OT (sort of): opinions on color laser printers for OSX

[Macs R We]

On May 3, 2007, at 12:00 PM, macosx-talk-request at omnigroup.com wrote:

> Also, look at the Brother color lasers.  I have the HL-2700CN.  It's
> a nice printer for the price.  It is a network printer so you can
> share it.  The color prints are very crisp but photos are nothing
> like you see on a good inkjet.  The downside to the Brother (at least
> my model) is that it's large, heavy, a bit noisy and slow to startup.

The major beef is that it has absolutely no manual feed capability,  
so if you want a single envelope or sheet of labels, you have to  
empty and reconfigure the entire drawer.

The feed mechanism is also fragile, to the point where they warn you  
not to use most common styles of envelope in it.  Mine no longer  
feeds envelopes at all, and has problems feeding light card stock.

In general, my experience with Brothers is that mechanical annoyances  
start cropping up shortly after warranty expiration.

On the plus side, the imaging is very crisp and Brother's  
compatibility with Macs borders on affinity, e.g., the inclusion of  
Bonjour in this printer model.  Also, they are often available for  
prices you can't refuse.  I continue to buy them.

> What's the story with colour laser printers and printing photos?  Can
> one produce as good quality prints on a colour laser printer as a
> colour inkjet printer with special paper?

Lasers with their high heat don't cotton much to fancy coated  
papers.  Bond paper will never show off a photo as well as a photo  
paper.  Still, for utilitarian images (e.g, a photo of each kid over  
his own clothes hook) it's very serviceable.
-- 
   Macs R We -- Personal Macintosh Service and Support
     in the Wickenburg and far Northwest Valley Areas.
                             http://macsrwe.com