Brother MFC 8660DN: New Drum, or buy another all in one laser? need a copier

[Santilli]

Hi
Finding the drum is problematic, and, the DR 520 is around 150-200 dollars.
We use it for copying, and some printing. Just bought a new toner cartridge.

It's primary purpose is copying, since we have two other printers.

So what I really need is a copier that is cost effective.

Suggestions?

 

[sdbardwick]

Try a 3rd party drum for <$50?
I don't know about that exact model, but other Brother printers allowed you to reset the drum lifetime counter without actually replacing the drum (no chip in drum).

 

[DrunkenBastard]

If you don't specifically need a laser (for waterfastness) then you may want to consider one of the Epson color inkjet all in one's that use the eco tank system. Basically instead of cartridges you have large reservoirs which you fill with bulk Epson ink that comes in squeezable bottles. Incredibly cheap to run, and for color copies I would say cheaper than a color laser as there aren't any drums to replace. I paid about $300 for mine, eco2550 I believe.

You would need to go up one model to get the document feeder version tho if you do a lot of copying of multi page docs

 

[sechs]

I would not suggest using an inkjet. Laser printers are still far more efficient, particularly if you're doing black and white.

If you're not pushing a lot of pages, at that price, it may be cheaper to buy a replacement AIO to do the job rather than a new drum. How many pages are you copying per week?

 

[DrunkenBastard]

The eco tank models have a cost per page of about 0.3 cents per black and white page using a 5% coverage calculation, so the same per page running cost as a laser, and no drum costs down the road. The Epson 644 bottle of black ink costs $13, contains 70ml of ink, and will do 4000 pages.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

To compare to Santillis AIO, the 3500 page rated TN550 toner cartridge seems to cost about $63 for the OEM unit.

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-TN550-Standard-Yield-Cartridge/dp/B000BQO3FQ

Which would equate to a toner cost of 1.8 cents per page, or about 5 times more expensive than the ecotank inkjet.

 

[time]

I paid about $300 for mine, eco2550 I believe.

You would need to go up one model to get the document feeder version tho if you do a lot of copying of multi page docs

You need the ET-4500 for the document feeder. To match the print duplexing of the Brother MFC, you need the ET-4550, which is US$500.

The 4000 page rating is achieved with continuous printing in low quality. In real life, head cleaning (automatic self maintenance) will reduce this dramatically.

The preferred toner cartridge for the Brother MFC is the TN580, rated at 7,000 pages or about one cent per page.

At least you can buy a replacement drum for the Brother laser. Clogged head on the Epson = writeoff.

 

[Stereodude]

To compare to Santillis AIO, the 3500 page rated TN550 toner cartridge seems to cost about $63 for the OEM unit.

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-TN550-Standard-Yield-Cartridge/dp/B000BQO3FQ

Which would equate to a toner cost of 1.8 cents per page, or about 5 times more expensive than the ecotank inkjet.

Who buys the OEM toner cartridges for Brother laser printers? The generic TN-580 ones are under $15.

 

[Howell]

How does the Epson eco handle sitting for long periods unexercized?

 

[mubs]

In real life, head cleaning (automatic self maintenance) will reduce this dramatically. Clogged head on the Epson = writeoff.

How does the Epson eco handle sitting for long periods unexercized?

I haven't bought a single inkjet in my personal computing life because of these fears. All the mono lasers I've bought have served me well. My personal printing is quite sporadic, sometimes no pages printed for a few months at a time, sometimes 5-6 pages in a month. The toner has never clogged up into a solid mass. Never had issues of any kind.

The Brother I have is a disappointment because the toner and drum life is less than claimed, and OEM replacements are expensive. The "reconditioned" drum I put in a few months ago is working flawlessly though, even better output quality than the original drum!

 

[DrunkenBastard]

How does the Epson eco handle sitting for long periods unexercized?

My usage pattern can leave it idle for 3-4 weeks between uses, no issues so far.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

You need the ET-4500 for the document feeder. To match the print duplexing of the Brother MFC, you need the ET-4550, which is US$500.

The 4000 page rating is achieved with continuous printing in low quality. In real life, head cleaning (automatic self maintenance) will reduce this dramatically.

The preferred toner cartridge for the Brother MFC is the TN580, rated at 7,000 pages or about one cent per page.

At least you can buy a replacement drum for the Brother laser. Clogged head on the Epson = writeoff.

Yes, if I had paid $500 for the 4550 I prob would have got the extended warranty from Best Buy. I guess my point is that with the ecotank line and it's continous inking system, Epson make their profit on the initial hardware, and therefore the replacement ink costs are far more sustainable to the end user, as it's not a massive profit center for Epson.

 

[sechs]

I guess my point is that with the ecotank line and it's continous inking system, Epson make their profit on the initial hardware, and therefore the replacement ink costs are far more sustainable to the end user, as it's not a massive profit center for Epson.

Translation: You're far more likely to get abandoned by Epson.

No one is stepping up to compete on this technology because it's not a sustainable business. In fact, HP is moving to a subscription-based system for its ink, swapping steady income for some of the profit.

For black and white, laser is, hands-down, better. Even if inkjet can compete on price, it can't on output.

 

[CougTek]

While it's not usually my favorite brand, the Lexmark Mx410de is on sale these days, at least around here, and on paper, it makes a lot of sense. There's a 10,000 pages rated toner and even a 20,000 pages rated toner. The printer itself cost around 300U$. For what it offers, it doesn't seem to be a bad purchase.

Samsung also has a severely discounted multifunction (SL-M3870DW, with 10,000 pages toners), but the few Samsung printers I've tried over the years were disappointing, so I usually dismiss them. However, my last experience with a Samsung laser printer was at least five years ago and it was a low-end model (less than 100$). They might have improved.

 

[Santilli]

OK:
Bought a third party toner cartridge that works, and has a high yield.
The issue is the DRUM.
Any suggestions on third party drums, cheap, that work?
Or, if I'm going to be buying a new printer, something Laser that copies? NOT color....
Does the Lexmark come with the usual, really small toner and drum to begin with, requiring buying two new items, that cost more then the initial printer?

 

[CougTek]

Does the Lexmark come with the usual, really small toner and drum to begin with, requiring buying two new items, that cost more then the initial printer?

The MX410de comes with a 5000 pages rated toner. For ~300$, I think it's quite good.

I've had poor experiences with 3rd parties drum units for Brother printers. Been disappointed twice, four years ago, and never bothered trying anything but the official units since then.

 

[Santilli]

18 vs. 119 vs 200.
Have to try it, and hope it works.
Not my printer, but, MY money;-)

 

[Stereodude]

The DR520 drum is rated for 25k pages. You printed that much?

FWIW, my Brother HL-5370DW has a DR620 drum also rated for 25k pages. I don't expect to ever replace it. I'm still on the factory toner cartridge and I've had it almost 5 years. I picked the 5370DW because it was the 2nd cheapest Brother with a duplexing unit. The cheaper one came with a lower capacity drum and toner and wasn't that much less money.

 

[Santilli]

Was the DR520 the original drum in the printer?

Yes, we copy and use that much. In two years, with massive litigation, we did that alone. Most is copying, or printing B and W from emails, documents etc.
I'm just figuring out how to use the stuff we had in the estate, after a death.

 

[Stereodude]

Oh you use it for business, not for personal use at home.

I picked the 5370DW because it was the 2nd cheapest Brother with a duplexing unit.

I should clarify. It was the 2nd cheapest Brother wired networked printer with a duplexing unit.