Just to add something to this thread.
I`ll state firstly, that I moved away from Inkjets a few years back & purchased a Colour Laser (HP Laserjet 1600 - I now have a Samsung) it was IMHO the best decision I`ve made, so I`m biased possibly.
Why, because I found Inkjets unreliable & very expensive to run & blocked up the heads & dryed out very quickly. Yes I have used compatible carts which I found a bit hit & miss (they never seemed to last as long as manufacturers carts & quality wasnt` as good), but they are significantly cheaper.
So I went Colour Laser, which initially cost more, but long term worked out far cheaper.
Pros & Cons Inkjets v Lasers.
Inkjets.
Pros.
Cheap to buy.
Beter Photo printing.*
Cons.
Expensive to run (yes you can lessen this by using compatible carts).
Slow print outs.
Lasers.
Pros.
Consistent print-outs.
Cheaper to run than Inkjets.
Much faster than Inkjets.
Cons.
Initially more expensive.
Not so good at Photo printing.* & **
*this will depend on the quality required, Inkjets will usually give a better result using their best quality output, using manufacturers carts & manufacturers Photo paper, but Colour Lasers aren`t too shabby if you use Laser photo paper & best quality output.**
** Warning! DO NOT use Inkjet photo paper in Lasers! You need a specific Laser photo paper, I use HP`s paper, its relatively easy to obtain (but I believe it costs more than Inkjet equivalents).
As to running costs, you`ll need to consider Page yield, which I believe ALL Printer manufacturers now have to provide & follow standards for ink (ISO/IEC 24711) and color toner (ISO/IEC 19798) printer cartridge page yield measurements.
A nice explanation about yeilds is available on Lexmark`s site.
http://www1.lexmark.com/content/en_us/products/ink-toner/iso_page_yields_overview.shtmlhttp://www1.lexmark.com/content/en_us/products/ink-toner/iso_page_yields_overview.shtmlNow the following is based on my own knowledge.
Inkjets when they start-up use some ink to run a sort of clean cycle to flush the heads which uses Ink, Lasers don`t (they have a warm up - no toner used).
For those who remember Cars with a choke, it was used to enrich the mixture to allow the engine to start & used more fuel, so if you only used the car for a short journey you`d use more fuel, much as an Inkjet does it`s cleaning cycle.
Now me being sceptical would think that most if not ALL Inkjet manufacturers would perform the page yeild tests with only one start - not a realistic real world test, thus negating the start/stop that would lower the yeild result? Most folks would print out a few pages & then the printer would remain idle for a few days/weeks if its an Inkjet it`ll use up some of your precious Ink everytime you use it, a Laser doesn`t.
We then get down to the Carts/toner that come with the printer.
Lasers tend to come with a lower yield toner initially, I spent a while selecting which printer (my latest one) & paid a little more to ensure it came with the "High Yield Toners" 5,000 Pgs Black & 4,000 Pgs Colour.
There are a number of other things to consider.
In my case, I wanted Full Auto Duplex, Networked & carts that didn`t need replacing every 5 minutes.
Much of the above is my opinion & I`d advise anyone to consider their own needs & spend time considering what is best for them. Most of all ask questions.
Just for balance, I`ve read of many people who have used Inkjets for years using Compatible carts & had no problems. But its hard to know what their use-age is. I`ve also read about folks who have had rpoblems using compatible carts & again Inkjets that have failed after a few months. Likely as not they`ll be similar regards Lasers - though I`d guess much rarer.
Kind regards.
Steve
