Does anyone have any opinion on HP Laser Printers, in particular the HP CP1525n. My other choice is the Samsung CLP-320N but think they are not so good on thicker paper. Thanks for any info you might have.
Although this isn't the model as you are considering, I believe I've posted before on the HP 8500A Premium A910, we're very pleased with it. We had a slightly earlier model, plain "8500", that was horrible, when the Staples mgr gave us a full refund after 3+months of almost continuous malfunctions he said they'd had about 90% of them returned. The new model restored our trust in HP, as the previous one had taken us to the edge of printer hell and we'd sworn off HP. There used to be printers that had a second, openable tray at the back specifically for heavy stock so it didn't have to curve around some of the feed mechanism. Office supply stores would probably let you bring some paper in to test on their floor models when printing the demo pages. Do you have a specific paper weight you want to test?
Thanks for your reply. I was given the impression by one seller that wanted to steer me away from HP but was not sure of his motives. The one I wanted was not in stock. He suggested a more expensive printer or a Xerox Phaser which was cheap at £64 but the cartridges were over £200 to replace. Might be cheaper overall per print but probably not use it to that extent. Also not sure about LED machines. The paper weight will be either 160 or 200 gsm. Both the machines I mention in my first post say they can do 220 gsm. Trouble with buying on the net is that you do not have the chance to try a print at the prices they state.
My biggest decision maker on purchasing printers is ink/toner cost after the purchase. I suggest that you research both OEM and Compatible toner costs.
That's fairly heavy stock, typically used for things such as business cards or report covers. From my personal experience it's difficult to get quality results from a desktop printer with that weight, especially if you are wanting business-quality results. If you're planning to do a fair amount of printing on that weight stock you should absolutely be looking for a printer that has a "straight through paper path" (standard description terminology), otherwise you'll end up with curled sheets. You might also end up with tractor marks on the pages because that weight takes more effort to pull through. Also, be warned that extensive use of that weight will also cause additional wear on the internal mechanisms, fairly quickly impacting print quality on regular paper. And, finally, that weight is toward the upper range that HP specs for the CP1525n, so it's almost certainly not built to handle much printing of that weight. Here's a description of the importance of a straight-through path: http://www.goldenpaints.com/mixmoremedia/workprint.php This is an example of an HP printer that does have a straight through path, notice the "Document finishing" description includes the path, while your proposed CP1525n does not. I'm not suggesting this is a good alternative for your requirements, just as an example of how the path capability is specified when the printer has straight-through capability. http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/e...059-14638-236263-3662052-3662058-3662060.html I own 2 different Xerox Phaser models; both were in the range of $1500 or so at the time, although prices have definitely come waaay down. Although I haven't seen recent models these were built like proverbial tanks, and I'd highly recommend checking them out. Definitely correct about the $$$ of supplies though. One thing to watch for: If you're considering a "heavy duty" business level printer be sure you have adequate power available. Both my Phasers draw a huge hit, causing lights to flicker at home.
The 8500 is an ink jet multifunction (print/copy/scan/fax) device and djg05 is asking about a laser printer. Big difference. That's like comparing a Volvo 40-passenger bus to a Volvo 2-seater car. Just because they are both made by Volvo, that does not mean you can make any assumption about one because of the other. @djg05 - are you specifically looking for a laser printer? Or can it be ink jet? And do you want or need a multi-function device or just a printer? As far as consumables, note there is much controversy about OEM vs 3rd party inks and toners. Not all 3rd-party replacements are created equal. I would use factory originals only when trying to compare costs for new devices. I think before anyone can properly make any viable suggestions, we need to know (1) exactly type device are you looking for and (2) your budget. And in the meantime, I recommend you use your favorite search engine and plug in the device you are considering and the word "review" and read what is said. Look for professional reviews as they hopefully know what they are talking about and have similar devices there for actual side-by-side comparisons. Do not pay too much attention to user reviews because (1) happy users don't complain and (2) they are not professional reviewers. I only pay attention to user reviews if there are many that complain about the exact same problem - indicating a real trend or pattern.
Thanks All for your help Bill The more I read the more confusion there is - not really surprising I am really looking for a low cost laser round about £130 in the UK with discount - probably the same in dollars. I am fed up with inkjets. They do not suit my working. Every time I ring a supplier I get a different offer. Manufacturers a giving cash back on some printers which makes good deal and have full cartridges. At the moment I am considering the Xerox 6010n, 6500N and Lexmark C544dn. Prices are £99, £135, £139. Also been offered a Samsung CLP-620ND at £195 with £100 cash back though that is a big machine and maybe too big (physically) for my set up. Never read of good reports of Lexmark in the past but am told that mainly applied to their injets. Any more opinions welcome
Thanks for clarifying. Note the exchange rate today shows 130 quid is $203.54 I just looked in Consumer Reports for December 2011 and for "recommended" color laser printers, they top rate the Dell 1250c - $160, followed by the HP Laser Jet CP1215 -$200, Lexmark C540n - $250 and the HP LJ CP2025n $350.
Thanks for that info. Usually in the UK the prices come over on a 1 to 1 rate, but those you mention roughly follow the exchange rate except for the Lexmark C540n which is on offer at £106. I have ordered some print samples on the Xerox and Lexmark so will see how they compare. Dell consumables tend to be more expensive taking into account the supposed yield.
That's true. I note again, based on Consumer Reports testing parameters, the Dell cost $13.30/month while the HP was only $10.70. The Lexmark was only $7.00 and the most expensive HP was $8.20. Of CR's testing parameters are just a baseline that may or may not compare to your monthly usage. If you do a lot of printing, you may look to a printer that cost more up front, but saves you money over time. If don't do a lot of printing, the higher priced consumables may not be a big deal.
Just looked a favourable revue of the Lexmark C540n but the user comments of the revue tell a different story - mainly that if you do short runs then the toner waste is astronomical. That is not something I had taken into consideration. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/printers/353659/lexmark-c540n/specifications
As I said, earlier, "I only pay attention to user reviews if there are many that complain about the exact same problem - indicating a real trend or pattern."
There appears to be a serious security risk with some HP laser jets. The company claims that this defect is fixed in its newer printers BUT the security researcher who discovered the problem says that he found the security hole in an HP that he bought in September. Read through this thread before you buy: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=313099
Well we need to be careful about perpetuating rumors and blowing them out of proportion. It is important to note this security flaw only affects some HP printers but most importantly, it only affects printers on public access networks or if someone on the same network intentionally attempt to interject malicious code.
I am not a fan of HP anything anymore. Back in the '90s their laser printers were good solid units but the more recent ones tend to be buggy and slow. I won't let them buy anything but Xerox in our office. I tend to prefer the solid ink models to the laser. No toner particles to get into your lungs.
