Laser colour printer better than an inkjet?

[BomberAF]

I had a laser jet printer for many years and got sick of it as it was costing a fortune in ink even though I was hardly using it. The problem I was having was cartridges getting blocked and by time they had been cleaned the ink was running out. Even though I wasn't using it for colour printing it was still costing me on colour cartridges as they needed to be replaced in order for the printer to work.

In the end I was advised that a mono laser printer would be the best option as they use toner instead of ink and as a result they don't suffer from the same problems that inkjet printers do, and as a result the are much cheaper. I have been very happy with my Samsung mono laser printer which I bought for £30 of amazon, and never at any point suffered from the problem of the print heads needing to be cleaned before I could print.

I am now looking at buying a colour laser printer and would just like a heads up on whether the same is true for colour laser printers that because they use toner the print heads don't need cleaning and you can then not print in either black and white or colour for many months and still not have the problems and costs that you get with inkjet printers.

 

[Borg 386]

Laser VS Inkjet Printer

 

[bobkn]

In my (limited) experience, color laser printers are like the monochrome ones: they have no trouble with infrequent use.

Don't expect much utility in printing photos, though. Inkjets, even 4 color ones (CYMK), are much superior for that purpose.

 

[BomberAF]

Thanks for the heads up, that was what I thought just wanted to double check before I spent cash on a new printer.

 

[BomberAF]

I am not really needing very high quality prints just need a printer I can use from time to time that will be good for letter writing or putting a bit of colour on a printed document.

Also want something that won't cost the earth on ink, especially when it is not being used!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Just to clarify things a bit, laser jet printers (or just laser printers) don't use ink; they use toner. Ink jets use ink.

That said, laser printers have a high initial cost and replacement toner cartridges are also expensive. There may be other costs associated with them, such as used toner canisters and replacement transfer drums or films. However, the cost per page of printouts is significantly lower than with inkjets making them more economical in the long run. Some brands have a higher cost for consumables that others so be sure to compare the cost per printout for each printer you consider before buying. As you have already learned, laserjets don't get clogged printheads like inkjets do when allowed to be idle for a while.

The two advantages to ink jets is their lower initial cost (sadly, more than offset by the high cost of ink) and superior color photo printing (although some of the higher end laser printers can come pretty close in quality).

 

[BomberAF]

I was talking about just laser printers, I thought laser jet printers like inkjet printers also get clogged like inkjet printers.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I was talking about just laser printers, I thought laser jet printers like inkjet printers also get clogged like inkjet printers.

Nope, laser jet printers (more appropriately known as laser printers) don't get clogged like inkjet printers.

 

[Layback Bear]

Their is another problem I run across in laser printers was the cartage's if left in storage for a long time dried up and or leaked. I have no idea how that happens.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Their is another problem I run across in laser printers was the cartage's if left in storage for a long time dried up and or leaked. I have no idea how that happens.

I've run into that with inkjets but never with laser cartridges. If laser cartridges are stored in a hot place, then the toner could partially fuse which would make it act like dried out ink.

A more likely problem with toner cartridges is having the chip expire from sitting in storage too long. That was the problem I had with my last laser printer (other than it wouldn't run on XP because the donkey excavations at HP wouldn't write Win 7 drivers for it). I eventually wasn't able to find any cartridges with a chip that hadn't expired. The printer would still print but I couldn't get into the tool box to change the printer settings (mutter, mutter, mumble mumble).

Unless it's an older model and supplies are getting scarce, it's generally best to wait to buy replacement toner cartridges until a month or two before they are going to be needed.

 

[Layback Bear]

Some of these cartridges were sitting 6 months.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Some of these cartridges were sitting 6 months.

They should have lasted longer than that. No telling how long they were on the vendor's shelf or how hot it got in a delivery truck, though.

 

[whs]

I live in 2 locations seperated by an ocean. 6 months here and 6 months there. So some of my printers (total of 5 - all Canon inkjet of varying specs) are always idle during 6 months. I just let them sit there when I leave.

I never had a problem with clogging. When I come back and use them for the first time, they work as if they were last used an hour ago.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I live in 2 locations seperated by an ocean. 6 months here and 6 months there. So some of my printers (total of 5 - all Canon inkjet of varying specs) are always idle during 6 months. I just let them sit there when I leave.

I never had a problem with clogging. When I come back and use them for the first time, they work as if they were last used an hour ago.

You're having better luck than I did. If I didn't run both a b&W and a color print at least once every four or five days, I would have to clean the printheads, wasting ink in the process. The most pleasure I got out of that POS machine was the satisfying thud it made when it hit the bottom of the dumpster. I'll never own another inkjet.

Other than the aforementioned chip issue, I've never had a problem with laser toner cartridges, both at home and at work (we went through a lot of them at the two last jobs I had).

 

[whs]

Did you know that many laser printers are very unhealthy. They should never be operated in rooms where people live or spend any amout of times. The fumes from the cartridges are extremely toxic - they say.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Did you know that many laser printers are very unhealthy. They should never be operated in rooms where people live or spend any amout of times. The fumes from the cartridges are extremely toxic - they say.

First time I heard that. Might explain why I'm so wacky.

 

[whs]

There are a lot of articles about that on the web. Here is one: Warning: Laser Printers Could Be a Health Hazard | PCWorld

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

There are a lot of articles about that on the web. Here is one: Warning: Laser Printers Could Be a Health Hazard | PCWorld

Face it, just about everything around us could wind up hurting us sooner or later. I see no sense worrying about after surviving for almost 64 years, especially since nothing I read (I did a bit of research after you first posted it) says the emissions are actually harmful. Methinks I'll just keep my laser printer.

 

[nilank]

I have an HP Inkjet color printer. One big problem I face is ink drying up & thus getting wasted. I hadn't printed for one month and both black/color cartridges dried up. I had 60% ink on both before they dried up. I tried using the HP cleaning tools that they provide with their software but didn't help a bit. I had to clean the heads manually using damp cloth. After doing all this, the ink left on both was around 35%, so that's a big wastage.

Did you know that many laser printers are very unhealthy. They should never be operated in rooms where people live or spend any amout of times. The fumes from the cartridges are extremely toxic - they say.

This is true. Those fumes are bad.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...

Did you know that many laser printers are very unhealthy. They should never be operated in rooms where people live or spend any amout of times. The fumes from the cartridges are extremely toxic - they say.

This is true. Those fumes are bad.

Every source I read said they could be bad, not are bad. Also, the concern was with particulates, not fumes. Too much of anything is bad for you. Even water can kill you if you drink too much.