Are non-color printers obsolete?

[TootsieToots]

I'm trying to find a black-ink-only printer, and everywhere I go only sells color inkjets. Does anyone know if -- and more importantly, WHERE -- I can get a non-color, black-ink-only printer???
Thanks!

[brap]

Get a laser. You won't find colour for less than $assload, and the quality far surpasses that of any inkjet.

[furryrabidbunny]

why don't you just go to office max and buy a cheep 40 dollar color printer and not put color ink in it? it will still work without a color ink cartridge.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...e=C9026A%23B1H
fifty bucks. entry level printer. remove the color ink cartridge and put the settings on fast and colorless. Quick black and white papers.

[armandocerna]

Brother makes some excellent low end laser printers I would check out the deals on some place like amazon.com to get an idea. I would say that you can get something decent for between $100 and $200

[pusman83]

We bought an HP black laser printer this spring. Most people don't print anything in colour! :P

And students especially need one for papers, but don't need colour.

[wordmunger]

Originally Posted by TootsieToots

I'm trying to find a black-ink-only printer, and everywhere I go only sells color inkjets. Does anyone know if -- and more importantly, WHERE -- I can get a non-color, black-ink-only printer???
Thanks!

Are you worried about ink costs? Canon inkjets are quite reasonable in that regard. As long as you don't print anything in color, you'll never need to refill your color ink cartridges.

[flyfish29]

I never print in color and should have gotten a laser or something like that so it would be cheaper to print from. I know I am paying a fortune per page for this inkjet and need to go to laser when this one breaks.

Even though the cartridges are more expensive per for laser printers, it is much cheaper to go laser if you can afford the initial investmet of a little more printer.

[wordmunger]

Originally Posted by flyfish29

Even though the cartridges are more expensive per for laser printers, it is much cheaper to go laser if you can afford the initial investmet of a little more printer.

I'm not sure that's really true for me. My canon black print cartridges are about $10 and last about 600 pages. Unless your $80 toner cartridge can print more than 4800 pages, I believe I come out ahead.

[furryrabidbunny]

my black ink cartridges last forever on my hp deskjet 5550. I print on low ink with zero color unless i have to hand something in, then i might up the ink level a tad if i like the teacher. Inkjet printers are as cheep if not cheeper to use than a laser if you know how to use them. Not everything has to have uber good quality.

[flyfish29]

Originally Posted by wordmunger

I'm not sure that's really true for me. My canon black print cartridges are about $10 and last about 600 pages. Unless your $80 toner cartridge can print more than 4800 pages, I believe I come out ahead.

I have never read an arguement that gave specifics of a printer where an ink jet is cheaper. Your example is the first that puts inkjet at a similar cost- Since most ink jet cartridges are from 20 to 30 now I would guess my arguement holds true. Ink jet cartridges can range from 2,000 to over 6,000 pages per cartridge in my experiences. Obviously the cost of lasers and cartridges go up with the quantity.

Speed is also a factor that most lasers tend to be much faster at printing and ink won't run with water. Reliability tends to be better as well.

As far as the example just given above by furryrabidbunny I could adjust the print quality, etc on a laser just as easily as an injet. There is a reason they can sell something for so cheap. They make a killing on ink cartridges. Read Macworld, or any other mac or PC magazine and time after time their studies show laser to be cheapest.

That being said, I still have an inkjet and I milk all I can out of every stinking $29 ink cartirdge. (actually got an off brand cartridge for around $18 last time around.)

[furryrabidbunny]

Originally Posted by flyfish29

I have never read an arguement that gave specifics of a printer where an ink jet is cheaper. Your example is the first that puts inkjet at a similar cost- Since most ink jet cartridges are from 20 to 30 now I would guess my arguement holds true. Ink jet cartridges can range from 2,000 to over 6,000 pages per cartridge in my experiences. Obviously the cost of lasers and cartridges go up with the quantity.

Speed is also a factor that most lasers tend to be much faster at printing and ink won't run with water. Reliability tends to be better as well.

As far as the example just given above by furryrabidbunny I could adjust the print quality, etc on a laser just as easily as an injet. There is a reason they can sell something for so cheap. They make a killing on ink cartridges. Read Macworld, or any other mac or PC magazine and time after time their studies show laser to be cheapest.

That being said, I still have an inkjet and I milk all I can out of every stinking $29 ink cartirdge. (actually got an off brand cartridge for around $18 last time around.)

my ink cartridges cost about twenty a piece for a black one, and they last awhile. That being said, my printer is not the cheepest on the market (although, it should be, i hate it). I've owned two HP printers, and their ink has always lasted for a good amount of time. I also own a canon that is on the family's old computer, and that thing eats ink. It came free with my eMac, and for good reason. They charge about 15 a cartridge, but if you do normal printing, you probably have to buy one every month. One thing I also do with my HP is i totally ignore low ink warnings. I have had one for about two months. I have seen zero loss in print quality. I wait till it is impossible to print.

[mojohanna]

isn't the knock on inkjet cartridges the fact that they contain the most expensive liquid on earth (on a per oz basis)? I have nothing to prove/disprove, but that is one of the aguments that I have heard in the past.

[notjustjay]

Originally Posted by wordmunger

I'm not sure that's really true for me. My canon black print cartridges are about $10 and last about 600 pages. Unless your $80 toner cartridge can print more than 4800 pages, I believe I come out ahead.

I'm pretty sure one can fairly routinely get well over 5000 pages on a toner cartridge -- some are rated at 10,000. Worst case, we pay the same, but my printing is faster, crisper, and won't run when the page is wet.

