I have a Brother HL-3170CDW printer that was good when new but is failing. It randomly no longer connects, the printer status on the computer says it's powered off when it not.

It also has a bad roller and leaves marks on the page. The biggest issue is the power draw, which may not be avoidable, but it dims the lights when it prints. 15A circuit in a bedroom with not much else.

It's set up on the WAN with no hardwired connection.


Any suggestions? We don't print a ton but I use it for stages for USPSA matches, some school work and general stuff.

Does it have to be color?

If you need color but are not using it often, compare the pricing of a printing service, as Staples might be a better option.

I have a b&w Brother, and use Staples when I need color. Far cheaper for me than maintaining a color setup (even the lower cost Brother units).

If you still decide you want a color laser, I've had good luck with the HP Laserjet Pro M454, in a previous work setting. Great print quality, no jams, but not sure of toner life/ cost as it was business stocked.

I have a Brother HL-L3230CDW "LED" color printer.

Output is very nice, aftermarket toner is available quite reasonably. I don't use it a lot, mostly just to print photos and color decals but it's been fine so far.

Quite reasonably priced too.

I have a canon multifunction.
Separate toners for each color.
Double sided printing , great copier function etc.
I had a Brother before ,and it died , but I do think the canon is nicer.

A monochrome Brother sounds good to me, but is there one that will scan in documents and / or make copies? I have an old Brother color printer that's on its last legs and I use it mainly now like a xerox machine.

quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:
A monochrome Brother sounds good to me, but is there one that will scan in documents and / or make copies? I have an old Brother color printer that's on its last legs and I use it mainly now like a xerox machine.

Here Ya go:

Brother All-in-one

This is a timely thread, I was getting ready to ask the same question. I need a color laser printer w/ scanning capability.

No scanning. I've had issues in the past with all in ones.

Just a color laser with duplex and wireless capability.

I have had good success with HP (larger versions at work) and the HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw at the home office. Easy to print to wirelessly from Windows PC's and iPhones/iPads.

Michael

I have an HP Color Laserjet MP477, and still love it after two years of use. After having several inkjet printers over the years, and spending a lot of money on ink, paper jams, etc., I finally bought this color laser. And it's easy to print with wrelessly from my iPads, as well as remotely. The printer has its own email address, so I can print from anywhere.

Happy with our Epson Product.
Work Force-3620

Have an HP at work and at times the black scan or print has lines thru it.
Thru HP online support they said unplug the power then plug it back in.
Something about line static. I never had a problem with our Epson. Easy to find refilled ink cartridges on line also at a great savings.

I have an HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw in my home office.

Very solid device. I've been quite pleased with it.

LINK

quote:

Originally posted by EZ_B:
I have an HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw in my home office.

Very solid device. I've been quite pleased with it.

LINK

I think I have this one also, have had it 5 year and it's been flawless. It's a laser jet pro 200. All in one.

Costco has the HP M283cdw. It meets your needs - color, wireless, duplex.

Any time I've tried other brands, I've been disappointed with either capability, service, or compatibility.

I went last week and bought the Canon MF743CDW at Staples. It is normally over $500, but is on sale for $379.

I know I will wince when I have to buy cartridges, but damn this thing is fast. Why the heck was I messing around with inkjet for all these years?

(Update)

Well, I was excited about the Canon, but I had some issues. Took it back and bought an HP M283CDW from Costco. This thing rocks.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: holdem,

My HPs just run forever.

I would get an HP, lots of different ones.

Just get something from the business lines, the consumer ones are disposable.

Same thing with Dells and Brothers.

Get something from the business line if you want it to last.

I have had all three types at work.

They are used more in a year than most people would print in a lifetime and they keep chugging along.

Go laser for overall savings, higher initial cost, toner is MUCH cheaper than inkjet inkover time.

We ended up with an HP Color Laser Jet M255dw. So far so good, fired right up and no issues printing from phone, iPad or Windows Laptop.

We're pretty basic users but need a nice print in color sometimes.

HP ColorLaserJet M277 here. It was less than $300 at Best Buy 4 years ago. Runs fine, didn't even have to replace the starter toner cartridges yet.

But I don't use it for BW printing. For that I have an HP 6mp from 1998 that still runs fine and the toner seems to last forever.

See where this is going?

I will never buy an ink jet unless it is a dedicated dye based photo printer. But really, who needs to print photos anymore?

We went with a Canon MF632/634 about two years ago, after getting tired of dealing with ink jet printers killing heads, and otherwise screwing up.

I like it a lot. Still running the original laser cartridge in it. Copies, scans and prints.

Set-up is a bit of a bitch, because finding the drivers on the Canon website is like finding a diamond in a cooler full of ice.

Oh, and the software that allows you to scan is different from the basic printer driver software, and you have to find and install that, too.

All this said, once you are hooked up, it works flawlessly, connecting easily after power failures, taking a laptop out of the house, and then back in, etc. It doesn't seem to suffer from the instability of other systems once you have it hooked up good.

Like you, we only connect through wireless.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ontmark:
Happy with our Epson Product.
Work Force-3620

Have this same printer at home, works great for all my needs. Not a high speed printer but plenty good for home use and ink will not pull your eye's out as the major brands do !!