Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Another factor for your consideration is the availability/cost of supplies including ink/toner, paper, and consumables (in some laser printers). When I had a color laser I found that although the big office supply stores, and Amazon listed the toner cartridges and even the consumable parts — they were seldom, if ever, in stock at the local store and had to be ordered, and unless I was willing to spend 50 to 100% over the cost of the cartridge for expedited overnight shipping, if I ordered on Monday I was lucky to get delivery by Friday.

fortunately, toner has a shelf life measured in years, so feel free to keep a spare on hand. When you need it, swap it and go, and place your order for the new spare. Go from 25 minutes of downtime (trip to the store) to instant-up.


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As to media, there is a definite and distinct difference in media for laser and inkjet printers. Plain paper, photo paper, labels, etc. for inkjets are far more readily available, and often less expensive, than media optimized for laser printers.

While toner carts DO cost more than inkjet carts, they print MAAAANY more copies. You're comparing hundreds against thousands. Paying 4-6x the cost gets you (at the very least) a good 25 times the prints. Laserjets are incredibly cheaper to run. (and so much faster, even by the single sheet, and absolutely blow away inkjets as soon as you go past a single page)


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While the media for lasers are often not stocked in stores or there is a very limited selection, you can get media for inkjets at stores like Walgreensâ„¢ or the Dollar Storeâ„¢.

Again you can just keep a spare on-hand for however long you need to - months, years, it's good for at least a few years as long as you don't store it somewhere extreme. No need to worry about how long it takes to get in the replacement since you'll likely have at least several months to go on the spare you just swapped in before needing another swap. I order that sort of stuff online, or you might just be able to order at walmart online, and then go pick it up in a few days when it arrives.


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