color printer for a classroom

[(vikm)]

Thanks a lot for all of the input! There's quite a bit of thought that needs to go into it, it seems. A little more than they have provided me or that I considered asking about initially.

I don't anticipate they will use it for anything other than printing. I think they will be working on an initial project that is less photos and more brochure type stuff. Then more photo stuff. They may actually have a scanner for things they need.

Really do appreciate the help and may have to inquire a bit more with them. This is a good start, though.

Thank you all.

[Robert M]

(vikm),

It used to be much easier to buy a printer? Want to save toner? Buy a laser printer? Need color? Buy an inkjet. Need speed? Buy a laser printer. Want to print photos? Bring jpgs to a place that does prints. You get the idea. The lines have blurred tremendously now.

I really wish I could give you a definitive answer. It's just not so easy, especially with variables. Consider...

One of my best friends is a teacher. He prints about 500 to 750 pages per month. He couldn't gauge whether it'd be primarily black and white with some color or a good mix of both. He wants the ability to make photocopies. He wants fast print speeds. He wants wiFi. He wants a very low cost per page when it came to consumables. He already has an inkjet all-in-one that works but is very slow. It's a lower end HP Officejet.

My initial advice was buy a black and white laser all-in-one for his primary output and use the Officejet for what I was betting is only a quantity number of color output. Wifi became a non-issue when I asked him whether he was going to place the printer near his wireless router or elsewhere in his apartment. It's going to be within a few feet of his router. I told him make sure the new machine has ethernet and connect it directly to the router. Wifi became a non-issue.

Then he said he wanted a single machine. That's when I realized that the only choice was a color laser all-in-one. It's the only machine that will do the job for him, even if it's going to be a monster of a machine. It'll give him speed, networking, photocopying, low cost per page, etc. He chose a Brother MFC-9970CDW which he found for a very good price via amazon.com. I can't say I'm a fan of Brother printers but it looked like the right printer for his particular situation.

Once you have more details, post and we'll go through the same process and hopefully help you find the right printer for your particular situation.

Robert