Monochrome laser printer capable of up to 16ppm and resolutions up to 1200DPI. Typical options include multiple paper trays, duplex (printing on both sides of the page), built-in network card, 64MB 72pin SIMM RAM, large-capacity paper trays and toner cartridges up to 14,000 pages. The unit is designed for a duty cyle of up to 50,000 pages per month.
I picked one ot these gems (used) up for a little over a $100 recently. To my delight the page count was a little over 22,000 - not bad considering the High-Yield Lexmark toner cartridge is good for up to 14,000 pages.
Well-supported with CUPS and either the native postscript or the Lexmark Optra R+ .PPD file (available from linuxprinting.org). Combining the High_Yield toner pack and 'regular' laster paper, comsumables costs can be as little as 5 cents per page. Factoring in a lifespan of at least 250,000 pages (I've seen HP LaserJet printers hit the half million mark, battle-weary, but still functional) overall costs per page are still hovering close to 5 or 6 cents per page. Power is always a consideration as laser printers can chew through it when left to idle, but configurable power-saving modes and warm-ups of around 15 seconds make it more economical.
If you're looking for a decent general-purpose workhorse, snoop around the auctions or used parts places. Well worth the effort.
Make sure you try and get the network option, as it's a real treat to just place the unit at the nearest ethernet drop.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
