Color laser multifunction printer recommendations

[linsj]

I work from a home office and am looking to consolidate several machines into one multifunction, color laser printer. Minimum requirements: wireless, ADF for scanning, two paper trays. Nice to have: automatic duplex printing and scanning. I don't have a Mac computer, which seems to have a connectivity problem with some brands. Does anyone have any recommendations? As usual, the reviews are split on every brand and model.

 

[geekette]

I am diehard HP. Mine have always lasted at least a decade with moderate use. Haven’t bought in a while so no model recommendations.

 

[DaveNV]

I own a Brother Color Laser, specifically model HL-L8350CDW. It has four separate color cartridges, has a reasonable footprint, is quiet, wireless, duplexing, fast, clean, and a robust machine. Printing wirelessly from either Mac or PC machines, including phones, works very well. It is not multi-function, although I understand there is a model they now offer that does have that option. I've had this printer for several years, and it has worked flawlessly. I did add a memory expansion module to it to give it a faster and bigger printing brain, but I'd do that with just about any laser printer. I'd buy this machine again, although I'd probably go for the multi-function option next time around. I miss having the option to make copies or to send electronically-scanned images.

Everybody has something they like best. I used HP equipment at my work, and they were fine, too. But at the time, prices for HPs were well higher than Brother, which is what pointed me toward this one. So while I can't speak for everything, I can speak to what has worked well for me.

Hope this helps some.

Dave

 

[davidvel]

We love Brother or Canon, which are cheaper upfront and on toner thtn HP. Have HP at work and they are good, but no better. Our current home MFC is Canon MF741. Scans, duplex, color, network connection. We have only PCs.

 

[linsj]

I've only had HP printers for decades. I'm still using an almost 20-year-old HP LaserJet, although it's incredibly slow and not wireless, and an HP OfficeJet multifunction printer that's 10 years old. But I haven't seen an HP color laser with two paper trays.

Related question: Do color lasers use some color toner when printing black text only like inkjet printers do?

 

[DaveNV]

Related question: Do color lasers use some color toner when printing black text only like inkjet printers do?

My printer has four trays. Red, Yellow, Cyan, and Black. So no, it doesn't make black by combining the other colors.

The process and technology is different. An inkjet printer's pixelated image is soaked into the page, one row of dots at a time, and dries to make the image. Laser printers (and copiers) use a drum roller to lay the page image down on the paper, then heats it to melt the toner in place. That's why laser printed pages resist water, and the image won't smear. If you're careful, you can actually take a sharp knife edge and scrape the toner off the paper. It's very fine, and difficult to do, but you can do it. An inkjet printer image becomes part of the paper, so isn't removable. But it'll dissolve and smear if the paper gets wet. That's also why inkjets print heads need such frequent cleaning - the jets dry the liquid ink, and blocks the holes the ink passes through.

Dave

 

[Bucky]

I don’t know the intricate details of ours but we’ve had it a couple of years now and it works great. It’s a Brother HL-L3290CDW.

 

[linsj]

@DaveNV, thanks for the explanation. The one thing I hate about inkjet printers is how they use up color ink for black-text printing.

 

[DaveNV]

@DaveNV, thanks for the explanation. The one thing I hate about inkjet printers is how they use up color ink for black-text printing.

Happy to help. I've been that frustrated consumer fighting the battle with home printers. It shouldn't have to be so difficult.

My complaint about inkjet printers is they screw you over by you having to buy more ink all the time. Not because you actually used up what you had, but because it dried up. The inkjet printer might be cheaper to purchase, but the ink cartridges will kill you with their cost. If you ask every inkjet owner what they dislike most about their printer, it'll be the frequent cartridge replacement, because it's so wasteful. I don't know if the newer style inkjets with a well you refill from a bottle work any better. But for me, a color laser is a great compromise as a home printer. For most things, the price-per-page of printing with a color laser is much lower than with an inkjet. I keep an extra set of color laser cartridges on hand in case one color runs out, (which happens rarely) so I'm never waiting. I don't print a lot, but it just works better. I haven't had to replace a cartridge in a year or more.

About the only thing an inkjet does better is photos. No, a color laser won't print photo-quality imaging on photo paper like you can with an inkjet (because it's not a glossy print), but it'll produce a very respectable proof copy of a color photo, so you can decide whether to have an actual photo printed elsewhere. If you regularly need to print photos on photo paper, then an inkjet may be a better choice. But if not, a color laser beats an inkjet in all other ways.

Dave

 

[GetawaysRus]

Multifunction inkjets are getting slammed here, but I'm quite pleased with my Canon inkjet for home use.

I agree that the manufacturers use a razor blade model. They sell you the machine at a low price hoping that you will buy their brand of expensive replacement cartridges.

