Printer - Laser or Ecotank (?) Need all-in-one B&W with WiFi/LAN - 100 pages/month

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Hi guys,
I’ve been using a Brother laser printer for the last 12 years, but lately, it has been giving me a lot of issues. The service advisor has recommended replacing the printer.

I am confused between a Laser and an Ecotank printer.

My usage and requirements are as under-

  • Home usage

  • 100 pages per month

  • Black & White

  • Network - Ethernet or WiFi

  • Scanner/Copier

  • Auto-duplex

Keeping these in mind, which would be a good option? I am open to both Brother and other companies, but my preference would lie with Brother.

TIA!

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Whichever you choose, stay away from HP.

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That seems to be the general advice across the board. I’d like to stick to Brother, or check out other brands such as Epson or Canon.

Any suggestions?

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I’ve had good luck with a brother laser printer. Lighter use than yours though. Wifi version. Printing off a phone works. You need a pc for first time setup though

Model L2541DW. Offline purchase in Bangalore

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I have brother ink tank printer in use since almost 4 years. Family uses it on and off, not very heavy use. Only now blank ink had to be refilled and rest almost empty too.
Has given 0 issues. inktanks i think are cheaper for high usage. Print quality is okayish, not going to frame a photo printed from it. Text is fine. Happy with it.

Brother DCP-T220

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Thanks for the review.
Just wanted to confirm, are you saying that you had to refill black ink after almost 4 years from the day you got the printer?

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yes, but this will depend on usage. Also inktank ink cost/per page is supposed to be cheapest.

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HP 126 the best of all. Ink tank not advisable has you volume is only 100 pages per month. For keeping healthy ink tank printers you have to print atleast 3 -5 pages / day.

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There is no comparison of an inkjet and laser printer. Laser printer will work fine even if you don’t print for a year as long as you are in a moisture free place. The same can’t be said of an inkjet printer (may be even after a month), whether tank or cartridge based. I don’t think one should even consider inkjet for black and white printing. Only place where inkjet has an edge is in color prints as color laser printers are prohibitively expensive.

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Just fyi - This may be true, but in my case, almost 4 years printer is doing fine without everyday use.
I kinda was unsure of inktank too because of same reason, but family member wanted it.
We use it, but not too frequently - it hasn’t given any trouble so far, that too in humid mumbai.

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11

For B&W, laser toners are much more cheaper when it comes to cost per page. I have used both.

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Inkjet is only good for the colour printing it brings, and the option to print family photos. If you just want black and white, Laser is the obvious choice, you should not even consider inkjets. Even if the cost per page is comparable between laser and inktank, you are always running the risk of having your print head blocked from dried ink if you leave your inkjet unused for a few weeks.

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Bought this Brother inktank printer during September 2019. Last month refilled the black ink. Have been printing occasionally like 10 to 15 pages on a monthly basis. Comes with a scanner and photocopier but no wifi. Print quality is good but not over the top. Bought it for around 12.5K.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07DGBHDZC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Thank you, everyone for your suggestions and views. They’ve been super helpful. Based on the consensus here I have decided to go for a laser printer. I went to Nehru Place today to explore some options, here is what I found -

  • HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2606sdw - [Link](’

https://www.flipkart.com/hp-laserjet-tank-mfp-2606sdw-printer-multi-function-monochrome-laser/p/itma07fd8a80292c?pid=PRNGCYE22ZWZSUHU&lid=LSTPRNGCYE22ZWZSUHUHKMXNT&marketplace=FLIPKART&cmpid=content_printer_8965229628_gmc’

) - Rs.21,300/-

  • Brother DCP-B7640DWB - [Link](’

DCP-B7640DWB Multifunction WIFi Duplex ADF | Brother India’

)- Rs.22,000/-

  • Canon MF272dw - [Link](’

Printing - imageCLASS MF272dw - Specification - Canon India’

) - Rs.14,000/- w/o ADF

  • Brother DCP-B7620DWB - [Link](’

https://www.brother.in/en/printers/all-printers/dcp-b7620dwb’

) - Rs.19,500/- w/o ADF

I consulted a trustworthy printer repair shop, and he recommended that I steer clear of HP since this particular model has many issues, many of which are in the service centre even during the warranty period. The main issue is with the toner tank, which gets choked, or the drum becomes faulty - which is an expense of Rs.6-8k.

So, with HP out of the picture, the remaining choice is between Canon and Brother. The Canon model is the cheapest, but the toner replacement is very expensive, almost 5k. Whereas Brother’s toner costs about 800. Further, the person at the repair shop said Canon parts are relatively expensive, whereas Brother parts are sometimes hard to find.

I’m in a bit of a conundrum. Going by the economics of initial acquisition cost, the Canon one makes the most sense, but in terms of long-term ownership, the Brother one makes more sense.

Does anyone here have any experience with Canon laser printers? What would you guys recommend between these options or any other ones?

Thank you everyone for your insightful feedback!

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I have faced this problem. Unable to find parts for Brother/Ricoh and everything is expensive for Canon. But at least you can buy spares for Canon.

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The Best of ALL the Above Model HP M126nw, Less Problem and Low Running Cost

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Interesting. I would have gone with Canon without a doubt if the toner was not so prohibitively expensive. I’ll look for a compatible toner.

This would have been a good buy, but it doesn’t have auto-duplex. If I am shopping in the price range of 20k, I might as well go with Brother and get all the features. Though, this model was recommended to me by the printer repair shop too. So definitely one of the better models out there.

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I bought brother B7535DW recently. It does everything, never had a problem.

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Hey guys, wanted to update everyone here. I bought the Brother DCP-B7620DWB ([Link](’

https://www.brother.in/en/printers/all-printers/dcp-b7620dwb’

)) for Rs.18,700/- from Nehru Place.

The factors that leaned into my decision -

  • Low toner cost - The toner for the 7620 and 7640 (w/ ADF) costs ~800 with a print capacity of 2600 pages. It’s the lowest in the market right now and I’d really prefer a toner that I don’t have to refill and is easy on the pocket in the long term. Canon would have been cheaper, but the original toner costs about 4-5k and nobody in Nehru Place had much of an idea about the cost of the compatible one.

  • Auto-Duplex - No other company apart from the discounted Canon on Flipkart has auto-duplex in this price range.

The installation guy will come tomorrow to set it up (don’t ask me why they need to do that), and I’m avoiding opening the box until he comes, lest there is some manufacturing defect. Would be happy to answer any questions that anyone has.

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When you open the box, the printer will be covered in a big plastic wrapper bag, don’t throw it away, get a printer stand of some sort which is the size of the printer, so when your printer is not in use, use the bag upside down as cover to prevent dust from entering the printer.

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