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I am doing some last-minute shopping for school supplies, and I need feeback on which printer to buy. I've been searching the forum for printer suggestions, and there doesn't seem to be one consolidated discussion on the subject. I will be using the library a lot, but I am a late-night studier/"getting-shit-done"-er, so I need a decent home office setup with a wireless printer compatible with the Macbook Pro I'll be buying. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm doing a LOT of research before I buy anything. Here is my list of questions:

Inkjet v. Laser? (I've found some fast inkjets that print at 33 ppm, but I am wondering if laser is better overall)
Duplex? Do I even need it?
Pages per minute? What is the minimum I should be looking for?
Color or B&W? This is for law-school-related printing only. Will I need it for notes?
Toner Price/Yield? Which models will save me money?
Fax/Copy/Scan, Copy/Scan, or Printing only?
Print quality?
Are scanned PDFs searchable?
Will I need to scan legal-size documents?

If you can suggest specific models, that would be great. I was recently looking at the printers that come discounted with Mac purchases too, which are all inkjets: HP Photosmart e-All-In-One (or something), Epson Workforce 615, and Epson Artisan 810. Any other suggestions on supplies are welcome too. Thanks!

Seriously?

v. dentata wrote:I am doing some last-minute shopping for school supplies, and I need feeback on which printer to buy. I've been searching the forum for printer suggestions, and there doesn't seem to be one consolidated discussion on the subject. I will be using the library a lot, but I am a late-night studier/"getting-shit-done"-er, so I need a decent home office setup with a wireless printer compatible with the Macbook Pro I'll be buying. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm doing a LOT of research before I buy anything. Here is my list of questions:

Inkjet v. Laser? (I've found some fast inkjets that print at 33 ppm, but I am wondering if laser is better overall)
Duplex? Do I even need it?
Pages per minute? What is the minimum I should be looking for?
Color or B&W? This is for law-school-related printing only. Will I need it for notes?
Toner Price/Yield? Which models will save me money?
Fax/Copy/Scan, Copy/Scan, or Printing only?
Print quality?
Are scanned PDFs searchable?
Will I need to scan legal-size documents?

If you can suggest specific models, that would be great. I was recently looking at the printers that come discounted with Mac purchases too, which are all inkjets: HP Photosmart e-All-In-One (or something), Epson Workforce 615, and Epson Artisan 810. Any other suggestions on supplies are welcome too. Thanks!

Just get a basic, brand name printer. But more than the cost of the printer, look at the cost of the ink. If you're using it a lot, that can add up fast.

Tanicius wrote:Seriously?

Yeah, seriously. A few hundred dollars is a lot for me to spend. Plus I figure this will help other people out as well who are in my same moneyless situation. Thanks for your input.

This HP works great and has low ink costs:

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/prin ... 3A%2523B1H



All-around performer

• Get laser quality at speeds up to 15 pages/minute black and 11 color4; get maximum speeds of 35 black, 34 color##
• Get bolder blacks, more vivid color, and less smearing when using plain papers with the ColorLok technology
• Print water-resistant documents on plain paper with pigment inks designed for business5
• Network your all-in-one via wired Ethernet or wireless 802.11g6
• Print up to 500 sheets without reloading via the optional 250-sheet tray (sold separately)
• Access photos and insert images into documents via memory card slots 7
• Get high-quality faxing, scanning, and copying, plus automatic double-sided printing, all in one machine
• Copy and scan documents up to 8.5 x 14" on the legal-size glass

Amazon is currently selling it for $236.00

Get a simple black only laser printer, you won't regret it. Many law students I know who didn't as 1Ls did as 2Ls. They can cost as little as 50-80 bucks, and while toner is expensive per purchase it is MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper than ink over the long run, plus it has stellar print quality.

I got a corporate class color laserjet off craigslist for less than $200. Lots of business are shutting down...check around. I'd recommend laser over inkjet. When it comes time for resumes, it will look way more professional.

Don't most law schools give you like 2,000 pages per semester or something in their computer labs?

hoopsguy6 wrote:Don't most law schools give you like 2,000 pages per semester or something in their computer labs?

This is true, but I have a Brothers laser printer that is really nice. It prints like 23ppm and its less that $100

StrictlyLiable wrote:

hoopsguy6 wrote:Don't most law schools give you like 2,000 pages per semester or something in their computer labs?

This is true, but I have a Brothers laser printer that is really nice. It prints like 23ppm and its less that $100

The page amount varies greatly. When it comes time for resumes and such, you'll want to use premium paper which could be difficult in a school printer with other people printing.

If you can, laser printer all the way.

Unless you are planning on living at the law school, being able to print whenever you want becomes a valued convenience. As someone mentioned, it's also helps out during interview season, because the public access printers often don't take resume paper (or the drums on them haven't been maintained very well and the print quality is less than ideal).

If you have the money, I would actually get an all-in-one machine, and one that can handle duplexing.

Check out the cheap Brother laser printers. They're around $150-$300 and pretty reliable. Should be available at any Staples or Office Depot.

TTH wrote:Check out the cheap Brother laser printers. They're around $150-$300 and pretty reliable. Should be available at any Staples or Office Depot.

You can get a wireless monotone brother laser for $80 on amazon.

Brother HL-2170W

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-2170W- ... 059&sr=8-1

Great printer.

Just remember to cover up the sensor on the toner cartridge so you get to use all of the ink.

LawSchoolWannaBe wrote:Brother HL-2170W

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-2170W- ... 059&sr=8-1

Great printer.

