Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Laser Printer Confusion

Culture | October 19th, 2016

By Chuck Solly

rcsolly@gmail.com

I mentioned a little about Laser Printers in my column in July but I thought I might continue the conversation in greater detail now.

I bought a laser printer two years ago for my home office without knowing exactly what the machine was capable of. As it turns out, I got lucky and got one that almost met my needs. Sometimes I get a little click happy on Amazon...

One requirement I had was printing envelopes. Since I am a one man office, I didn't need too many per week and it seemed to work just fine printing one envelope at a time. Everything was going along swimmingly for a year until the envelope feeder went out to lunch. So should I buy a new printer just for envelopes? Since I am a bonafide geek the answer is yes!

Let's take a look at the features that a laser printer may or may not have:

Price --- Monochrome printers range from $99 to $750 and color printers range from $250 to $3000. It wasn't all that long ago that high-volume color laser printers ran well upward of $5,000, with some as much as $8,000 or more.

Text Quality --- This was one of the original reasons why businesses first bought laser printers. The text was measurably better quality than an ink jet printer, something that some businesses felt they had to have.

Color --- The latest laser printers have excellent color. Color will cost you more depending on the type and size of the office you work in. Determine whether or not you need color. The color printers start at about $250, as opposed to the monochrome printers which start at about $99.

Paper handling --- I was obviously upset when my printer starting jamming envelopes, but speed of printing, and the number of paper trays are also considerations when buying a laser printer. If you print on different colors or weights of paper as well as envelopes, additional paper trays will come in very handy.

Operating Costs --- What I like most about laser printers, is their low cost per page of toner compared with inkjet. As with most lasers, you have to buy the vendor's most-expensive, highest-yield toner cartridges to get the best CPP, but the savings can be huge. A full set of after-market cartridges for my two-year-old laser costs $80 to $100.

Wi-Fi --- Setting up my printer for Wi-Fi use was a nightmare. I used it for about 6 months before the Wi-Fi kept crapping out and I ran an Ethernet cable to my router. However, several of my sources have told me that the new printers do not have such problems.

Another consideration is that some printers do not support Wi-Fi directly. In many cases, if you don't run an Ethernet cable to your printer, you must buy the manufacturers Wi-Fi adapter for $100.

Setup --- Most printers these days are fairly easy to set up. If you buy locally, you can have the store come to your home or business and set the machine up for a fee, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. Also, keep in mind that these printers are heavy! One brand name printer I looked at weighed 56 pounds.

I wrote this column to give you an idea of the information you need to make an intelligent decision about laser printers. Do your due diligence before you buy and enjoy your new printer!








Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions…

Friday, October 31, doors 8 p.m. show starts at 8:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe annual Aquarium Halloween Cover Show is back and it is stacked. And this time there are a limited amount of presale…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comAnother public health crisis besides guns: lack of empathyThe Sisters of Charity have finally had enough of their Trumper boss, Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. One of the most…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comNoémie Merlant, working from a script she wrote with Pauline Munier and her “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” collaborator Celine Sciamma, directs herself in “The Balconettes” (the…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Gallery 4 downtown recently celebrated its 50 year anniversary, making it one of the longest consecutively running galleries in the country. With different membership tiers, there are 17 primary…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…