Printer questions

[Lucky Shooter]

I'm going to replace a printer------color, ink jets etc----and have no
need for color. Black and white is all I need. Ink jets are a PITA to me.

I've been recommended a Brother brand B&W printer that uses toner.

Can anyone offer opinions or other options on this ?

Thanks for any replies.

A. Weldy

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Whoever suggested a Brother B&W laser is correct.

It's the printing experience you always wanted, but could never get with an Ink Jet.

Edit: I set my dad up with a Brother B&W laser, and that thing is a tank. It always works for him, which is nice for me because I'm not having to troubleshoot it.

I use a Brother color laser at home, and couldn't be happier. Good drivers, doesn't disconnect from wireless constantly like others I've had. Good life on the toner etc.

 

[DngBat7]

Laser is the way to go. Warm up is just a few seconds, cartridge lasts a very long time and you can get 3rd party cartridge (toner) for pretty cheap.

 

[243winxb]

Same here. Have a week old Brother MFC-L2710DW. When installing on setup, the CD set up screen didn't appear. Opened it manually. About half way , set up screen disappeared.

So, went to Brother website and down loaded drivers & set up stuff. This worked.

I am hoping laser printers are better?

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I am hoping laser printers are better?

Think of it like this...

Laser : Inkjet :: Krieger/Bart/Brux : Shaw

 

[Mikey_P]

Another vote for the Brother Laser printer. We made the switch from inkjet a few years back and have no regrets. Ours is a Brother HL-L2395DW. Also has a nice flat bed scanner built in.

Mike

 

[Lucky Shooter]

OK Mike, I understand your language-----thank all of you.

A. Weldy

 

[PhilC]

Brother here too, MFC9340, and totally satisfied after years of Canon inkjets.

 

[TrxR]

Have a brother 5200 I think for about 6 years it's a wireless network printer and it's been great

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

HP printers are fraught with problems. Once you get one, they very sneakily change the software which again causes new problems. They were sued several years ago because they inserted software that would shut down the printer, if you used aftermarket ink. Lost in federal court. Epson is my new printer of choice.

 

[Tommie]

After 20 years my Brother laser printer/scanner/copier/fax is still going strong.

 

[Dave Berg]

You should be aware that there is a printer shortage due to the work-from-home, corona virus thing which has pushed prices up significantly. A lot of the retailers only offer a combination deal of the printer bundled with an OEM replacement cartridge which almost doubles the price. If you could wait a few months this should change or get on the wait list with a seller who isn't so opportunistic.

Both laser and inkjet printers have their place, serve different purposes and present different problems. For accurate color rendering and real photo quality inkjets can't be beat. On the downside, they use ink which dries out, clogs things up and does not do well if you spill coffee on your printed output. If they sit unused for an extended period it's not fun to get them functioning again and you shouldn't print mailing/shipping labels with them without sealing them somehow.

Laser printers don't use ink so they can sit unused for months and will start right up. The output is more water resistant so you can print labels and just slap them on. Reasonably priced laser printers will not do quality photo work.

There is also a speed difference between the two. Laser printers are generally faster but, depending on what you're printing, inkjets can be pretty quick. Laser printers process a page at a fixed speed so a page with just a single period on it comes out at the same speed as one that's almost completely black. Inkjet speed is dependent on page coverage so the more ink you're putting down the longer it takes - and it can take quite a while.

If all you need to print is black and white (monochrome) a Brother HL-L2350DW would be an excellent choice. It's cheap at about $130, small footprint, auto duplexing (prints on both sides automatically if you want) and amazingly reliable. This is a market segment that Brother has owned for several years because of reliability and support. If you have a WIFI network you can put it anywhere connected to only the wall plug. It does not copy. It does not scan. It does not fax. But Brother makes other models that do if you need that. You may have to look hard to find one at a reasonable price. I have two and paid $79 for one and $89 for the second.

You say you don't need/want color but.... before the shortage there wasn't much price difference. I have an HP M255-dw that I bought a year ago for $200. The black toner cartridge has been replaced twice but the color cartridges are there for occasional use. Unfortunately, just like Glock 17's, the price has gone up a lot. Simple supply, demand and little bit of greed I suppose.

 

[jepp2]

Can anyone offer opinions or other options on this ?

Been using Brother laser printers for over 20 years now. The lowest cost (vs ink jet) and most trouble free printers I have ever used. I normally go with the multifunction so I can fax, copy, scan as well as print. They just flat work.

 

[SEM]

a picture is worth a thousand words, have had Brother laser printers in my office for almost 30 years have replaced them maybe 3 times each They get USED and abused everyday, The last one replaced was so noisy feeding paper that it had to go, every thing still worked it was 15 years old

 

[mtncwru]

Yet another vote for a Brother laser printer from me. I have an HL-2240D purchased...a lot of years ago sitting on my bookshelf. The HL-L2350DW that @Dave Berg mentions up thread would be my first choice if I had to replace my current one.

As a few others have noted, the setup CD that comes with it doesn't always work right, so just head to the Brother website and download the drivers for your model from there.