Is there a printer...

DiscoStu

That's interesting @euan I just assumed the print quality was down to lower quality toner in them rather than to do with the hardware.

I also assume that OEM cartridges are over priced to make up for the initial cost of the printer which may even sell at a loss? I mean you can buy a whole new Brother printer for pretty much the same price as a set of replacement cartridges, in fact I know someone who buys a new printer each time the cartridges need changed and sells the old one, he gets an up to date printer and some money back. 

paulcaye

Another vote for brother laser printers I have have 2 in the last 20 years - the current is bog standard mono printer, used it for printing off exam revision stuff for all my kids, good compatibility on 3rd party toners.  

Kittyfrisk

GSPBASSES said:

Thank you, I will now go and search for a sensibly priced laser printer. 

If you are looking for a colour laser, I reckon you could do a lot worse than the Brother HL-8260CDW  (quite the Brother fan club here) eg  https://www.currys.co.uk/products/brother-hll8260cdw-wireless-laser-colour-printer-10182580.html
Under £300, weighs as much as a neutron star but has amazing connectivity & is fast & quiet. I don't like recommending things generally, but mine has been very good.
My work used to involve supporting multiple IT printers & bulk photocopiers, so can be fussy 

DiscoStu

On the subject of 3rd party toner for Brother, are there any that actually work as good as OEM?

euan

DiscoStu said:

That's interesting @euan I just assumed the print quality was down to lower quality toner in them rather than to do with the hardware.

I also assume that OEM cartridges are over priced to make up for the initial cost of the printer which may even sell at a loss? I mean you can buy a whole new Brother printer for pretty much the same price as a set of replacement cartridges, in fact I know someone who buys a new printer each time the cartridges need changed and sells the old one, he gets an up to date printer and some money back. 

I mean part of it will be down to the toner but the biggest contributor will be the drum roller. Third party toners all tend to be the same material where different OEMs might require individual toner material depending on how they charge the drum with the laser. So a particular combination might not attract the toner from its roller that well. 

The other issue is at the fuser, where the fuser might be too/not hot enough for the third party toner. 

100% printers are a loss leader for the consumables, they are bloody complicated things. But while OEMs do have extra manufacturing expenses compared to third party types, because they have higher standards, they bloody rake it in for some powdered plastic. 

My knowledge is entirely laser printer based, and I’ll say about the new printer vs new cartridge is that it might be a false
economy. Printers are shipped with a starter cartridge that is often less than half the capacity of a regular consumable. So if the printer and a new cartridge is the same price, the cartridge is more cost effective. 

p90fool

Thanks all, there seems to be a pretty strong consensus here to say the least!
I'll order one later today. 

Corvus

One slight counter: Brother inkjet here, ours had the 'ink absorber full' problem that seems not uncommon  -
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=brother+dcp-j4110dw+ink+absorber+full

Makes a mess with ink getting around the place, before the warning message shows up on the machine.
You can get parts but I semi-bodged ours - messy old job emptying & cleaning it. Bit of a faff but it's kept the printer going
guide to steps

This might only be a thing with the one particular series for all I know. Got a feeling there's second a related thing but just can't remember for sure. 

Decals are no problem to do, let dry overnight and coat with whatever the final lacquer type will be. Mist the first couple of coats and let each one one flash off to avoid excess solvent hitting the print. Then one thin wet coat.

scrumhalf

I've had a Dell colour laser printer for a good few years, one of the excellent deals on HotUKDeals. It's a big boy, but it cost me less than a ton after rebate.

skullfunkerry

DiscoStu said:

On the subject of 3rd party toner for Brother, are there any that actually work as good as OEM?

I'm using the Cartridge World ones now, and I haven't noticed any difference in print quality between them and the OEM ones.

thefez

Second Brother. Never, ever, HP again. 

DiscoStu

skullfunkerry said:

DiscoStu said:

On the subject of 3rd party toner for Brother, are there any that actually work as good as OEM?

I'm using the Cartridge World ones now, and I haven't noticed any difference in print quality between them and the OEM ones.

Yeah I've used them in the past. IIRC the print quality was fine but the colours weren't as accurate as OEM.
My current batch are off Amazon (loads of good reviews) and they were £40 for CMY + 2 black. The colours are washed out, patchy, and I get occasional splattering on the prints (usually from the cyan). Fine for b+w prints though but I bought a colour printer for a reason.

p90fool

Brother HL-1110 on order, thanks again!

guitartango

This should be titled 

Is there a printer... That Works, that doesnt Jam, 

As an IT person , I hate printers 

p90fool

I would love mine to jam, but that presupposes that it has any interest in even attempting to print anything. 

Kittyfrisk

guitartango said:

This should be titled 

Is there a printer... That Works, that doesnt Jam, 

As an IT person , I hate printers 

As an ex IT person, I hate people that have no experience of or sensitivity toward machines, particularly printers, but who insist upon messing with them. Putting in unsuitable paper/card, usually in the wrong tray or feed, letting paper get creased & stored exposed to excess humidity, roughly clearing jams leaving torn paper blocking jam sensors, not letting printers warm up, spilling drinks on them & denying it etc.
Or my favourite, repeatedly pushing the print feed button down so hard that they break, because the prints were faded (toner cartridge empty). Press harder = more pressure = darker print... FFS.
To be fair, this was in a University 

skullfunkerry

DiscoStu said:

skullfunkerry said:

DiscoStu said:

On the subject of 3rd party toner for Brother, are there any that actually work as good as OEM?

I'm using the Cartridge World ones now, and I haven't noticed any difference in print quality between them and the OEM ones.

Yeah I've used them in the past. IIRC the print quality was fine but the colours weren't as accurate as OEM.
My current batch are off Amazon (loads of good reviews) and they were £40 for CMY + 2 black. The colours are washed out, patchy, and I get occasional splattering on the prints (usually from the cyan). Fine for b+w prints though but I bought a colour printer for a reason.

The only things I print are very occasional forms for work, and my stepdaughter's homework, so I haven't really paid too much attention to the colours. Will keep an eye on that though.

guitartango said:

This should be titled 

Is there a printer... That Works, that doesnt Jam, 

As an IT person , I hate printers 

Before I got my current printer I had an inkjet that was utterly shit. I named it "Kodak Megabastard", which caused a few giggles when I showed it while sharing my screen in a training session

BigBearKris

I'm in the market for one. I like the one P90 ordered as it'll be strictly for home use, and probably rare at that.
IF I'd go colour laser- is LED any good? 

https://www.brother.co.uk/printers/laser-printers/hl-l3220cwe

All mentions of "ink" there puts me off...

Sporky

LED is fine. 

Emp_Fab

Don't use "compatible" toner cartridges.  They're dirt cheap for a reason.  As has already been mentioned, they re-use components again and again (why do you think they offer an exchange service) - bearings, seals, transfer rollers and in the case of combined cartridges (often in smaller lasers) the drums too.  You wouldn't put Poundland engine oil in your new car.  Don't put shit toner cartridges in your printer.  It usually invalidates the warranty  ....and no, there aren't any decent compatible brands - they all operate on the same business model - refill a knackered old cartridge with the cheapest bulk toner they can find, wipe it down, put it in a fancy box and flog it as though it were a better value alternative to the manufacturers brand new units.  Meanwhile, it's slowly pissing toner all over the inside of your printer, coating the feed rollers, the paper path, the optics.

Can you tell I really REALLY don't like third party consumables?  

euan

Btw, that’s the first time Emp has actually be right and shown some knowledge on a subject.