So, after my rant and some re-thinking, I went ahead and bought a Brother HL-L3230CDW LED digital printer. Same idea as a laser printer, AFAIK, uses toner cartridges.

I changed my mind based on two factors:

1. I decided I was putting WAY too much faith in Amazon reviews, particularly the critical ones. Some folks are just too damned picky, this is for home use, not a professional print shop.

2. Somebody in this thread pointed me to aftermarket toner cartridges at a MUCH more reasonable price. Under $30 each for this model.

Arrived yesterday, got it set up and even on ordinary paper the color print quality is more than good enough for me. I expect when I get some photo paper it will be excellent, especially at the $210 price tag. I've paid more than that for inkjet printers.

Also want to try some water-transfer decal sheets, I'd love to be able to print custom decals for my modeling efforts.