Printer Buying

synopsis: We purchased a laser printer, with an Ethernet port for less than $90. The printer will print about 700 pages and then we purchased an additional toner for $30 that will do another 1200 pages. Long story: Recently we have not been posting much because our son was in the process of dismantling our laptops. As such we purchased a new desktop computer along with a new printer. I decided to do a post about the printer. Because Gloria and I came to the realization that we needed to pay attention to what we used our printer for. Previously we owned an ink jet all in one type printer. Where it can scan, copy, fax, and print in color. It also had built in Wifi. The problem with ink jets is while the cost up front is low if you print say Google maps fairly frequently your ink disappears really fast. At first this wasn't a problem. We didn't think we printed that much. Well to date (Gloria may have to correct me on this one) I think we had to replace our all four (4) of the ink cartridges in our printer about 3 times. At about $20 per cartridge 4 x 20 = $80 for each change $80 x 3 = $240 for all the ink we purchased. It was and is painfully clear we needed a different solution. The first thing we did was ask the question do we have to print in color? The vast majority of our printing black and white is fine. Our next question is do we really need to scan/copy/fax? We don't even own a home telephone so we have never faxed anything. We have used the scan feature when dealing with photos. And we have used the copy feature. But then we realized we can continue to use our existing scanner/copier/fax even if it doesn't have ink. So we don't need those features in our next printer. The final question is do we need it to be a networked computer? Because our son who is currently hitting his terrible twos. We will be down to one desktop. So a network setup isn't necessary. However I wanted it and thats that LOL. So off to the store I go. The particular store we went to only had a handful of laser printers. I was really surprised to find the Brother HL-2270DW for less than $90. From the website "The Brother™ HL-2270DW is a monochrome laser printer that offers an automatic duplex capability for printing two-sided documents with ease, fast printing at up to 27 pages per minute, and built-in wired and wireless networking for sharing with others. It features a stylish, space-saving design that complements virtually any environment. In addition, it offers convenient paper handling via an adjustable, 250-sheet capacity tray‡. To help lower your operating costs, a high-yield replacement toner cartridge‡ is available." I was really really happy to finally have a printer that I don't feel like I am constantly reloading the paper tray. Sometimes I felt like our previous printer only held like 50 pages. The most important feature I like is the wired ethernet port. While Wifi is nice, lately I have come to prefer wired connections. They are faster, and more reliable. One thing I did not like about our printer is that the power cord did not fit snugly into the back of the printer. Thankfully it is just your usual power cord that has been used on desktop computers for as long as I can remember. So I just swapped it out with one I had. Set was a breeze. And I really like the 27 ppm. Gloria called me at work the first time she printed something. She said she hit print and got up to walk away because how long our ink jet normally takes. Before she got a few steps away it was done! I hope to have a long and lasting relationship with this printer. And since it is a wired network printer it is ready for when we expand and buy gloria her personal laptop or tablet.