Laser Printer Buying for mac

[clearercreation]

Hi all,

I'm in need of an A4 laser printer that prints top quality colour text and imagery, which will obviously be compatible with my mac. It doesn't have to have any other grand features, like copier, scanner etc, but I'm really struggling to find one.

Can anyone suggest a decent laser that won't cost the earth and has a usb port?

Thanks,
confused!

 

[yellow]

Unfortunately, you might be asking a little too much.

Laser printers, while the price has come down a lot, are still pricey for the higher quality ones.

Add to that you want color, which increases the price vastly (despite prices having come down on those too).

I would suggest ditching the need/want for USB if it becomes troublesome. You might find the best deal on a networkable laser printer, to which you would have to add a low cost router to make it work for you.

Beyond that, I would suggest running as far away from Lexmark as possible. I prefer HP laser printers.

 

[clearercreation]

thanks for that, at least I have a start now!

 

[Silencio]

There are some inexpensive color laser printers out there, but they'll cost you a fortune in consumables.

I'm a big fan of Xerox's offerings in this space. Thoughtfully designed hardware and software/drivers, real Adobe Postscript 3, and good support.

The Phaser 6120 is $450 after $50 MIR (at least in the US). Doesn't just have USB, but also full network connectivity (though no Bonjour support, alas).

http://www.macworld.com/2005/12/reviews/xeroxphaser6120/index.php

Xerox's solid ink printers are also worth considering, depending on what your output needs are.

http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=8500_8550

Could you provide more specifics as to what kinds of documents you'll be printing, what kind of content they'll have, and what kinds of quantities per month you expect to print?

 

[IJ Reilly]

It's difficult to answer your question without knowing what you can afford to spend. Last I checked, color laser printers start at around US$350. I haven't seen one yet without USB. Network capability is generally extra, in the neighborhood of $50-100 on most models. The lowest-cost models come without a Postscript interpreter. If you're after print quality, spend a little more to get Postscript (or a clone).

I shopped color lasers about a year ago, comparing the models extensively. None are perfect. They all have their issues, especially at the lower end.