Well, the 8 year old Okidata finally died. While I loved the damn machine and the control I had over it; the frustration that it left me with after each use was enough. So when the control panel repeatedly blinked *change drum*, which I knew would cost me close to $100, the price we paid for the used printer 7 years ago. I knew it was time.

I did a little research and found a inexpensive back and white brother, on sale for $119, Staples offed it up with an additional $40 off, so at the out set with tax I ended up spending $85. They were then offering an additional $20 rebate. I figured that $65 for a new laser printer wasn’t bad. Also a little poking around revealed that the toner cartridges are available for $60 or so and print about 2500 to 3000 sheets. At full retail that ends up being 2 cents a sheet. Which is much cheaper than an inkjet. While the initial cost is higher, the money spent in the long run is much less.

Also the lines that I printed with a laser printer are much much better than those printed with an inkjet. It’s also better for printing postage from online since it doesn’t run if it gets damp.