Is it time for a new printer?

Sporky

The latter is probably just bigger.

Lestratcaster

But a good quality one though not a shitty cheap one?

Sporky

Ah!

I'm pretty sure those are the Brother "official" ones, so they'll be good.

Lestratcaster

Yeah they must be if they are listed on the retail site they're selling them on.

Now to try to flog my current printer HP21 and 22 cartridges cos I always stock up on them when I run out but I guess I won't be needing them anymore lol.

Emp_Fab

The toner cartridge that comes with it is claimed to be good for 750 pages, so if you're printing 20 pages a week, you don't have to buy a new toner cartridge for nine months.

Lestratcaster

Maybe 20 per week is a bit excessive lol, and it won't be every single week either. I was buying new ink cartridges for this deceased printer once per year (maybe twice). So I think I should get a good return from a toner cartridge.

boogieman

Emp_Fab said:

A word about using cheap toner - If you're only using the printer lightly you might get away with it, but as an ex-Brother-trained service engineer (among many other jobs), I would not recommend using non-OEM toner.  Every week I would be replacing fuser units that had been destroyed by the customers using non-Brother toner.  There's something about the chemical composition of the cheap stuff that ruins the pressure rollers.  Never had the issue with genuine OEM toner.  The crafty sods would often use the cheap shit and then when it broke the printer, they'd slap the one genuine toner cartridge they had in it so we couldn't charge them for the repair.  Once I'd gone, they'd stick the cheap stuff in again.

Unless you're churning out reams a day, the price difference isn't worth buggering up your printer for.

Maybe I’ve got lucky but I’ve been using non OEM toner in our Brother laser printer ever since the original one that came with it ran out. It’s prints very slightly paler than the proper stuff but no issues otherwise. The printer’s probably 5 years old now. 

Emp_Fab

It may not apply for light usage.  The printers I worked on were churning out hundreds of pages per day, every day.

exocet

For home / small business use, large ink / mega tank printers are as cost effective on a per page basis as laser but also have lower energy consumption due to lack of need for  user unit to heat the paper. I've been running one for over 2 years now, still on he original ink supply and have gone through extended periods of inactivity with no consequences for next use. Really good choice if you do need a spot of colour print.

Emp_Fab

You've found an inkjet that doesn't dry or clog up ???!!

Spill the beans!

Lestratcaster

exocet said:

For home / small business use, large ink / mega tank printers are as cost effective on a per page basis as laser but also have lower energy consumption due to lack of need for  user unit to heat the paper. I've been running one for over 2 years now, still on he original ink supply and have gone through extended periods of inactivity with no consequences for next use. Really good choice if you do need a spot of colour print.

But they still use a print head that could become clogged if not used for an extended period of time? Might differ from person to person, think I’ll stick with the Brother laserjet though.

exocet

Lestratcaster said:

exocet said:

For home / small business use, large ink / mega tank printers are as cost effective on a per page basis as laser but also have lower energy consumption due to lack of need for  user unit to heat the paper. I've been running one for over 2 years now, still on he original ink supply and have gone through extended periods of inactivity with no consequences for next use. Really good choice if you do need a spot of colour print.

But they still use a print head that could become clogged if not used for an extended period of time? Might differ from person to person, think I’ll stick with the Brother laserjet though.

As I said, I've let it go for an extended period of time without issue - In my case 4 months without printing anything. Toner will coagulate if left unused for extended periods of time. If you only need mono print than I'd agree that mono laser is probably best bet. I don't think I could recommend colour laser for occasional use.

Fledermaus

I think it’s ALWAYS time for a new printer……
If ever anything was designed to trip you up in life, printers every time! :-(
if it’s not mine, it’s my dads (who is in a care home 200 miles away)……

Lestratcaster

Right, Brother laser printer ordered. Due to collect from the store after Weds. Let's hope it all works ok.

Do they come with a toner already in there? Didn't see anything about having to buy one separately.

Kittyfrisk

Yes, you'lll get toner with it. The cartridge might not have the full capacity of a replacement one. Some manufacturers tend to do this, a bit like not selling a new car with a full tank of fuel 

Lestratcaster

Ok well that's enough to use just for this week/month I would hope. If it runs out I'll try to squeeze a print or two from my old one haha.

Kittyfrisk

It'll say so in the instructions, but make sure to give the toner cartridge a thorough shaking (not violently) to agitate & evenly distribute the toner before putting it in the printer. This is also a useful tip to try if the printing starts to fade as it runs out, you can usually get a few extra (or better ) prints by shaking it 

Lestratcaster

£60 for a toner?!

Brother DR-2400 Black Drum Unit (Original) | Next Day Delivery Available (cartridgepeople.com)

I guess if it will last me hopeful;y a year then it will even itself out. 

Danny1969

^
This is why a run an Epson WF ... doing hundreds of pages a month is less than £40 a year in cartridges 

Lestratcaster

I won't be doing 100 pages per month I'm pretty sure. I was spending £20 odd on inkjet cartridges but went through periods where I didn't need to print anything. I think I'll be ok plus it'd be business expense/write off anyway.