Colour printing: laser vs. inkjet

[Nuclear Krusader]

Howdy,

What is the actual state of colour printing in terms of quality mainly, but also in regard to the cost of consumables?

I know that the quality from a good inkjet is outstanding, and I am wondering if it has been surpassed yet by a laser printer that is not too expensive. I am looking at something in the 100 to 200 dollars range.

I thank in advance for any useful input.

[glc]

Laser color at the low end is nowhere near the quality of a good inkjet. It is not glossy. It's a matte finish. Laser consumables cost is decidedly lower.

[Nuclear Krusader]

I see. Yes, I am concerned too about just how much I'm gonna be spending on ink later on. I am not gonna be printing high volumes of colour pages (most of my printing needs are B&W and those are taken care of by my monochrome laser already), just a few letterheads and a few photos every week.

I don't know if the ink will dry in the cartridges and clog the heads if the printer is not used much.

Since replacing the set of cartridges costs almost as much as a new printer, I wonder if the difference between a printer with 6 inks vs. one with the usual 4 is so great as to justify the higher cost. :confused:

[glc]

Before making a decision, try to go to a store and look at some demo pages.

The only inkjets I can tolerate from a maintenance standpoint are the old HP's, where the print head is part of the cartridge. They are very easy to clean if they clog, just pull the cartridge and swab the head with a Q-tip soaked in hot water. The 2 downsides to this system - print quality is not up to the newest generation inkjets, and the color cartridge is a single tricolor.

A set of toners for a color laser costs as much as a new printer too, but they last a LOT longer than a set of inkjet cartridges. I wouldn't even consider an inkjet with 6 cartridges - the quality may be great, but ink costs a fortune.

[sdkfz]

I have been (that is to say my wife has been) very happy with a HP1518ni - but this is outside your price range by 75.00 at micro center right now.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0287081

I have a 4M sans jet direct card for my use... June 1993 vintage!