Printer recommednations

[MarkM]

I am looking for a new printer. I want a monochrome laser, not an all-in-one and not an inkjet.

I have learned my lesson with inexpensive laserjets. They might cost less upfront, but the toners have short lives and are pricey. The costs to operate far outweigh the lower purchase price.

My prior printer was an HP 4. It was a true workhorse, but a little slow and now needs to be put out to pasture. But something in that mold is what I am looking for.

Just curious as to what people are using and recommend.

[BulldogTom]

I know you say you don't want an all in one, but I LOVE my Canon MF3110 print/copy/scan. The toners are expensive and don't last as long as I would like, but the ability to scan and copy right at my desk as well as 22 ppm works for me. I have 3 of them. I would not even think of having just a printer ever again.

Tom

Lodi, CA

[MarkM]

Well I already have a standalone scanner at my desk and we have a standalone copier in the office so an all-in-one is not necessary. But it seems like the standalone monochrome laser copier is becoming outdated. All the places I have looked (Staples, Costco, Best Buy, CompUSA, etc.) are all pushing the all-in-ones.

[JohnH]

I buy HP Laserjet 1100 printers on ebay for about $30 each, plus shipping of another $20-$30, depending upon the seller. The toner cartridges are very large and can easily be refilled by local refill services. Since toner is the most expensive part of operating a printer, these are very economical printers for heavy-duty use.

I usually keep one or two extras around, so if one breaks down on me I can just set up one of the spares and either throw away the old one or use it for spare parts.

[Bart]

My prior printer was an HP 4. It was a true workhorse, but a little slow and now needs to be put out to pasture. But something in that mold is what I am looking for.

I also had an HP 4 that I used until it died. I replaced it with an HP 4200 which is just as much of a workhorse.

[jasdlm]

I also have an HP laserjet 1100. I agree with everything John says; however, I feel that printing is very slow . . . especially from ATX. I am thinking about replacing it this summer with something that prints more quickly. It's hard to give up, however, because it is so reliable, inexpensive, and the actual print quality is great.

[RoyDaleOne]

I used an HP4si and now have a HP5si. I wanted a new printer so I purchased two backup printers. Knowing I would used them, alas, the old printer just won't died and I love it so. It is quick and reliable.

[Randall]

I use an HP Laserjet 2430. It's about two and a half years old now. Even though it wasn't listed by ATX as one of their recommended printers, I've never had a problem. I did pay $650 though. I would check out HP's website for the latest models.

[Jack from Ohio]

At the firm where I work, 2,800+ returns this year, we have 2 Brother HL-5250DN black and white laser printers. It can be networked (already built in), or can be a direct printer. Cartridges can be refilled for about $12 each, or purchased refilled for about $30 each. Each fill gets about 7,000 pages. Printers cost $199 each. It has been totally compatible with ATX.

The only down time was changing cartridges. It does duplex and watermarks. This is the second year use on them. When they die, we will dispose. We used 7 cartridges this tax season.

Smartest move we made.

[indyscott]

I looked at that Brother HL-5250DN last week at Staples, and was pretty impressed with the speed and the neat way it does duplex. It prints one side, then pulls the paper back in and prints the other side. Pretty slick. And it's small enough to not take up too much space on the desk.

[Jack from Ohio]

I looked at that Brother HL-5250DN last week at Staples, and was pretty impressed with the speed and the neat way it does duplex. It prints one side, then pulls the paper back in and prints the other side. Pretty slick. And it's small enough to not take up too much space on the desk.

We calculated that our firm saved over $1,200 each for the last two tax seasons compared to expenses the years before. Decided to buy instead of lease a commercial grade printer. I highly recommend this printer.

[barosser]

Use Lexmark T630 and work great, cartridges last about 30000.00 sheets, I go through alittle over 1 cartridge per year.

[kcjenkins]

I have three HP 4050s, and they are several years old, no maintenance at all, and are all three still operating so well that I can not justify replacing them. Fast, good, and I added extra paper trays to them that I bought on eBay real cheap, so that I can put two reams in at a time, so little down tome to replace paper.