Monochrome Laser Printer Buyout

Date of buy:-23rd October 2007

Place of buy:-NASA,Lucknow

Price:-Rs.5950

Buying an entry level monochrome laser printer was a tough job for me.I had four brands to choose from Samsung,HP,Xerox,Canon.Xerox printers are hard to get in computer market,they have a no frills 600dpi printer for around 4000Rs.I had to travel long distances to get a Xerox printer plus i wasnt sure about its service.They are distributed through esys.The second brand was HP,all the printers were overpriced when compared to Samsung and Canon.An entry level 600x600 dpi HP 1018 costs Rs5500 while a similar specs Samsung ML-1610 costs around Rs.4200.I was surprised at HP's prices because everywhere around you see HP laser printers in government office and in cybercafes too.The second brand out from my list was HP just coz of its insane prices.Samsung had three printers in its product lineup(the printers you can actually buy ,the rest are only available on the wild wild web):-ML-1610,ML-2010,ML-2571.The first two models were available in the computer market for Rs4200 and Rs5200 respectively.ML-2571 is a network printer and it seems that it is distributed through some other channels!!.ML -2010 (1200x600,1 yr onsite warranty) seemed to be quite convincing printer.I was looking for a decent laser printer with good value for money.Generally entry level laser printers are marketed on:-

• speed (ranges from 15ppm-22ppm across models)
• resolution(600x600,1200x600,1200x1200)
• processor(150,400Mhz,etc)
• RAM(8-32MB)
• toner capacity(its equivalent of petrol tank in your bike and NOT EQUAL to petrol),
• time taken to print the first page out

The only feature i was concerned about was resolution.You should be aware if the mentioned dpi is the true dpi or a interpolated one.Since i wanted it for homePC for text printouts speed,time and distance was not a priority for me.Ram and processor are just enough to handle the device so you need not pay attention to this.Another thing that samsung advertised was 1-yr onsite warranty and 3000 page toner capacity.I was impressed so i decided to buy a samsung printer very next day.

Final day:-Finally when i went out with money i found another new entrant in the printer arena - CANON.Canon hoardings were being placed all around the NASA Building and most big shopkeepers(shopkeepers who actually stock the item rather than buying it from other shops)replaced their old hoardings.This indicated that canon is giving a good product lineup,better margins for sellers and good service.Canon is the best manufacturer for inkjets,MFDs ,digicam.Initially i doubted canon's ability for lasers but soon i came to know that it manufactures laser assemblies's and other laser printer parts for other manufactures.Canon's 'laser shot' printers offered excellent features way ahead than SAMSUNG and HP.For my budget,i had two models to choose from the CLB-300(Rs.5500) and LBP-1210(Rs.5950).The LBP-1210 looks like a heavy duty printer.I have a liking for big and heavy things and this printer just got that.Its features were superb:- it has CAPT(Canon Advanced Printing Technology that makes use of PC's processor and RAM),USB+parallel connectivity,250 page paper tray,2400x600 dpi!!(600x600 true) and 0->warm->up->time,bi-directional print direction.The most striking thing i came to know about CANON laser's was that they came with full toner's.I was not aware of the fact that HPee and SAMSunk ship with dem0 cartridges.The are about 25-30% filled.Since i am a no printer expert,his thing i came to know from the dealers only and you should confirm this.Toner's cartridges cost about Rs2500 but they can be refilled for 2500/10=Rs250.The best thing is that i got 2-yrs on-site warranrty on the printer while the lighter model CLB-3000 ships with a lighter warranty of 1-year.The deal was finalised for Rs.5950.

Shortcomings:-The package was so big that it could not be carried on a two-wheeler.The power switch is difficult to reach on the backyard.The worst part is that the printer ships with no connectivity cable.You have to buy it separately from the market.You need a USB B-type cable that is different from normal USB cable.I used my Beetel ADSL 220Bx1 modems USB cable.The printer driver was easy to setup and didnt find any problems in installation.The whole setup took about 15mins.Also let me tell this printer is really big,really really big ,really really really big-388wx524dx254h mm.Therefore thIS printer is not made for OFFICE ENVOIRMENT.Overall,the printer offers an excellent value for money.

Warning/Advice:
-This is a really big printer,i would call it a half pregnant Samsung ML-2010.
-Refrain yourselfes from buying a HP even if they offer 3yr warranty with HP care pack with the packs costing as much as the new printer itself.

Links of Interest:-
http://www.thinkdigit.com/index.php?action=article&prodid=476&page=1
http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Home/Product_Finder/Printers/Laser/LaserShot_LBP1210/index.asp
http://www.laser-printer-reviews.com/laser-printer-reviews/canon-laser-shot-LBP-1210.html
http://www.lotus4services.com/index.php?productID=904
http://www.samsung.com/in/consumer/type/type.do?group=laserprintersmultifunction&type=laserprintersmultifunction

Canon Linux Drivers:-
http://v0xel.wordpress.com/2006/05/23/canoon-lbp-1120-on-ubuntu-510-how-to/
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-672928.html
http://opfc.sourceforge.jp/index.html.en
http://opfc.sourceforge.jp/download.html.en