My suggestion is that before you purchase an inkjet, do some searching on Amazon to see how much good quality off-brand replacement cartridges will cost. In my case (Canon MX922), I can get a multi-pack of cartridges that will last well over a year for about $20 or so. This has suffered from mild shrinkflation over the past few years, but I can still get a 22-pack (6 Large Black, 4 Small Black, 4 Cyan, 4 Yellow, 4 Magenta) for about this price.

It is true that I will occasionally run out of one particular catridge type well before the others. That's easy to deal with too. I go back to Amazon and buy an off-brand pack of that one cartridge type/color.

Are there times when I wish I had the speed of a laser printer? Yes, that would be nice for very large print jobs, but these are uncommon. I'm willing to trade that speed for the convenience of having a scanner as part of the multifunction inkjet. I use the scanning feature frequently.

 

[DaveNV]

Multifunction inkjets are getting slammed here, but I'm quite pleased with my Canon inkjet for home use.

I agree that the manufacturers use a razor blade model. They sell you the machine at a low price hoping that you will buy their brand of expensive replacement cartridges.

My suggestion is that before you purchase an inkjet, do some searching on Amazon to see how much good quality off-brand replacement cartridges will cost. In my case (Canon MX922), I can get a multi-pack of cartridges that will last well over a year for about $20 or so. This has suffered from mild shrinkflation over the past few years, but I can still get a 22-pack (6 Large Black, 4 Small Black, 4 Cyan, 4 Yellow, 4 Magenta) for about this price.

It is true that I will occasionally run out of one particular catridge type well before the others. That's easy to deal with too. I go back to Amazon and buy an off-brand pack of that one cartridge type/color.

Are there times when I wish I had the speed of a laser printer? Yes, that would be nice for very large print jobs, but these are uncommon. I'm willing to trade that speed for the convenience of having a scanner as part of the multifunction inkjet. I use the scanning feature frequently.

You're absolutely one of the people for whom an inkjet is a good choice. And I'm not trying to change anyone's mind - I was just expressing my experienced opinion. If an inkjet works well for you, with all the pros and cons considered, then it's a good choice. I really like the idea of duplex printing for document storage. As far as I know, inkjets can only print on one side of the page. So it's a matter of what works best for your situation.

Dave

 

[TheHolleys87]

As far as I know, inkjets can only print on one side of the page.

Our HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 duplexes automatically and prints just fine on both sides of the page, no bleed-through.

That said, I’m following this discussion with great interest because we’re fed up with the cost of the HP brand ink cartridges. We bought some alternate brand from Amazon and are waiting to need them, but we’re also considering replacing our printer, so this discussion is very timely!

 

[DaveNV]

Our HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 duplexes automatically and prints just fine on both sides of the page, no bleed-through.

That said, I’m following this discussion with great interest because we’re fed up with the cost of the HP brand ink cartridges. We bought some alternate brand from Amazon and are waiting to need them, but we’re also considering replacing our printer, so this discussion is very timely!

Thanks for the duplexing info. I wasn't aware inkjets could do that. But it's an HP, so likely has features cheaper printers don't have. Be aware that if your HP inkjet has newer firmware, as noted above, it may not accept non-HP print cartridges.

The best way to decide what works best for you is to try printing the same document to each printer. Or failing that, print a Test Page from each and compare the differences. As I've said, for me at my home, the color laser was the best bang for the buck. I tossed out two or three different inkjet printers over the years, including an MFC inkjet machine, because whenever I wanted to print anything, it either needed ink, needed cleaning, or both. I didn't have time for that.

Dave

 

[GetawaysRus]

Duplex printing isn't a feature I use, but Dave made me curious. So I asked Google. Yes, she said, my Canon inkjet is capable of printing on both sides of the page.

Canon Knowledge Base - How to Print on Both Sides of the Paper (Windows) - TS8320

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I also work from home. Had a Brother color duplex laser. Lasted only 3 years. Jammed. Don't recommend.

Bought an HP color laser. Workhorse 12 years and going strong. Recommend.

For scanning, love the Fujitsu scansnap. Rarely jams.

 

[Ken555]

I’ve deployed hundreds of Brother and HP printers over the years. They’re both good, but not great. None are as good as the printers from 20 years ago. That said, I normally recommend Brother before HP and haven’t had many issues in years. In essence, you most likely won’t go wrong with either. Choose the specific model carefully, and review features.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Bucky]

Happy to help. I've been that frustrated consumer fighting the battle with home printers. It shouldn't have to be so difficult.

