Like it? Hate it?
This model is at the top of my list to replace an inkjet that’s starting to get wonky at home. My biggest question is noise. I understand this is a 4-pass design, which tends to be noisier than the newer single-pass printers that are pretty much as quiet as a black and white printer.
An HP 4-pass printer (think it’s an LJ 4500) at the office is frighteningly noisy in operation - whir CLUNK whir CLUNK whir CLUNK whir CLUNK whir CLACK CLICK - per page. Of course, my inkjet’s not exactly silent either. Now and then, it makes noises that seem as if it’s trying to break itself, and is loud enough to wake people up.
If there are any other color laser printers available under $300 (the 3100 is $239 right now from the Dell Outlet) that have built-in Ethernet and play well with Macs, I’ll be willing to consider them as options.
My company bought one just a few days ago from their list of refurbs. Got a great deal, and even got free shipping. (If you know the size of this monster, you realize what a savings free shipping is) Haven’t gotten to use it a lot yet, but it seems promising. Setup was a breeze. Each of the toner cartridges are 4000 page units. It hasn’t seemed much louder than our HP Laserjets, one of which is right next to our new Dell.
I think we’re gonna like it…
Wow, that’s a low price for a color laser printer. I’m just a little suspicious. Does the $300 price include toner cartridges?
Yes, $239 gets you a refurbished model with a set of 4000-page cartridges. Not some wimpy starter cartridges like so many cheap inkjets come with. At this price, the entire 70-pound machine is disposable as a set of replacement cartridges runs about $340, plus shipping.