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Author Topic: LED vs. Laser Printers  (Read 15319 times)

Offline AliciaH

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LED vs. Laser Printers
« on: August 22, 2012, 02:38:17 pm »
Hi, Everyone!  Wasn't sure where to put this, but since it's about my honey labels, here we go...

I have waterproof labels.  I can't use an inkjet because of the nonporous surface of the label.  Laser printing works well and the ink doesn't run if it gets slightly wet.

Because every printer involves me having to adjust the image for my honey labels, I've decided to bite the bullet and invest in a printer of my own.  To say I'm nontechnical is an understatement.

I'm seeing a lot of stuff about digital or LED printers.  Now, I know my images won't run if slightly moistened with a laser printer, but will that be true if the image is printed on a digital or LED printer?

Can anyone answer that for me?

Offline AllenF

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2012, 08:22:44 pm »
Where did you get and why do you need waterproof labels?

Offline AliciaH

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2012, 09:28:24 pm »
Hi, Allen!

onlinelabels.com

'Cause I kept smearing the ink.  But then I found out it wasn't a label problem as much as an ink problem.  If I'd used a laser to begin with, I could probably have just used regular 'ol labels.  But, now I have these and I still need a "dry" ink.

Shopping for printers is a bear!  Just when I think I've found one in my price range that will work, it either has lousy reviews or doesn't do card stock (which I'm using as a guide for my labels), or it doesn't do color.  And, inevitably, there isn't anywhere to go to see it to test it as everything must be purchased on-line.  Blah!

I've been taking the file to Office Depot for printing, but each printer is different and what I format at home will "shift" at OD, leaving white margins or off-center printing.  The last visit had the OD machine eat 6 sheets of my very fine, yet expensive, label stock.  So, I've been trimming each and every label.  Major yuck.



Offline AllenF

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2012, 09:56:39 pm »
I know when my wife prints ours, she has to lay them out for a while to dry.   They will smear when wet.  We use the print your own labels from Brushy and a ink jet printer. 

Offline Sundog

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2012, 11:45:14 pm »
... OD machine eat 6 sheets of my very fine, yet expensive, label stock.

Print your tests on regular paper then superimpose the label stock and hold it up to the light to check alignment.

Have fun!

Offline annette

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2012, 12:18:12 am »
I purchased a Samsung CLP310S a few years ago and never have any problems. I also use the waterproof labels from onlinelabels.com.

This is a very small machine, doesn't take up much space. Beautiful color.

I never heard about LED.

Good luck

Annette

Offline AliciaH

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2012, 03:18:01 pm »
Allen:  I did that with my ink jet, but if you lick your finger and rub it over these labels, ink from an inkjet will still smear.

Sundog:  Yup, I know that trick, too!  :)  The problem is that each printer seems to have a slightly different alignment.  So, I can use that trick here at home, but the OD printer has a different alignment.  Since I'm using onlinelabels' formatting software, I have to come home, readjust, then go back and forth to the store until I get it right.  Hence the buying of a new printer.  At some point, you throw in the towel and decide your time has to be worth something....

Annette:  Thanks for the recommendation, I will look that printer up!  I have never heard of LED, either, until I went on the hunt.  It opens up my options if the toner is similar to a laser.  I might just have to take my flash drive into OD and see if they'll test a sheet for me.

Offline Dash12721

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2012, 12:25:34 pm »
LED printer has less moving parts in the process as it is mostly solid state.  You will see more printers going this route in the future. 

Dash

Offline AliciaH

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2012, 04:36:20 pm »
Thanks, Dash! 

What I managed to find was a great deal at Sam's Club.  They had a Dell 1250 laser printer for a special purchase price of $120.  The "special" had actually expired, but because they hadn't removed the sign yet, they honored the price anyway. 

No, it won't do scanning, faxing, or all the other stuff.  It's just for printing, but that's all I needed.  The toner is in the ball park of other printers, so not a lot of savings there, but being able to save $250-$300 on the machine itself really helped this go-round.

The added bonus, or not depending on your situation, is that it has to be hard wired to my computer (no wireless option).  Once again, not a problem for me because of its specific use, but it might hold someone else up.  The reason this is actually nice for me is that my kids print a lot of color stuff.  By not being wireless, I don't have to worry about them eating up the toner!  Well, that and I've threatened to never buy ice cream again...  ;)

Offline capt44

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2013, 12:20:03 pm »
I have a nursery and use a Brother 4070 laser printer to print labels.
Also with the program Bee Tight I use to print labels for my hives so I can scan the Hive with my I-phone to keep logs on each hive.
The labels which are waterproof printed with the laser printer hold up good and the print doesn't fade.
The toner cartridges are pricey but I've been using the same cartridges for 2 years now.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline deknow

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Re: LED vs. Laser Printers
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2013, 05:59:49 pm »
We us a Brother laser printer...a cheap one that was $60 on sale several years ago...still going strong...we use it for all our labels and fliers.

A couple of tips:

1.  You can get toner refills online if you are a bit handy, and save some $$$.  I think the carts for our printer are about $60....I can get 4 refills for about $30.

2.  With many printers, there is way more toner in the cartridge than the printer will allow you to use.  On our printer, there are 2 separate mechanisms that tell it you need to replace the cart (and eventually won't let you print until you do).

The first is a mechanical gearing system that advances a little with every print...when it hits the end, it tells you you need more toner.  If you just reset this (at least on our printer) it will almost immediately wind itself out and tell you you need a new cart.

The second is a pair of clear "windows" into the cart.  The printer shoots a laser through the windows...when it sees the laser at the far end, it assumes there isn't enough toner.  If you first reset the gears (as above) and then block the windows (electrical tape works...I think I've used a sharpie as well), the printer thinks it has a new cart...and prints more pages well after doing this than it did between being "new" and saying it needs a new cart.

Many printer parts can wear, and if you have a decent laser printer (or find a used one that isn't working for someone else), you can often get a rebuild kit (parts included depend on the printer...fusers, rubber parts, etc)...I've had good luck redoing some HP printers in the past.

There are lots of kinds of printers, and what I've detailed here works for the one I have.  YMMV.

deknow