Just remember to cover up the sensor on the toner cartridge so you get to use all of the ink.

If you're going to get this printer I'd monitor it. In the last few days it's gone from $80 to $80 and ships in 2 weeks to no longer sold by amazon to $120 to $80 to $135.. buy it when it's 80, obviously. I would have but I don't want to move it with me so I'm waiting until I move into my apartment =/... hope it's reasonable then. If not I'm going with this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZIPKQO/

sibley wrote:

LawSchoolWannaBe wrote:Brother HL-2170W

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-2170W- ... 059&sr=8-1

Great printer.

Just remember to cover up the sensor on the toner cartridge so you get to use all of the ink.

If you're going to get this printer I'd monitor it. In the last few days it's gone from $80 to $80 and ships in 2 weeks to no longer sold by amazon to $120 to $80 to $135.. buy it when it's 80, obviously. I would have but I don't want to move it with me so I'm waiting until I move into my apartment =/... hope it's reasonable then. If not I'm going with this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZIPKQO/

Agreed. The price for the HL-2170W fluctuates a lot. I'd pull the trigger once you find it for less than $100.

If laser, HL-2170W. You can get toners for as low as $20 on eBay and Amazon.com.


If inkjet, choose one from Amazon.com that has 4.5/5 stars and is easy to refill.


My last Canon printer (MX330) was easy as pie to refill. Hold the cancel button for about 5-8 seconds to reset the annoying page counter, drill a hole into cartridge, inject a few mL of ink, retape hole, voila! Literally pay pennies to refill for each dollar you'd normally pay for a whole new cartridge.


I have the 2170W mainly because I've gotten sick of inkjets breaking down after 2 years and I like how the paper doesn't jam as easily. But if you want to get bang for buck, get an inkjet.


That's all I can say for now.

blowhard wrote:I got a corporate class color laserjet off craigslist for less than $200. Lots of business are shutting down...check around. I'd recommend laser over inkjet. When it comes time for resumes, it will look way more professional.

True, but you can't just get a printer for resumes. Just print resumes at the library and save money on printing class documents by going inkjet the rest of the time.

zeth006 wrote:

blowhard wrote:I got a corporate class color laserjet off craigslist for less than $200. Lots of business are shutting down...check around. I'd recommend laser over inkjet. When it comes time for resumes, it will look way more professional.

True, but you can't just get a printer for resumes. Just print resumes at the library and save money on printing class documents by going inkjet the rest of the time.

inkjets are NOT a better bang for buck. the whole idea is they're cheaper on a smaller scale. but if you only have to replace your toner once a year, versus your ink 4 times a year... a $60 toner is clearly a better deal than a $30 ink cartridge. especially considering ink dries up and clogs.

I second the brother laser printer. I have the HL-2140 (basically the HL-2170 without the wireless feature). Toner is cheap and easy to refill. One thing about these printers you should be aware of is that it draws a lot of power. When powering on the printer, I've had my surge protect trip in numerous occasions and cause my desktop to shut down. If you are not running a desktop or a lot of other electronic equipment than needs a continuous supply of power, you should be ok.

Check websites like slickdeals.net. You can sometimes find printers (and other supplies) at much better prices if you keep an eye out.

The HL-2170 was $65 last month: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread ... &t=2141050

Lastly, check with school computer labs and/or law school library. You may have access to free printing. Our school allows us to print up to 750 pages per semester at no cost. That is usually plenty for notes and outlines.

Excellent thread. The right printer could mean the difference between WLRK and doc review in Boise, ID.

SoftBoiledLife wrote:Excellent thread. The right printer could mean the difference between WLRK and doc review in Boise, ID.

180

TLS007 wrote:I second the brother laser printer. I have the HL-2140 (basically the HL-2170 without the wireless feature). Toner is cheap and easy to refill. One thing about these printers you should be aware of is that it draws a lot of power. When powering on the printer, I've had my surge protect trip in numerous occasions and cause my desktop to shut down. If you are not running a desktop or a lot of other electronic equipment than needs a continuous supply of power, you should be ok.

Check websites like slickdeals.net. You can sometimes find printers (and other supplies) at much better prices if you keep an eye out.

The HL-2170 was $65 last month: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread ... &t=2141050

Lastly, check with school computer labs and/or law school library. You may have access to free printing. Our school allows us to print up to 750 pages per semester at no cost. That is usually plenty for notes and outlines.

If you read the instructions that came with your laser printer it says not to plug into a surge suppressor, power strip, or battery backup. A laser printer heating the drum uses almost as much power as a refrigerator. I've actually seen a strip catch on fire from this.

sibley wrote:

zeth006 wrote:

blowhard wrote:I got a corporate class color laserjet off craigslist for less than $200. Lots of business are shutting down...check around. I'd recommend laser over inkjet. When it comes time for resumes, it will look way more professional.

True, but you can't just get a printer for resumes. Just print resumes at the library and save money on printing class documents by going inkjet the rest of the time.

inkjets are NOT a better bang for buck. the whole idea is they're cheaper on a smaller scale. but if you only have to replace your toner once a year, versus your ink 4 times a year... a $60 toner is clearly a better deal than a $30 ink cartridge. especially considering ink dries up and clogs.

Very credited. Laser printers cost about a quarter as much per page. You will get 2,000-3,000 pages per toner versus 100-200 per inkjet cartridge. If you don't print a lot, inkjet cartridges will dry out while toner will not.