My complaint about inkjet printers is they screw you over by you having to buy more ink all the time. Not because you actually used up what you had, but because it dried up. The inkjet printer might be cheaper to purchase, but the ink cartridges will kill you with their cost. If you ask every inkjet owner what they dislike most about their printer, it'll be the frequent cartridge replacement, because it's so wasteful. I don't know if the newer style inkjets with a well you refill from a bottle work any better. But for me, a color laser is a great compromise as a home printer. For most things, the price-per-page of printing with a color laser is much lower than with an inkjet. I keep an extra set of color laser cartridges on hand in case one color runs out, (which happens rarely) so I'm never waiting. I don't print a lot, but it just works better. I haven't had to replace a cartridge in a year or more.

About the only thing an inkjet does better is photos. No, a color laser won't print photo-quality imaging on photo paper like you can with an inkjet (because it's not a glossy print), but it'll produce a very respectable proof copy of a color photo, so you can decide whether to have an actual photo printed elsewhere. If you regularly need to print photos on photo paper, then an inkjet may be a better choice. But if not, a color laser beats an inkjet in all other ways.

Dave

We have an HP inkjet printer at our vacation home and it works fine for what we use it for but the ink on 5he head does tend to dry out between uses. But, there are many fixes rather than just throwing it away and buying new cartridges. The easiest and the one we use is warm water on a paper towel. We just wipe the head off and run a test page and ready to print again.

 

[Brett]

My HP printer is still working 5+ years but I no longer print much stuff

 

[PigsDad]

I've had good luck w/ HP all-in-one ink-jet units. One tip w/ HP ink-jet printers: be mindful of the cartridges the particular model uses. The cheaper, entry level printers use cartridges that only hold a very small amount of ink. While the price of those cartridges are lower, the price per page is much higher since they don't have much ink. However, if you go w/ the Pro models, they will take full-sized cartridges, and most even have XL versions of those cartridges that have an even lower price per page. Plus, the Pro models just seem to last forever. I have one that is I think about 12 years old that is still running great.

Another tip: if you have one in a vacation home, do NOT power it off while you are gone. This will save the print heads from drying out and having to prematurely replace the cartridge before the ink is depleted. Leaving it powered up takes negligible electricity, but the printer will cycle and do a short head clean every several days to keep them from drying out / clogging.

Kurt

 

[linsj]

Please, let's keep this thread focused on LASER printers.

I've narrowed choices to HP and Canon, the only ones I've found with two paper trays that are essential. HP is less expensive and lighter weight, but I could buy another printer for the cost of 4 toner cartridges. Canon cartridges are less expensive, but the machines are so heavy I'd need help to get it out of the van to a flat cart and then from the cart to my printer stand. Plus the second paper tray is a separate buy for more than $100. I've been unable to find out if the original cartridges for either are full-size or not. If they are, I probably wouldn't need to replace the color ones for a few years.

All the HP printers I've owned have long outlived their life expectancies, but a number of people who have multiple HPs in their offices say that manufacturing has taken a big slide backward and they no longer recommend them.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

On the HP laser cartridges, I buy the high yield ones vs. the standard. Last longer and cost per sheet lower. Yes, the color cartridges run about $400 for a full set. Sometimes I can find them on sale at HP.com or office supply stores.

 

[DaveNV]

I also work from home. Had a Brother color duplex laser. Lasted only 3 years. Jammed. Don't recommend.

Bought an HP color laser. Workhorse 12 years and going strong. Recommend.

For scanning, love the Fujitsu scansnap. Rarely jams.

Intersting. Was this an earlier model? I've had mine for a number of years, and I don't think it's ever jammed.

The best printer for the job is the one that works for your needs. If what you have is good for what you want, then it's a great solution.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Please, let's keep this thread focused on LASER printers.

I've narrowed choices to HP and Canon, the only ones I've found with two paper trays that are essential. HP is less expensive and lighter weight, but I could buy another printer for the cost of 4 toner cartridges. Canon cartridges are less expensive, but the machines are so heavy I'd need help to get it out of the van to a flat cart and then from the cart to my printer stand. Plus the second paper tray is a separate buy for more than $100. I've been unable to find out if the original cartridges for either are full-size or not. If they are, I probably wouldn't need to replace the color ones for a few years.

All the HP printers I've owned have long outlived their life expectancies, but a number of people who have multiple HPs in their offices say that manufacturing has taken a big slide backward and they no longer recommend them.

For the price differences, does it matter if the second tray is a separate purchase? It's a one-time purchase. I saw an updated version of the Brother model I have, (not an MFC), with two trays, and it was selling for about $750. If it works like mine does, it will accept non-Brother branded toner cartridges. That seems like it'd be a good answer, unless you absolutely need MFC capability. (I don't remember if that was a requirement.) Are you committed to buying only HP or Canon?

That said, if you want/need the extra capability, any printer will probably be fairly heavy. But once in place in your office, do you need to move it around? If you're printing wirelessly, you can locate it where it works best, and just print to it as needed. We have our Brother color laser in our home office, but regularly print from our laptops or phones from anywhere in the house. It's quite convenient.

Dave