INK JET vs. LASER
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Thread: INK JET vs. LASER

  1. #1
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    INK JET vs. LASER

    I have an Epson NX515 inkjet. I find it uses black ink quickly. I am using
    the cartrage that came with the printer. I don't know if is a starter
    cartrage or what. But it is going quickly. Epson offers a hi capacity
    black ink cartrage that is supposed to be good for 900 pages, or $39.
    I am thinking maybe a low cost black only laser printer would be cheaper
    to run. How many pages is laser cartrage good for and what does it cost?
    Are lasers cheaper per page on black ink then an inkjet?

    Jerry

  2. #2
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    photolady is offline Lifetime Friend of Site Staff
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    Laser's have toner cartridges and they last a lot lot longer than inkjets cartridges do. And a laser would more cost productive. I vote you buy one. The Samsung ML-2851ND shows these figures for output:

    Standard: average cartridge yield 2K standard pages. High yield: average cartridge yield 5K standard pages.

    Also you know that Toner Cartriges are higher priced than inkjets cartridges. Starting at $59.88 for the above Samsung. But other brands could be cheaper or more expensive.

    I plan on getting one also since I moved back home and have sister that all she emails me for, is sending forwarded jokes, and two sisters who live with me want to see them but neither know how to use a computer and doesn't own one.

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    You can get an inexpensive laser printer for what 3 ink cartridges would cost.

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    Newegg.com:


    Samsung's site:

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    It has been several years since I ran the numbers for my printing but at the time, I calculated I would save the cost of the laser printer after less than one ream (500 pages) of text print. That may sound like a lot but at 10 pages per week its less than a year. And that was a conservative estimate based on an expensive HP laser.

    I expect a laser to last at least five years with heavy use. I am grateful if an inkjet lasts two years (my bottom of the line Samsung laser has lasted over five years with no problems so far; my previous HP lasted nearly 10 years - to be completely honest I should point out that I retired about the time I bought the Samsung so it hasn't been used as much as the old HP).

    Most lasers take about 15 seconds to "warm up" (HP is the exception taking only a second or two before starting to print). After that even the cheapest laser will churn out pages about every five seconds. If you ever have to print a 100 page manual you will congratulate yourself on your wisdom in choosing a laser. Note that even with a warm up the laser produces a single page faster than most inkjets.

    What they don't tell you even in the fine print: Try not to spill the toner. I put newspaper under and around the printer when changing cartridges. A spill can then be removed by folding up the paper. The object is to avoid having to vacuum the toner. There is a slight but very real danger of an explosion when the electrostatic charge of the toner enters the dust filled vacuum bag. Its the same problem that causes grain elevator explosions:

    http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/Haysville.PDF

    If you doubt this is a real problem Google "laser toner explosion".

  6. #6
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    I print such a small amount of stuff that all of the inkjet cartridges dry out before I use em up...

    On the other hand - I have a six year old laser with the origianl cartridge that still prints like a charm if an when I need it.

    ps...Sending your color print jobs to Walmart/CVS/Walgreen type of place is somethingto consder if you get a laser printer.
    If you're happy and you know it......it's your meds.

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    Though a bit more expensive to buy, Kyocera Mita laser printers are generally reckoned to have the lowest cost per page. Depending on how much you want to print, it can often be more cost effective to pay more for the printer and then save money on running costs with lasers.
    Nick.

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    jerryhillman--The Epson should have a setting to reduce the amount of ink used per page. (I do not use Epson. In HP, you click Preferences before starting the printing.)
    But I doubt you will come close to the low cost of a laser printer.
    Lasers are also usually faster than inkjets, though my new HP has a fast printing setting that really churns a page out (with lots of gut-wrenching noise).
    The main drawback to color laser printers is that they are more expensive.
    Jim
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    cable, MS Security Essentials, Windows 7 firewall

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    The main drawback to color laser printers is that they are more expensive.
    They are also large and heavy; enough that carrying one up a flight of stairs becomes an issue. Also, shipping to a repair center may cost more than the printer. A warranty that includes shipping or on-site service may make sense.

    Print quality does not match the best inkjets. Best photo quality needs glossy paper and you must use glossy paper made for lasers. Last time I looked it was expensive enough to offset much of the laser's cost advantage.

    I'm not advising against a color laser. If you make lots of color prints a laser should be considered. Just be aware they are not the slam dunk winners that monochrome lasers are with text printing.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jerryhillman View Post
    ... How many pages is laser cartrage good for and what does it cost?
    Are lasers cheaper per page on black ink then an inkjet? ...
    Another example,
    Samsung ML-3051ND, network duplex monochrome printer.
    Starter toner: 4000 pages.
    Toner save mode: 5600 pages.
    Cheers.

  11. #11
    buf's Avatar
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    And "one" would think my wife is Kinkos because she prints so much. She used the Brother HL-2040 until all our supply of laser cartridges were expended.. This is where I went to buy rebuilt cartidges for about $55 including shipping for 2 of them. She is now using a newer Brother(HL-2140) and I will go here is buy refills for her machine:
    www.injetsuperstore.com when needed. I have used them for a couple of years now and have always had good service. Even allowed me to return 2 unopened cartridges in a box that I had ordered from them 89 days ago for full refund.
    Compaq Presario CQ5210F Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit Athlon II X2 215(2.7GHz) Nvidia GeForce 6150SE 22" Envision LCD Monitor Brother HL2040 Laser Printer 500GB SATA HDD 3GB DDR2 Ram and NVIDIA nForce MCP61 Chipset Motherboard

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    I bought the Samson laser wireless printer 2525W from Tiger Electronics
    for $99.99, on sale. I could use some setup advice. With my Epson
    NX515 inkjet I had to first plug in a usb connection after loading software.
    Then I plugged it into my router. For my other laptops all I had to do was
    use the install CD disc and it made the laptops wireless ready without me
    having to configure anything. I did not use the wireless only setup.

    Will the Samsung 2525W have the same setup. It will be near my router.
    Do I have to use a USB connection to install the printer the first time. I
    will need a 12 foot printer cable. Do they come that long? Can it be plugged
    into my router and the drivers installed with the install CD without a usb connection. If I use the router I won't need to do a wireless setup? will I?

    Thanks, Jerry
    Last edited by jerryhillman; April 7th, 2010 at 04:16 PM.

  13. #13
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    Manual
    http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/co...start_here.htm

    What you probably want is Using a wired network.

  14. #14
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    When installing/configuring/using a network printer,
    Generally a good idea to have a static IP set for the printer in the router.
    Cheers.

  15. #15
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    This Samsung printer has got the worst install guide I have ever seen.
    There in not even a step by step setup for the printer that is decent.
    I went to the manual site and thought it may be a PDF that I could
    save. Not so. The cd has a manual that cannot be saved as a PDF.
    Is there a PDF for the manual I can get and save?

    Jerry

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