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I currently only print a few times a week. I was wondering if I don't print that often with a laser printer, will the toner degrade over time?

I'm interested in getting that HP laser printer that Staples has on sale starting Sunday for $150. Just interested to see if there were any effects of leaving a printer sitting there for a few days between uses. I know with my inkjet printer, it takes a few test prints before the black ink will look nice and dark if I haven't printed in awhile.

I don't have an answer to your toner question, but might I suggest looking in to the Samsung 1710 (or something like that) at Best Buy? It's $100 after a $70 rebate, and it has all the same specs as the one at Staples (8MB memory, 17ppm). A friend of mine has one, and he hasn't complained yet. Not to mention if you get Best Buy mailings, you can get an additional 10% off the $170 price. (No, I don't work for Best Buy or Samsung )

What I can say is that I have an HP LJ1100, and there have been many times it has sat for weeks without printing anything. It's about 4 years old now, and I've only gone through one toner cartridge since I bought it. Prints are just as clear as the day I bought it. I would think that it should be ok, given normal room conditions, since it's just a powder...

Socheat wrote:I don't have an answer to your toner question, but might I suggest looking in to the Samsung 1710 (or something like that) at Best Buy? It's $100 after a $70 rebate, and it has all the same specs as the one at Staples (8MB memory, 17ppm). A friend of mine has one, and he hasn't complained yet. Not to mention if you get Best Buy mailings, you can get an additional 10% off the $170 price. (No, I don't work for Best Buy or Samsung )

I have a $40 gift certificate to Staples that will be expiring soon, that's why I'm looking into things to purchase. I've used the HP model before and that's why I'm more inclined to purchase it over something else. Based on the specs, the HP puts out higher resolution prints too.

HP Laserjet 1012 Specs
Print Speed: 15 ppm
First Page Out: Less than 10 sec
Print Resolution: 1200 x 1200 DPI
Printer Memory: 8 MB/8 MB MAX
Processor: 133 MHz
Automatic 2 Side Printing: NO
Paper Trays: Std 2, Max 2
Input Capacity Std/Max: 150/160 sheets
Output Capacity Std/Max: 125/125 sheets
Cartridges: Q2612A
Connectivity: 1 USB2.0
OS Support: Win 98/Me/2K/XP, Mac OS 9.1++/OS X 10.1, 10.2
Dimensions(WxDxH): 14.6 x 9.1 x 8.2 in
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year


Samsung ML-1710 Specs
Print Speed: 17 ppm
First Page Out: 12 sec
Print Resolution: 600 x 600 DPI
Printer Memory: 8 MB/8 MB MAX
Processor: 66 MHz
Automatic 2 Side Printing: NO
Paper Trays: Std 1, Max 1
Input Capacity Std/Max: 250/250 sheets
Output Capacity Std/Max: 50/50 sheets
Cartridges: ML-1710D3
Connectivity: 1 USB1.1
OS Support: Win 9x/me/2K/XP, Mac OS Classic, OS X 10.x, Linux
Dimensions(WxDxH): 13.9 x 14.6 x 7.7 in
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year

i've got a HP LaserJet 1200 printer. it's about 2 and a half years old (maybe a little less).
specs are quite similar to the 1012 you posted.

it's a great printer IMO.

many a times it would go for a few days without printing anything. no problems at all. next time i would print it would print just fine.

never had a toner cartdridge go bad on me.
i've replaces 2 or maybe 3 times over the 2.5 years (or so) i have it.

HTH