[WDL]

Phil:
Just replaced a cartridge about two months ago. Actually, my LWS 360 is at the
100,000 print mark - since the specs call for a "minimum useful life of 300,000"
it should be good for years to come.
I average approx 6,000 prints per cartridge. Not familiar with the term "wiper" - suspect
the "drum" in your cartridge may have picked up residue from coated or contaminated
paper. If you're not faint-of-heart, you can prop the cartridge up solidly so it won't tip,
and gently clean the drum with cotton batting and alcohol by turning the sprocket wheel
at the end as you wipe across the full width of the drum.
Have done this successfully with several cartridges when they started printing dots, streaks etc. Once, I lost track of which way was up............didn't make THAT mistake again.
These suckers were really built to last. Have seen used ones on sale for as low as $85 U.S!
Plan to pick up a used one soon, just for a backup, in case..........
Wish Apple still made them - can't understand why they don't revive them - they were a money maker.
WDL

[WDL]

Phil:
Missed answering another part(s) of your post.
Never saw any mention of colour in Frank's post - in that event, I'd get two printers - laser for text and an inkjet for colour. Both are so low in price now that it is practical.
Refurbished Apple laser cartridges? Not in Canada. All the refurbishers tell me they can't do Apple cartridges for some reason. I prefer the genuine replacements anyway because I really have to count on consistent quality of output and I don't have faith in the refurbished items - that drum in the cartridge can be so easily damaged by improper handling.
WDL

[frank_t]

Thank you all for posting and helping but i got the canon S520 yesterday and i am VERY happy with it....it prints super fast the inks cost much less than the hp and the os x software works without any probs at all....the sad thing is that i read reviews about the canon S520 and it was saidd many times that it wasn't too good with BW text....but how wrong they are....it is so close to laser printing it's no joke...i know what your saying that i must be high or something to say that but if people have the wrong seting you can make any printer look bad.....If anyone else is out there and wants to know what is worth geting get the canon S520....canon is a good brand and everyone should give it a go......if you can get your money back i say go for it you will love the speed.....
full text page in less than 3secs....that is speed people!
Frank_t

[agraham999]

I find it funny that someone who only wants to print B&W buys inkjet anyway...no offense.
The reason they give the things away is because the consumables are where they make their money. Do the math, your typical ink cartridge will print 500 or so pages (depending on coverage) for $20-30 per cartridge...your typical toner catridge prints 5,000 pages for about $60. So for every $60 toner cartridge...you buy $300 work of ink. Your bottom of the line laser printer will print waaaay faster than ink and will pay for itself in the first toner catridge alone. I have yet to find an inkjet that prints faster and cheaper than a laser. Plus it will print crisper text and it's permanent, unlike messy inks.
I built a new Apple Color Laser 12/660 from a Canon OEM one year ago for $600...in that time I've replaced only the black cartridge...and I've printed over 5,000 pages. I use to go through $40 in ink a month. In three more months my laser will have paid for itself from the savings alone.

[agraham999]

http://www.preowned.com/
These guys have parts for everything...any missing parts or broken/replacement parts you need for your printer...they got it...you can probably keep your printer going for years if you want to.

[Philbert]

WDL -
The "wiper" that I mention is located inside the cartridge. From reading posts at http://fixyourownprinter.com , I've learned that a damaged or dirty wiper is notorious for causing the black stripe that I'm experiencing. Moe, the printer expert there, (great guy - I actually bought a repair video that shows how to eliminate the "right side print fade" problem), says that it's possible to take the cartridge apart and possibly clean the wiper but risky because of the drum.
I'll see what I can accomplish without taking it apart. If that doesn't do it, well ... I've never been afraid of taking a screwdriver to things I shouldn't. The worst that can happen is that I have to buy another cartridge which I was going to do anyway.
Keep the right end UP! Got it ..... /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Thanks ... Phil

[Martian]

Yes, we all know that the marketing strategy for ink jet printers, Polaroid cameras (if they still sell them), Barbie and GI Joe dolls is to low ball the purchase price and kill you on the consumables.
But Lexmark took this to an obscene extreme. Their low end printers were shipped with only a 1/3 full color cartridge, but NO BLACK. By the time the fleeced consumer purchased the manditory black cartridge, he had spent more than the price of the next model which probably had more features.
As for the 1/3 full color cartridge, the intent was to whet the consumers appetite for color, and still screw him for the other 2/3 which would have cost Lexmark another 5.

[rockinphotog]

Yeah! The GI Joes were like 2.99, but the ATV was like $60! Outrageous!!!! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[pwt65mac]

Can anyone recommend Brother Laser Printers? I've been looking at their low-end laser as well as Samsung's. We used to have a Xerox Laser hooked up to the Windows PC we got rid of last October and we miss it terribly (Xerox does not support OSX with that model). For now we are using the Epson C42UX we got free with my partner's PB...good for a few pages, but takes forever if you need to print 60 page documents. It goes through ink like crazy.
Thanks,
Pete

[agraham999]

I don't know about Brother...I had a HP prior to the Apple Color Laser...and I was very pleased with it. I've always been pleased with Canon Lasers as well. I've only owned Xante, Canon, HP, Apple, & Techtronix...enjoyed them all.