currently at home I've got a brother HL-1440. It's a basic B+W laser printer that has worked great for printing most stuff- when I don't want to waste the expensive color ink on the ink jet.

But now either the toner or drum seems to be going-- the pages are printing with a gray hue over them.

So, how do you play the cheap printer/ expensive toner game? Is it time to give it up and just wait for the next $75 - $50 deal on a laser printer? When do you stop buying toner/drums and buy a new machine?

Thanks

---

Actually, I bought a NEW brother laser printer instead of a new DRUM. It was cheaper.

---

******************************

******************************

but you only get the starter toner, so you gotta buy a new one of those soon.

any idea if a "gray page" is a bad drum, or just low on toner?

---

One way to handle the toner issue is to find a toner recycler near you - I call and the next day a renewed toner cartridge shows up at my office. Costs about half of a new one.

I'd call brother. I suspect that its a bad drum but you should verify that.

I don't MIND the starter TONER - I still had some from the old printer.

But, I get a NEW DRUM.

new drum was $170.
New printer was $79.

generic TONER is like $15???? Not much.

---

******************************

******************************

Grey page is bad/used toner. I thought it was the drum as well, but then I found a web site message board where the person/people said to change the toner cartridge. So I did, as drums for the Brothers are expensive. That cleared up my grey page issue!

I've got the 1270, this uses the same drum and cartridge that the faster 1440 use. I guess the cartridge has a collection slot for excess toner, when this fills up it starts redistributing toner.

Oh, here is a link to a clearer explanation. Read the first comment in the yellow box. Brother printers operate differently than other laser printers:

[www.duxcw.com]