[mdlug] Inexpensive printer recommendation

Raymond McLaughlin driveray at ameritech.net
Wed Sep 24 22:51:29 EDT 2008


R. Kannan wrote:
> Thanks for all the recommendations. It looks like I am better off
> getting a laser printer but I am worried about the price and capacity
> of the cartridges. Also whether to go for b/w or color.

A new printer might come with "starter cartridges" of less capacity than 
a regular retail cartridge. And Laser cartridges are not, generally 
cheap. But they do, generally, last a good long time, so the per page 
costs are pretty low.

The NewEgg page linked by Jeff, for the Brother HL-4040CN ($230 On 
sale), included a bonus offer of the same printer plus a full set of 
"high yield" cartridges for $553. Yikes! That's a hefty up front outlay! 
But I'd expect those to last a  long time if you're not doing extended 
press runs of your own full color glossy. A cursory look at the 
specifications shows a rather long list of compatible carts. so some 
might be cheaper.

> Brother HL-4040CN is on sale in Staples for $250. Does this printer
> work with the variety of OSs that I have on my network (Linux, Windows
> Vista & Windows XP). BTW, I have a networked print server and so I
> don't need networking built in.

Is that computer just sitting there baby sitting the printer? Once you 
experience the greater flexibility, economy of space, and reduction in 
noise and power consumption provided by a real network printer you'll 
really appreciate the difference.

> How much does the brother cartridge  cost??
This bears some research, considering the wide range compatible.





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