OT: solid, linux-friendly color laser printer

[Kurt Granroth]

On 8/11/10 5:22 PM, Jason Hayes wrote:
> Looking to pick up a sub $500 all-in-one color laser printer
> (print/scan/copy/fax). Anyone out there have any suggestions?
>
>   - Compatible with Linux always a plus (currently using Kubuntu 9.10 -
> planning to upgrade to 10.04 in a few months)
> - wireless would be nice, but isn't essential
> - network ready
> - low cost toner replacement is big too
>
> Have read good reviews so far on HP CM1312nfi and the Brother MFC-9320CW and
> Staples has both on sale right now.

Brother has typically had good Linux compatibility.  I have  Brother 
MFC-9420CN that has worked 100% in Linux "out of the box".  It's also 
rock-solid.  I actually dropped the printer from a distance of 3 or 4 
feet and all 40-50 or so pounds of it came crashing to the floor!  Some 
of the plastic bits snapped, but the machine itself showed no ill 
effects.  Everything still worked perfectly.  Amazing!

Still... dunno that I'd get a color laser again.  It's just too 
ponderous.  It takes a good minute or so to get going and makes quite 
the racket while doing so.  Sure, it can print quite a few pages per 
minute once you get going... but if you only want to print off 1 page, 
it's pretty inconvenient to have to wait so long for that page.  Also, 
it sucks down electricity like you wouldn't believe.  If you don't have 
it on its own circuit, then it'll rob the power from everything else on 
the circuit.  Lights dim; UPSes beep; computers falter; stuff like that.

So my next printer is going to be an all-in-one wireless auto-duplex ink 
jet.