Laser Printers

megan_d said:

A day I thought would never arrive is fast approaching. The day I finish my MS. Yes, the end is in sight now, the number of scenes left to write numbering less than the fingers on my hand. And then the real fun begins; editing!

I'm thinking that a laser printer is an investment I'm going to have to make. Printing out 250+ pages on an old inkjet every time I want to do a new edit? Ah, no thank you.

Does a laser printer really make that big a difference though? Or should I instead pay to get my MS printed out at an Office Works or the like?

And here I thought the only thing we writers had to worry about were dialogue tags and passive voice!

Click to expand...

Yeah, it does make that big a difference. With my Laserjet 4100dtn, I can print out a 350 page manuscript in 14 minutes. And I can get a remanufactured toner cartridge for $40 that lasts for 10,000 pages. It's very cheap and efficient, not to mention fast. In the time it would take my Lexmark inkjet to print one page in best quality, I can do 10 pages on my laser.

If you get a proper workhorse like I have, then it'll cost more upfront (unless you get it second-hand), but in the long-run it is far cheaper than printing at a store or using ink. Even the small, personal laser printers are quite good these days. The only reason I got my big Laserjet 4100DTN is because the toner is just so freaking cheap.

I definitely think a laser printer is one of the best investments you can make. Not to say that there aren't some good inkjets out there, but as a general rule I think the laser reigns supreme for high-volume printing.

I woulnd't mind one.

But then, it's a lot further down the list than, say, "groceries" and "diapers" soo....

The laser jet is definitely worth the investment. If you shop around, you can find a good deal, possibly even under $100. I got my new Brother laser last week, and it was around $80 because I lucked into a sale. The cartridge will last a long time if you're just printing manuscript pages; pages with graphics on them will use more toner. They're also pretty hardy when it comes to printing large quanities of paper, and most of them hold a mininum of 250 pages.

The ink jet seems to be more for the casual user. The toner runs out very fast, even if you're not printing graphics. When I had an ink jet, there was a period of time where I was going through a toner cartridge every month, and at $40 a cartridge, that was expensive. It also didn't hold many pages and often tended to jam. It just wasn't made for heavy duty print jobs.

Laser all the way for novels.

www.donaldmichaelplatt.com

Laser - definitely.

Besides the cost factor - which is huge - there's also the smudgeability factor. If you use highlighters (I do - I'm way OCD and used to be an accountant, so this is pretty much mandatory for me) or in any other way get the document the least bit wet, it will smudge with inkjets. It will not with laser. Seriously, huge difference. Also, the text quality is better - cleaner, crisper, easier on the eyes.

I love my Brother HL-1400.

(I was lucky enough to receive is as a Christmas present from my wonderful sister, so writers! Prepare thy holiday list!)

I got an HP laser jet printer from Staples on-line. I paid $129 and got free shipping...it had a $65 rebate, so in the end I only paid $65 for it. Great deal, great printer. I'm very happy with it.

I have a Dell Photo All-in-One Printer Photo 966, and it's a total rip off when it comes to replacing cartridges, which run out far too quickly, can not be re-filled and can only be purchased through Dell. And on top of that the software warns me cartridges need replacing when they don't.

What needs replacing is the whole darned printer. A laser next time? For me, yes. Can't really complain though - the whole new set-up was a gift for which I was grateful.

megan_d said:

Does a laser printer really make that big a difference though? Or should I instead pay to get my MS printed out at an Office Works or the like?

Click to expand...

If you're going to print a lot (for editing, submission, etc.) then yes, invest in a laser printer. You can get one for $100-150 now ($250 and up for color), and the toners are expensive but they last thousands of pages. It'll be cheaper (and obviously more convenient) than a copy shop. And yes, print quality is better as well (even the cheapest laser offers resolution like 600 dpi). And you don't have to wait for the ink to dry as you would with inkjet.

The only thing you can't really do with laser is print glossy photos. That you need inkjet and special photo papers.

I bought a laserjet a while ago and I'm in love with it. It's definitely worth the investment. We've had it for about 2-3 years now and the tonner hasn't needed replacement even though we use it a lot (me and my MSs). So yeah, you should definitely buy one. Plus, you won't have to grow old waiting for the entire MS to finish printing.

As soon as I sell my first novel I'll be running to Office Depot to buy me a brand spanking new laser printer.

Otherwise, I can't justify the cost.

megan_d said:

A day I thought would never arrive is fast approaching. The day I finish my MS. Yes, the end is in sight now, the number of scenes left to write numbering less than the fingers on my hand. And then the real fun begins; editing!

I'm thinking that a laser printer is an investment I'm going to have to make. Printing out 250+ pages on an old inkjet every time I want to do a new edit? Ah, no thank you.

Does a laser printer really make that big a difference though? Or should I instead pay to get my MS printed out at an Office Works or the like?

And here I thought the only thing we writers had to worry about were dialogue tags and passive voice!

Click to expand...

Why print out every time you want to do an edit?

But an inkjet, a good one, is pretty fast. I can print 250 pages in thirteen minutes.

If you can easily afford a good laser printer, go for it. But you don;t need one. Inkjets have come a long, long way in the last five years.

I still think ink jet is too slow for heavy use. But the real issue is ink. The cartridges run out way too quickly. I can go for a year or more without changing the laser's toner.

I just bought a HP LaserJet P2015 and love it. It doesn't do color, but will pump out up to about 25 pages/minute. The print is clean and crisp, and as someone (?) pointed out, you can use colored markers for editing without smearing the print. Resolution is 1200x1200, but you can drop it to 600x600 if you want to push the life of the toner cartridge.

If I want color I use another HP inkjet that I've used for years. But it's too slow for printing manuscripts.

My laser printer was worth every penny. I think I spent around $250 for it. I do a lot of printing out for my volunteer stuff in addition to my writing, so the speed, crispness, and most importantly - the length of time a cartridge lasts - made it soooo worthwhile. I've already printed out at least 50x what I could have on one set of ink cartridges, on the half-full toner that came with my printer. Definitely worth the money to me.

AND I can just click one button to have it print double-sided. Love that feature!

I just considered downgrading my laser for space reasons, but ended up tucking it away in a corner. I re-did research from a few years ago (that led me to choosing the printer I have now, a huge color laser) and realized that switching to inkjet would cost a LOT more money than it seems, & probably make me crazy.

If you're looking to purchase a laser, check http://cnet.com for reviews (AWESOME site!). Also look into a laser that doesn't have a separate drum, but this part gets replaced each time you replace toner. We recently had to replace the drum -- and boy, that was a kick in the wallet. When you narrow down your choices, find out how much replacement ink (inkjet) or toner (laser) will be & how many pages each one will print with each replacement.

I found a study from Britain that showed many cheap inkjets print as little as 30 typed pages before running out of ink, and you could spend upwards of 60 times your original printer cost in replacement ink within 18 months, if you print 30 pages per week.

On my laser, my complete paper + toner printing cost for black & white typed pages is around 3.5 cents per page. You can't get that ANYWHERE if you outsource your printing. So I could print out a 400-page manu for less than $15. If you are serious about writing & submitting, a laser will pay for itself.



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