I need a new printer - anyone have any suggestions?

[stompah]

So my Dell 3100CN has officially kicked the bucket. So now I am looking for a color ink/laser printer. My problem is there are so many choice and so many complaints about them all. I am hoping maybe earlier this year one of you guys did a ton of research and picked a printer that has been solid or maybe someone who runs IT for a big company and they own 100 of the same printer and they are all bulletproof.

I need a color printer, hopefully with separate color cartridges. Screaming deal for B&W laser printer means I can go to Staples and pay through the nose when I have to print color.

Scan/fax doesn't mean much to me.

I prefer laser over inkjet.

My budget is from "you got one for Christmas and don't want it so you will ship it to me on your dime" up to around $200 as long as you promise that when my wife finds out how much I paid I can call you and you will tell her that you got it for Christmas and didn't want it so you shipped it to me on your dime.

PS in the past I have refilled my own cartridges so if cart cost is high the ability to refill is appreciated.

 

[trents]

You won't find a decent color laser for that budget constraint and if photo printing is important to you then go inkjet. Laser color photographic prints are nowhere near as good as inkjet. Color laser prints are find for business art such as handouts and presentations but not for photos.

 

[stompah]

No pictures. Mostly color coded Excel spreadsheets.

 

[(G{in}[AK)TION]]

Heres something https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16828006980

From what I see, it looks like you can also change the color cartridges individually too.

 

[trents]

If you are just doing Excel and other office style printing then a color laser is a good way to go. But do you need it to copy, scan and fax? The Lexmark linked above doesn't have those capabilities but would likely meet your printing needs.

 

[stompah]

I don't need copy scan fax or duplexing.

Just the black toner cartridge for that printer is $150 that's almost the cost of the printer. For my future wallet I don't think that one works. The problem is the high yield $150 cartridge will print 6000 pages but the starter that comes with the printer will only print 1400 pages. So realistically that's a $350 printer for me. I will look into how easy it is to refill that toner cartridge though.

 

[trents]

Here's another option: https://www.amazon.com/Canon-imageC...r+printer&qid=1577631569&s=electronics&sr=1-5

These aftermarket cartridges are much more reasonable:
https://www.amazon.com/Amstech-Comp...YDGG9HWNMJY&psc=1&refRID=YFK9AZTKJYDGG9HWNMJY

One thing to reckon with is that color printers in the price range of your budget will be on the small side and their cartridges will therefore be proportionately smaller. This will have a significant impact on numbers of pages they will be rated for and how often they will need to be replaced which, in turn, will impact the operational cost and value per dollar spent over time.

 

[stompah]

Here's another option: https://www.amazon.com/Canon-imageC...r+printer&qid=1577631569&s=electronics&sr=1-5

These aftermarket cartridges are much more reasonable:
https://www.amazon.com/Amstech-Comp...YDGG9HWNMJY&psc=1&refRID=YFK9AZTKJYDGG9HWNMJY

One thing to reckon with is that color printers in the price range of your budget will be on the small side and their cartridges will therefore be proportionately smaller. This will have a significant impact on numbers of pages they will be rated for and how often they will need to be replaced which, in turn, will impact the operational cost and value per dollar spent over time.

That one does have a low page yield cartridge but does have many hits for refilling the carts. Thanks

 

[stompah]

Guys, I want to thank you for your help. Unfortunately, New Years day I dropped my phone and broke the screen. The screen break also messed up the digitizer some how and the phone was near unusable. So, off I went to spend my printer budget on a new phone.

In lieu of a nice printer I got the Walmart $24 special. It is a nice little HP color Deskjet 2640 with scanning capabilities. It holds like 6 sheets of paper and I think the cartridge yield is 2 maybe 3 pages. Good news is from my short research is that it is a very easy cartridge to refill. $30, for a refill kit that contains 3 black refills and one each of color. I should get several refills per bottle. I figure worse case scenario in a few months I restart my search and gift this printer to my kids.

Once again, thank you for your help.

 

[stompah]

Another update. After having it for a week the Walmart $24 special HP was a nice little printer. But it had a quirk or 10. The one that was a killer was that the paper loaded vertically from the rear. Which would not have been so bad had it not have a flimsy plastic flap which was a pain to open and then if the paper was perfectly placed in the tray it would not sense that paper was inserted. That and the tiny ink tanks meant it went back to Walmart.

In its place I picked up an Epson WF-3733 wireless printer. It has 2 separate traditional paper trays and separate color ink tanks. Now I can buy the upgraded XL black ink cart for about $40 and much less if I get a reman unit. Also, another plus is the HP's print quality was very fuzzy (which I could live with.) The Epson's while not as good as my old Dell monster-sized laser printer, the Epson comes in at about 90ish % of the quality of the Dell.

Again, thanks for those who replied.

 

[Contra]

I am partial to Canon or Brother.

 

[stompah]

And she went boom :[ Was scanning last night and threw a 100069 error code. Power cycled it a few times, unplugged it and left it off overnight. Woke up today to same issue. I guess we will see how strong Epson's warranty is.

 

[CJustin]

Brother HL-L3210CW
Canon Color imageCLASS LBP622Cdw

These two are the best there are in the mentioned price segment.
I would personally opt for Brother. They are a reliable brand.

 

[stompah]

Brother HL-L3210CW
Canon Color imageCLASS LBP622Cdw

These two are the best there are in the mentioned price segment.
I would personally opt for Brother. They are a reliable brand.

I hear you, went with this Epson... lol now regret it. The replacement is a refurb that is loud when it is looking for paper.

 

[Regeneration]

Old thread... my advice for a printer: pick the one with the cheapset replacement ink/toner in your region. Usually its HP.

 

[trents]

My advice for inkjets is to get one that can use inexpensive third party cartridges. That's why I don't buy HP inkjets. They will not work with third party. For inkjets I always go Canon.

 

[stompah]

This Epson uses reasonable 3rd party carts. For the price I paid I am happy with it. Other than the fact that it broke so quickly.

 

[AnimeMania]

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/work/p...87Gy5cHYAb4j&dclid=CJeQ7_mh4eoCFZOewAod63gGAg

Lexmark C3224dw Color Laser Printer
Max Resolution (Color) 600 x 600 dpi
Automatic Duplexing Printing

Starting at $139.00