bang!Zoom! Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I'm thinking about getting a different printer just for black/white work. Are laser printers a good investment for worksheets, etc.? Better & more cost effective for printing of that kind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 We have a laser printer and we don't use it anymore. The refills were close to $100. The regular printer's refills are about $15. They last about the same amount of time and I don't find that I need that high of quality for anything we do here at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I'm thinking about getting a different printer just for black/white work. Are laser printers a good investment for worksheets, etc.? Better & more cost effective for printing of that kind? Yes, very much so. I am very fond of the low end Brother lasers. There's a gimmick involving black electrical tape and the toner cartridges that greatly extends the life of the cartridge. Cartridges for them are about $45 on amazon and are rated at 3000 pages roughly. I usually get 4500-5000 with the electrical tape trick. Never replace a cartridge until you get blank pages. The warnings will rip you off. ETA: Brothers also have a toner save mode which reduces the amount of toner used similar to draft on an inkjet. I get most of my curricula on PDF and print the workbooks every year, and there is no way I could afford it with an inkjet. One word of warning. Fan the paper to fluff it just a bit before loading. It saves on paper jams. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakimberly Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 what is up with the electrical tape trick? I just switched to a brother wifi laser bw printer/scanner combo (2280 is the model # I think). I love my duplex printing options on there! I've only been using it a few weeks, but I can't see myself going back to inkjet- drying out cartridges cost me a fortune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearts4homeschooling Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 You could look at Consumer Reports on printers and the cost to run different models. If I remember correctly, they estimate the cost to be 1/2 penny per page for B/W. In my experience, lasers are much cheaper to run after many years with inkjet and six years with laser. I buy cartridges and drums on eBay and rarely buy the name-brand cartridge unless it is the cheapest. They sell on eBay for 1/3 of the price in Office Depot. All printers get expensive, however, when the manufacturer programs the printer to allow a cartridge to run a set number of pages even when there is lots of toner left. I currently have Brother laser printers (one a double-sided printer for printing books, one a copy/scanner), and the cartridges will not print after X number of copies. Online I have found ways to make the printers print past the set #. I use black electrical tape over the clear view ports on the end of the toner cartridge so the light shining through thinks the cartridge is still full. I have also learned to reset the gear on the side of the toner cartridge so the printer thinks it is a new cartridge. I have also had problems with my three Brother machines with lines and gray shading and do not plan to purchase another printer of this brand and am hoping to find a company that is not wasteful and allows a toner cartridge to be used until truly empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I love my Brother laser printer! I've had mine for a year and a half now, and I've only had to replace the toner cartridge once. That is amazing to me, because the toner is only about $20 more than my inkjet's color and black ink package. But on my inkjet, I was replacing the ink every few months. So I've saved A LOT on ink. Several of our subjects I've purchased on PDF, and it's been wonderful to print off what we need when we need it, and to know that I'll have it available for all our other boys down the line without having to invest in the curriculum again. There's no way I could do this on my inkjet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I have a low end Canon laser printer that I've been very happy with for 5 years now. I only have to replace the cartridge about once a year, and I can get off-brand refills for $20-30. With an inkjet on inksaver (I went through several -- mostly Brother and Epson), I was running through 4-5 black and white cartridges a year at $15-20 a shot. My next printer will likely be another laser, either Brother or Canon, but I'll definitely go for duplexing and a sheet feeder next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 what is up with the electrical tape trick? I just switched to a brother wifi laser bw printer/scanner combo (2280 is the model # I think). I love my duplex printing options on there! I've only been using it a few weeks, but I can't see myself going back to inkjet- drying out cartridges cost me a fortune! Some of the models have a window on the cartridge that a laser is pointed at. When the laser shines through the cartridge holes, it gives the "cartridge is empty" message. If you cover the holes with electrical tape, the printer will keep printing happily along until it completely gives up. I get an extra ream out of my cartridges that way. You'd have to google your Brother model with electrical tape to see how to handle your cartridge. Some newer models have a software trick that must be done as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 All printer manufacturers are dirty as far as toner goes. It's how they make their money. DH brought home an HP color laser (my gods at the ink cost for color!), and while I like it, I consistently am able to print over double the cartridge rated capacity but have to endure the "but it's almost empty this time, I promise" messages. I miss my Brother. It used less toner and had more quality settings so I could chose how much toner it used per page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 It does depend on the printer, which ones you can use the tape trick. Mine does not work to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I used to have a Brother, but switched to Canon. The Canon has an all in one toner cartridge, so there is no drum to replace (to replace the Brother's drum would've been $80). The toner refills for the Canon are $10 on Amazon (generic), and I get 2000+ pages out of each one. And toner doesn't run like ink when tears fall on the page. Not that I've ever had that happen :leaving:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 We have a Brother laser printer, and it's amazing. Each toner cartridge will print thousands of pages, and it prints fast. It's never jammed on me, and I've printed a lot. I try to get everything in pdf format now because it's so easy and cheap for me to print out what I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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