Best printer for grad students?

[lifetimestudent]

I've started looking for a new printer for grad school. My criteria: Laser printer that does duplex. If I can get it for cheap that would be good as well but I am looking for it to last me 5+ years so I am not looking fr the cheapo $99 versions.

So far the best deal I can find is the HP P2035 ($199), but that doesn't do duplex. The HP P2055dn ($359) has duplex and also a bunch of other features, but is way more expensive. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this issue?

[UnlikelyGrad]

I've started looking for a new printer for grad school. My criteria: Laser printer that does duplex. If I can get it for cheap that would be good as well but I am looking for it to last me 5+ years so I am not looking fr the cheapo $99 versions.

So far the best deal I can find is the HP P2035 ($199), but that doesn't do duplex. The HP P2055dn ($359) has duplex and also a bunch of other features, but is way more expensive. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this issue?

My home printer is a Brother--similar to the current 5250dn but I think the generation before. I love this thing. We found it on eBay, refurbished, at an awesome price. (Can't remember the actual price but I think it was under $200 with shipping.) It almost never jams up, even when duplexing hundreds of pages. The toner cartridges last a long time, too.

[lifetimestudent]

My home printer is a Brother--similar to the current 5250dn but I think the generation before. I love this thing. We found it on eBay, refurbished, at an awesome price. (Can't remember the actual price but I think it was under $200 with shipping.) It almost never jams up, even when duplexing hundreds of pages. The toner cartridges last a long time, too.

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't really want to purchase refurbished b/c I want it to last a long time - I look at it as an investment.

[rising_star]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't really want to purchase refurbished b/c I want it to last a long time - I look at it as an investment.

Refurbished doesn't mean that it won't last a long time...

[timuralp]

Refurbished doesn't mean that it won't last a long time...

And new doesn't mean it won't die after 1 year...

By the way, the best printers I found are the ones that are free on campus. Is that not an option or you long for the convenience of printing at home?

[UnlikelyGrad]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't really want to purchase refurbished b/c I want it to last a long time - I look at it as an investment.

Ours is about 3 years old now and has never had a problem despite printing 1000+ pages per month over the duration of its lifetime.

[pea-jay]

I hate printers, especially home ones. They're made from the cheapest parts or have real expensive cartridges that leads to a surprisingly high cost/page. Check and see if your university has a printing allowance wrapped up into its fee structure. Mine does, I get a certain number of prints automatically. If you have something like that and not an overly large demand for printing, then it may be cheaper to print on campus. Something to think about.

[Phyl]

Best printer I've ever owned is my "free with the laptop" Dell, it's still working beautifully at 7. Ink cost is pretty reasonable the only issue I had was when I got a new laptop and I had to do some fiddling to make them get along.

My boyfriend has a laser print Brother which is really nice, toner isn't cheap but it is long lasting.

My parents just bought an inkjet HP and it hasn't been getting along with any of the computers in the house and it takes up a lot of desk space.

[AwkwardPants]

I definitely agree with everybody who says that you should wait (or look online) to see if you get a printing allotment as part of your fees. My last university allotted graduate/professional students so many pages per semester that I never used them all, even though I did all of my school and personal printing on campus.

[spectralScatter]

I just looked into this also, same criteria of laser printer + duplex. I was comparing Dell, Brother, and HP. The Brother is definitely a better deal at $200 or $300, I don't remember,but I am going to wait until I actually start so that I can figure out the on-campus printing.

[joro]

I have an old HP printer which costs about $50 at the time I bought it. I used during my entire undergrad and never had any kind of problems with it. I think the best printer for a grad student is anything reliable regardless of cost.

If you plan on printing a lot, maybe you should also find a printer which is compatible with a continuous ink system so that you can save money.