Find a Cheap, Reliable Laser Printer for Home Use

[Wailing Fungus]

I'm tired of injet printers and how the nozzles get clogged and I can't print anything. On top of that I have to waste money on ink.

Can anyone recommend me a cheap reliable laser printer for home use? I print mostly text files - black and white. It doesn't have to be new - I can get one from ebay.

 

[imabug]

I bought an HP Laserjet 1012 couple of years ago for about $250. I think the price on them has come down to around $200 now. Cheap, lightweight and fairly compact. Reasonably decent print speed, although I've heard people on other forums say that printing slows down on big print jobs because of heating issues. Then again, if you're printing a lot of big print jobs, you probably want to get something a little more robust.

Toner cartridges are a little on the pricey side at $70 (I've see $60 for remanufactured ones), but they're rated for around 5000 sheets. They've been lasting around a year and a half on my printing load.

 

[jason101]

Well fellows, I'm not sure which type of printer is best to print images onto heat transfer paper. Please point me to the right direction. Also, what's the difference between "deskjet", "inkjet", and "laser" printers? I see all these different type of models and I'm confuse what makes one different from the other. Can someone tell me what type of inkjet printer is best for printing heat transfer paper?

 

[chayced]

Wow this thread is a blast from the past.
@Jason: Inkjet printers squirt ink onto paper using heated ink nozzles. Laserjet printers use lasers to cause toner to coat rollers that then put the toner on paper.

For heat transfer you can use either. I don't know if things printed with one will last longer than the other. What I do know is that toner cartridges last much longer than ink cartridges, and with a refill kit a HP laserjet can last almost forever. For these reasons I spent the extra money and bought a used Color Laserjet. I can print all day long and it just keeps going. Inkjets on the other hand don't have the longevity, and you have to constantly refill/replace ink cartriges. Either way, read reviews before you buy anything, and I would recommend that you buy a used printer designed for office use rather than one designed for home use.

 

[Dr Transport]

I have had an Lexmark for about 7 years without any issues what so ever, we also use them at work. HP's are also up there. The best part is that my next color printer will be a laser since the prices are now reasonable.