Background: Part of a colorful past. I know what I’m talking about.
Problem: You state that you print only 200 pages/month, don’t need 11x17 yet don’t state a need for color.
A question I always asked my clients: Is it value-added color or cost-added color?
Tip: I’ve NEVER owned either an inkjet or color printer of any type.
It’s a good question to ask why someone having been “in” the industry would do that...
Advice: Find yourself a good, independent local dealer of printers & one which remarkets refilled toner cartridges. Find out what they have to say about your options (HP may or may not be a good choice this time around) but in the absence of a stated need for color, I recommend against it: I’ve plotted the added costs of color over the (short) life of a printer and if most business people knew the hard numbers, they would never let their employees/managers ever have access to a color printer/MFP unless it was driving sales.
It’s not the cost of the machine you need to worry about...
And did you notice I didn’t write anything about “inkjets” (other than never having owned one)???
Here's the deal for me with color printing:
1. I don't print a lot, and the cost difference between B&W and color printers has shrunk so much over the years that I don't consider the higher cost of color printing all that much.
2. My primary need for color involves printing documents and graphics where color is important about 10%-20% of the time in any given month.