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Re: [LUG] Inkjet or Laser

 

On 25/04/11 12:28, Neil Winchurst wrote:
Having replaced my old computer I am now wondering about a new printer.
My present one is quite old now (Epson Stylus Photo 810) and it is
showing its age.

Looking around the internet I see comments about the rising cost of ink
cartridges. For this reason I have recently used compatibles. I know
that this is somewhat frowned upon but the printer is well past its sell
by date.

So I have been looking at the possibility of getting a colour laser
printer instead. They are much cheaper nowadays and the running costs
seem on a par with inkjets.

As I have never actually used one (laser printer) at home I am asking
for any suggestions, comments etc to help me come to a decision. I
expect there are some experts among list members.

Thanks

Neil Winchurst


Probably depends what you want to print. We have a colour laser (was around £120 ish) which is reasonable quality, great for printing letters, manuals etc as it's pin sharp on standard copier paper.

But... it's not that great for photos compared to an inkjet when printing on good glossy photo paper at high resolutions.

For us it's not so much of a problem as we don't really print photos but if you find you want to do more photo printing maybe a better quality inkjet might be a better option.

As far as compatible cartridges go, I've never had any major issues with compatibles on an inkjet, occasionally had faulty ones but the places I've bought them from have swapped them out without any fuss. We only use compatible cartridges now on our laser (it's about a third of the cost compared to originals).

I think basically the printer manufacturers sell the printers cheap and make their money from the cartridge sales, hence why they don't like compatibles (they don't make any money from them).

Rob

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