Does anyone own or use a color laser printer they really like?

[The Gorn]

I am searching for a color laser printer. My game plan is to be able to print my own letterhead without spending lots of money on printing and shipping.

Most reviews of laser printers are very mixed and on Amazon, almost none in current production get barely above 4 stars.

Some personal stories are welcomed here. Thanks.

[codger]

This topic is of interest to me too. My POS HP Multifunction printer is a toner hog, and its print quality is marginal. Do you have a maximum price in mind? I don't have much to spend. My needs are fairly non-critical. I'd like a device that minimally prints at at least 600 dpi.

Kodak's advertising about its lower toner cost is appealing.

[The Gorn]

Color laser printers that are intended for SOHO use seem to gravitate to the $200-$600 range. I'd like to stay in the $300 or less range. That seems to be the median price. I should be able to buy something serviceable in that range.

What I see in the Amazon user reviews is just tremendous variability of user opinions, which is why I'm asking. You'll see a couple of four and five star ratings and then a 2 star and then a 1 star.

I'll check into Kodak. No idea about the deal with their supplies.

Another possibility is an ink jet, which have really matured as a product category. But the one thing I want to stay away from is the wrinkled look of the paper where the ink dries, which is a telltale sign of a "cheap" (ink jet) printer. I have a Canon i9900 wide carriage printer that I use exclusively for photos, and it produces prints that are indistinguishable from a photo lab's.

[The Original Henry]

I've had a Konica Minolta Magicolor that I've used for 7 years. It's been a perfect SOHO machine for me and I really like it. Haven't had a single problem in 7 years. If I were to buy a new one I would have to research what's currently available, but I wouldn't have any reservations about buying another Magicolor if nothing else looked better.

[The Gorn]

That's one recommendation. Thanks, Henry.

[Peter Gibbons]

I bought Xerox Phaser 6180N for around $600 four years ago.

Similar model now have MSRP of only $349.
http://www.office.xerox.com/printers/color-printers/phaser-6280/enus.html

Other than having to re-install the printer driver - everything have worked fine. The printer have never had a jam.

I did a lot of research before I bought it. One of the key features for me was the genuine Adobe Postscript.

The hardware by the way is not made by Xerox - forgot who was the OEM.

I am still using the original toner by the way, even though 5 months ago I started to get messages that my Magenta is getting low.

[I D Shukhov]

I have a gripe about Lexmark.  I installed drivers for a printer and could never uninstall them.  The drivers were resident for years after I replaced the printer with something else.  Nothing I did got rid of them.  This was some years ago and maybe their software is now able to be uninstalled.

[Peter Gibbons]

I have old Lexmark mono laser.

It sucks in 3 pages instead of one quite often and jams.

Well, it's a cheap model ...

[benali72]

This comment doesn't fit your specs (color printer) but I thought it might be of interest anyway.

I support my family and we all use old HP LaserJet 5/6/7 printers that must be 10 years old. They never conk out or fail, print quality never diminishes, they hold a lot of ink (so you're not buying expensive cartridges every 10 minutes), and they last forever.  They're dirt cheap but work consistently well and last forever. We must have about 5 of them.  One other thing --- every OS automatically recognizes them so you don't need an "install disk" or have to download a driver.  The ultimate reliable cheap printer... no wonder they don't make them anymore!