Won't print - lound noise

May 22, 2009

- Hard to say not knowing your situation. When recommending a printer I always like to ask if color is a factor or will b/w suffice? Advantages of b/w printing is that laser toner means less cost per printed page, the toner doesn't dry up when not in use as in the case with some ink cartridges, prints faster and the ink doesn't smudge. With that said, in the case of laser printers, you must look at the consumables required to keep your printer working. Meaning that there are some printers that not only require a toner cartridge now and again, but also require a "Drum Kit". Sometimes, as in the case with my last printer, the cost of the drum kit is almost as expensive as my printer altogether. I currently use a Canon ImageClass 4150. It isn't the latest model, but I can say that it has been working without any problems for about two years now. When I replace the toner, the drum is replaced as well because it is part of the toner cartridge. The toner runs about $60-$80 depending on where I buy it. It usually renders about 2000 normal pages.

Color Laser Printers are also another way to go, I was looking at the HP (no offense) line of color lasers and for about $400-$600 a color laser would be just fine.

Options like Duplex, and networking capabilites need to be considered. Any printer can do manual duplexing, but when you have to print out a 500 page duplex document it is easier to have the printer duplex and not you. Having the network capabilities on the printer itself means that it won't rely on a PC to be on for the printer to be available. Personally, if I can run a wire to the printer, as opposed to have it connect wirelessly, it seems better and faster.

For the inkjets, I would look for one that has a separate cartridge for all colors. This way, when you run out of blue, you replace the blue ink and not the magenta and yellow that are not low on a tri-ink cartridge. This will save you money in the long run when you stop and figure out your per page costs.

Scanning capabilites now-a-days are pretty much the same, I have not seen any low resolution scanners anymore. Faxing is also the same thing. So look for copying speed as well as how many pages can fit in the hopper.

Speaking of pages, also check out how many pages you can load on your paper tray. I installed a very nice little AIO printer for a client; however, the paper tray only held about 150 pages. My Canon can hold about a **** of paper which is about 500 sheets. My HP OfficeJet 7410 AIO has dual trays and they hold almost a full **** each tray. Having the dual trays is also a great thing because at the end of the month I put envelopes in the top tray and regular paper in the lower tray and never have to switch back and forth when sending out invoices.

I guess what you need to write down are your "needs" and your "wants" for your next printer. Then put them in a priority order and then try and match up something that will fill all of your needs and most of your wants.

Good luck, keep us informed.