[Wh05apk]

I currently use an HP officejet 8500A plus which is a great all in one, but I am having problems with it being unable to align (aparently a common problem) rather than spending more time and money trying to fix, I have decided to replace it. I use it for work so probably print about 1,000 sheets per month (mainly black & white) use it as a fax, and also scanner, so need an auto feed, duplex printing/scanning is also important.

Having just spent £70 on replacement cartridges and printheads thinking they were at fault am tempted to buy the same again to be able to re-use them. Previously I have used compatables which "may" have contributed to the problem, HP offer a 3 year guarantee, which off course is voided if non original inks are used.

I have considered laser printers as they are supposed to be cheaper to run, but they seem more expensive, the 940xl cartridges for the HP quote 2200 pages and cost about £20 (for originals) whereas toners for lasers seem to quote 2-2,500 but be £40+ (for originals) am I missing something?

[Jammie dodger]

Originally Posted by Wh05apk

I have considered laser printers as they are supposed to be cheaper to run, but they seem more expensive, the 940xl cartridges for the HP quote 2200 pages and cost about £20 (for originals) whereas toners for lasers seem to quote 2-2,500 but be £40+ (for originals) am I missing something?

If you look for lasers that will take high yield cartridges, you'll probably find them better value. I was just looking at a B&W Samsung that was on offer (now sold out) that has 10,000 page carts available for £130 per cart (genuine) or £41 for a compatible.

In the case of many modern budget priced lasers, you get the laser cheap, but the manufacturers sting you for the genuine toner cartridges with a very high cost for the total page count (and usually small <3,000 page carts). And just like the inkjet market, the manufactures have put chips on their carts and apparently some even use automatic firmware updates to try to block compatible carts and refilled carts from being used. With the discounted prices often available, it can actually be cheaper to throw some low budget lasers away when the cartridge runs out and buy a new one , even allowing for the fact that they are only supplied with part filled starter carts.

[Wh05apk]

Thanks Jammie, I have actually bought a Lexmark 901 for £120, cartridges seem cheap, I bought 8 Lexmark ones for £29 from Costco as well, each one is supposed to last 500 pages, so they seem cheap enough to actually use genuine ones! admittedly still about double the price of your samsung with compatibles, but I have had a couple of inkjets die on me, possibly due to compatibles, so as this one has a 5 year warranty, I will use originals for now.............