mhendo, IME, with laser printers, it’s usually better to print the even pages first, then the odd. Works out better in terms of paper curl. Depending on how sheets feed out of the paper tray, you may need to reverse print order for the even pages, but that’s easy enough to set up as a macro.
As for the OP, I’ve never seen a 4-in-1 based on laser technology. So, I’m pretty sure what you have is an inkjet (what’s the model number?), to which the toner-drum-fuser discussion does not apply. And, to agree with everyone else, for production printing on any sort of scale, what you want is a laser.
Epson is cheaper because you are just getting ink.
With HP, Lexmark, Dell (rebranded lexmark) the cartridge includes the nozzles. This makes them more expensive, but you can fix plugged nozzles by just replacing the cartridge.
With the Epsons, a LOT of ink is wasted with cleaning cycles, as others have mentioned. My current HP printer (Photosmart 7150, now obsolete) does NOT seem to have this problem. The thermal technology is also a lot quieter than the piezo technology used with the Epsons.
OK, maybe i’m being a bit thick here, but i don’t understand how that could possibly make any difference.
Whether i print odd or even first, the paper still comes through the machine the same way, and ends up with some curl. And it still goes back into the machine through the same tray.
Most lasers I’ve run across that support duplexing in their software without actually having a duplexer print one side of the paper, then the printer driver pops up a message onscreen telling you how to take the printed pages and flip/don’t flip and slide them into the paper supply tray or wherever. You don’t need to worry about odds or evens.
For managing curl, pay attention to the paper packaging. Some will say “Print this side first” on the wrapper - in this case, just figure out which side of the paper gets printed as it runs through the printer and place it in the tray accordingly - most printers with internal trays will be printing on the bottom side of the paper as it sits in the tray. If there’s no such indication, it’s usually best to print on the “underside” of the paper as it’s packaged. eg: the side of the wrapper with the seam is the “print first” side.
Frankly, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a significant difference curl-wise in which side is printed first. In the past, yes, I have seen big curly messes, but improvements in printer paper path design and in paper-making seems to have all but eliminated the problem.
