Suggestions for a color laser printer

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My Apple Laserwriter 16/600 has finally dies after 15 years of excellent service. It's time for a new laser printer and I'd like to upgrade to a color one. It is surprisingly tough to find a good recommendation. This is for home use and I'd like something wireless, that prints excellent color text and graphics and fairly good photos (I can forgo the photo printing, but hey, I can try can't I?) I want a printer that is fast (at least 20 ppm), doesn't break the bank regard with to toner costs, is fairly easy to set up over a home network (all mac, of course), and is under $1,000.

I'm seriously looking at the Brother HL4570CDWT and the Ricoh C430DN, but the reviews I've found are so contradictory that I'm hesitant to make a decision without further input.

Any suggestions on these, or any other color laser printer, would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
 

cwa107


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That's a pretty tall order. Laser printers, generally, don't print great pictures. They're OK for color business documents, but not much else. They also tend to be slower than dedicated B&W lasers and the toners generally cost about the same, but hold less because they're smaller. Also, aside from price I'm not sure why you'd consider anything made by Brother or Ricoh, who are relative newcomers to the desktop printer market. I would be looking at HP if I were in the market for a laser (but not for an inkjet).

I think you really need to weigh your needs against a laser. Inkjets are very well refined these days - especially the business class machines. What are you looking to print with it?
 
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Sorry your Laserwriter broke. I still use a Pro 630 and have a spare for parts. If you want a color laser stick with an HP or Brother. If you need to do pics an inkjet is best. Ive a little Samsung clp 300. Its ok. Want complain as I got it for free off the side of the road. I also have a Magicolor 2430dl came from the thrift store for $12.00.
 
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Also, aside from price I'm not sure why you'd consider anything made by Brother or Ricoh, who are relative newcomers to the desktop printer market. I would be looking at HP if I were in the market for a laser (but not for an inkjet).

Ummm…. Brother isn't all that new to the desktop market. And when I was shopping for a laser printer, they were better supported than most others on Macs. I've had one for about 6 years now and am very satisfied with it. I do agree that HP would be a top choice also.
 
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I decided to check out what consumersearch.com had to say about monochrome laser printers (I absolutely swear by this site when shopping… their tips are very helpful and the reviews that they reference seem well-researched) and they've found Brother laser printers to be among the best.
Laser Printers: Laser Printer Reviews, Best Laser Printer

As for color laser printers, it'd be worth reading their report on those. Like I said… I absolutely swear by this site for buying advice.
Color Laser Printer Reviews: Best 3 Color Laser Printers

EDIT: I may as well toss in their report on injets too.
http://www.consumersearch.com/inkjet-printers
 
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In my line of work I see more HP ink/laser than any other brand and my personal one
ink is an HP thats 3yrs still going strong.
 

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