[law guy]

Originally Posted by TootsieToots

I'm trying to find a black-ink-only printer, and everywhere I go only sells color inkjets. Does anyone know if -- and more importantly, WHERE -- I can get a non-color, black-ink-only printer???
Thanks!

I too am a bit puzzeled by the question. But, as has been suggested, how about a laser?

If you just long for the good ol' days, this laser printer linked below is under $200.00 - it was only a few years ago that a black ink only inkjet would have set you back more $$, so think of it as the price of those black ink only printers that are no longer made - except you can have good quality at 21 ppm now. Good luck finding something you like.

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/...pno~388620.asp

[wordmunger]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

I'm pretty sure one can fairly routinely get well over 5000 pages on a toner cartridge -- some are rated at 10,000. Worst case, we pay the same, but my printing is faster, crisper, and won't run when the page is wet.

Possibly true, but you payed more for the initial purchase, and you don't have the option of printing in color when you need to. I've occasionally thought about buying a laser printer to supplement my inkjet, but could never justify the investment. The runny ink is very occasionally a problem, but I don't really have anywhere to put two printers, and I might as well just stick with the one that works fine for 99.9 percent of what I do.

[biohazard6969]

hooray for toner!

[Sparky's]

Leaving out a "color" cartridge will not work in most inkjets. If you (for example) let the color cartridge run out in an Epson Inkjet (or a black for that matter) the light will blink for a time warning you that it's low on ink, but when the light turns solid, NO PRINTING! the printer will not allow you to print anything until it's replaced. Kind of like a self defense mechanism.

Manufacturers of printers design them so that they can lure you with a low price then hammer you with the consumables. That's why so many "computer deals" come with FREE printers. For example an average inkjet may cost about $100 but then you pay from 25 to 30 $US for the Black and Color cartridges so your looking at about 50 to 60 $ for both cartridges and not so good quality, whereas a Laser printer may cost $500+ dollars and the toner cartridge will run around $80 but you get one hell of a lot more pages at a hell of a lot better quality.

Since the majority of my printing at home is B&W I have an old HP 4MV I picked up on eBay for about $150 and pay about $85 for toner which lasts for almost a year. I also have an Epson 850n I use for just printing "photo quality" prints when the family wants hard copy of the last Zoo trip

Just my 2¢

[TootsieToots]

Thanks to all who've helped with my question...however, I guess I didn't phrase it too well.

Basically, I have an HP Photoshop 7600(?)-series ink-jet printer, but my girlfriend uses it quite often to print out plain B&W copies/word docs (she's a teacher), thus running the black ink cartridge dry. Great printer and all (I'm a big HP fan), but like most color printers, once one cartridge is empty, the printer stops working.

Hence me asking about black-ink only printers.

I'd like to get a cheap one, ink jet preferably, as it will only be used to print basic word docs. I know that laser printers are a good option, but they seem very expensive, and a cheap color ink-jet will only lead me to the problem I have now.

Any suggestions would be great.

[notjustjay]

I've seen laser printers on sale for $99 Canadian dollars! That's like, $22 USD! (No, seriously, that's about $80 USD?) Granted, those won't be top-of-the-line, nor will their toners be the world's cheapest to run.

Those were, as I recall, Boxing Day sale prices last year, so I expect it to happen again this year.

As for the color issue, I actually bought a color laser, and that cost me $599 Canadian ($490 USD)... but that's a whole other story.

Edit: here is one from TigerDirect.com for $55 after mail in rebate!

[HiRez]

The HP LaserJet 1012 rocks. I completely replaced my inkjet with it and I don't miss it at all. Yes, there's no color, but it's fast, quiet, sharp, smudgeless, and most importantly doesn't drink ink before I can use it, so it's a lot more economical in the long run. I think I bought it for $150 at Staples.

[macapple]

what are you talking about look at the amount of lasers on the market

[katie ta achoo]

Originally Posted by mojohanna

isn't the knock on inkjet cartridges the fact that they contain the most expensive liquid on earth (on a per oz basis)? I have nothing to prove/disprove, but that is one of the aguments that I have heard in the past.

Not the MOST expensive, but it's up there!
accd. to cockeyed.com ( I LOVE THAT GUY!!)
http://cockeyed.com/science/gallon/liquid.html
it's $2701 per gallon.

/gets her inkjet refill kits from the dollar store.. and they work perfectly!

[narco]

I don't know why you would go for a B&W inkjet over a laser. For what you pay in ink, you would be paying more in the long-run for a cheaper printer.

I bought an HP 1200 B&W laser printer about 4 years ago, and it's STILL running great (even in Tiger!) and I haven't replaced the toner ONCE (and when I bought it, it was USED!).

Really, your best bet is a laser printer. Sure it may cost more than an inkjet, but you'll get your money's worth.

Fishes,
narco.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by HiRez

The HP LaserJet 1012 rocks. I completely replaced my inkjet with it and I don't miss it at all. Yes, there's no color, but it's fast, quiet, sharp, smudgeless, and most importantly doesn't drink ink before I can use it, so it's a lot more economical in the long run. I think I bought it for $150 at Staples.

I second that. I paid $85 (open box) for mine from an auction site. Works like a charm with my Airport Express. Less clutter and wires on the desk.

[mad jew]

Originally Posted by katie ta achoo

Not the MOST expensive, but it's up there!
accd. to cockeyed.com ( I LOVE THAT GUY!!)
http://cockeyed.com/science/gallon/liquid.html
it's $2701 per gallon.

/gets her inkjet refill kits from the dollar store.. and they work perfectly!

Sigh. Wouldn't you know it, I've just run out of scorpion venom...