Any decent color laser printers for around $100?

Hi,

Are there any decent color laser printers available for around $100 just for home use? I've seen some on ebay in that price range, but don't know if they're worth using or not. It would only be a dozen or so pages a month at most. I've got an ink printer that does ok for text but for any sort of picture it is horrible!!! Also anything that involves color is always terrible even with new cartridges. All of the laser prints I've seen have looked great, but they have always been from a copy place where I go to get decent prints made. Is it possible to get a decent laser printer so I don't have to go to a copy place whenever I want a decent picture or color print?

Thank you for any help with this!
David

 

That's a very low budget to be honest - I don't think you can get a decent laser printer for that.

I would not buy a laser printer used in that price range either because the first consumable that goes out will cost you more than what you paid for the printer at that budget (toner/drum cartridge probably, either due to running out of toner or a quality issue.)

I guess you would have to look at a closeout of an old model or maybe a new printer in a damaged box or something like that. Make sure the drivers support the computer OS you are using.

Are you using quality inkjet paper with your current inkjet? With laser uncoated paper is fine; with inkjet the paper being coated correctly makes a big difference to print quality.

 

No, in fact I was unaware that it makes any difference. What should I look for to try a better quality paper? By now I've pretty much given up on the laser printer idea. Maybe a better inkjet printer? So far I've only bought the cheapest ones I could find, which have done ok for black and white text but for color and pictures have always been very poor.

Thank you for your help!
David

 

I don't know whether you currently have an HP, Epson, or Canon inkjet. I recommend you start by getting a small pack of coated inkjet paper and a small pack of gloss coated from the manufacturer matching your printer. This will give you a good ballpark of what your printer can do. The coated inkjet paper has a clay type coating. Once you feel it you'll know it any time you touch it. The smooth coating keeps the ink from soaking or wicking into the paper and you'll see much blacker blacks, sharper and more vibrant colors.

Make sure your print driver is set for the paper loaded. The driver usually reserves the high quality settings for inkjet coated or photo papers. Granted entry level inkjets usually print very slowly in the highest quality setting; this shouldn't be a big issue if you only print a handfull of prints a month.