"John C." wrote:

HL-3270CDW

https://www.brother-usa.com/products/hll3270cdw

Says it is a color laser printer. I clicked on the link for supplies.
I could search at stationery stores (e.g., Office Depot) or eBay which
might have cheaper prices, but I'll just compare manufacturer prices for
now. With this printer, you need to buy a black toner and 3 color
toners (yellow, cyan, magenta) versus 2 inkjet cartridges (black,
color). Each of the standard-yield toner cartridges costs $73 for a
total of $292 for all 4 toners (which exceeds the price of the printer).
Yield is 1400 pages for black, and 1300 for each color toner. So, the
consumable cost is 5 cents/sheet for black and 5.6 cents/sheet for
color. The cost for the printer alone is $250.

The one above is an MFP printer. I had one of those but an inkjet, but
disliked the amount of desk space it consumed. When I replaced it, I
still got a printer+scanner combo but much smaller: HP Envy 5660. Costs
for its inkjet cartridges, according to HP's site, is $40 for black with
600-page yield (6.7 cents/page) and $44 for tri-color with 415-page
yield (10.6 cents/page). The cost for the printer alone was $50 (when I
bought it).

The upfront cost is 5 times higher for the color laser printer but the
consumables are cheaper -- if you print a lot. The inkjet cartridges
last me about 2 years because I don't print very often. Although my
average is 1.7 pages/day, I don't print everyday. Once in a while I
print something with lots of pages that I need separate of the computer
(i.e., a doc file or online copy is not sufficient). I haven't had a
problem with the HP-original cartridges drying out, but did have that
problem when I went with cheaper knock-off cartridges. I probably waste
more ink printing a monthly test page to make sure the cartridges
haven't dried out (clogged jets, not ink loss).

Another feature you need to check with laser printers is if the fuser is
part of the toner cartridge or separate. If separate, you'll have to
know how to clean it (and the ionizer wire). When I had a black-only
laser printer many years ago, I made sure to get a model where the fuser
was in the cartridge. Every time the toner cartridge got replaced, so
did the fuser, so I never had to clean the fuser. From what I see from
the pics of the Brother's toner, it is too small to include the fuser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7N7gmUJnk
(didn't find a video on the model in which you are interested)

Because I got a laser printer where the fuser was in the black toner
cartridge, I never had to clean the fuser (in the drum unit). So, I
never had to learn what to use to clean the fuser. According to the
above video, you can use isopropyl alcohol (93% is available at any
pharmacy store).

If you start getting streaks in the printouts, the fuser is at fault.
With a fuser inside the cartridge, the repair is easy (but pricey).
With the fuser separate inside the printer, you have to know how to
dismantle the printer to remove, clean, and replace the fuser. If an
inkjet cartridge starts streaking, you can first try wiping a lintless
towel using isopropyl alcohol over its head to unplug a jet port; else,
replace the cartridge.

From the reference guide for the HL-3270CDW, a "waste toner box" is
listed. Approximate yield is 18,000 to 50,000 pages (depends on how
many pages are printed per print job), so eventually its another
consumable to replace. That part (WT-223CL) costs $30; see
https://www.brother-usa.com/products/wt223cl. Since this item is listed
with a page-yield lifespan, you cannot simply empty it to reuse it but
have to replace it. Page 266 describes how to extract the unit; see
https://download.brother.com/welcome..._use_oug_a.pdf.

Another problem with lasers is with their heat (fuser) if you print
self-stick labels. Because of the heat, the sticker can come off the
paper and get stuck inside the printer. Could in in the feed path,
could be on the fuser, and invariably leave glue after removing the
sticker that remains on the inside that affects feeding or printing. If
you expect to print labels (that have glue), make sure a laser printer
that has a rear eject port, so the paper takes a straight path through
the printer (no bending). Another reason for wanting a straight feed
(no bending) is when printing a hardcopy of many pages and not wanting a
curl in all the pages. I didn't see the HL-3270CDW has a rear tray.