i'm not very familiar with inkjet devices, but I think that almost all of them (except for a few top-end (expensive) business models) use PCL3GUI (or a similar proprietary) Page Description Language (PDL). 

 

Most LaserJet printers (except for the cheaper 'host-based' ones) support the three 'traditional' PDLs:

 

  • PCL5 (PCL5e (monochrome) or PCL5c (colour) variants)
  • PCL6 (a.k.a. PCL XL)
  • PostScript

Printers which use and understand PCL5 will also understand plain ASCII text.

 

Host-based laser printers use different (proprietary) PDLs (e.g. JetReady) which are similar to PCL3GUI, in that the bulk of the print stream is composed of encapsulated, compressed, raster images; they don't understand ASCII text.

 

So you perhaps need a laser printer which supports PCL5.

 

But it depends on what you want to print - one thing to note is that laser printers are not nearly as good as inkjet devices for printing photographs - but if all you want to print is text and diagrams then one of these may be a better bet - just make sure that it supports PCL5.

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For a colour laser printer, perhaps look at something like the HP LaserJet Pro 200 color printer M251nw (see http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/pro​ducts/Printers/HP-LaserJet/CF147A?HP-LaserJet-Pro-​... ) which:

 

  • Is a colour device
  • Has a maximum print speed of 14 pages-per-minute (in both monochrome and colour)
  • Has a recommended monthly page volume of 250 -> 1500 pages
  • Supports PCL5c (as well as PCL6 and PostScript)
  • Has built-in wired- and wireless-networking, as well as USB connectivity.

Toner cartridges for laser printers are quite expensive (especially when you have to replace three colour ones, and a black one), but they usually last for many more pages than inkjet cartidges.

The colour toners for this printer are supposed to do 1800 pages (at (probably) 5% coverage). 


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