First off, I couldn't find a newsgroup or web site discussing personal copiers, so I posted on comp.periphs.printers and got no replies. Next I thought I'd try here and hope for better luck. On Google I found numerous sites selling copiers with pages of product listings, but I couldn't find any cost per page info based on replacement toner prices. Is there a good forum or web site for this info? I was hoping there would be dedicated sites for personal copiers just like there are for digital cameras and camcorders.
We are looking for a replacement copier to a Mita DC-1205 which is basically a featureless standalone B&W copier, but on the positive side it had cheap toner cartridges (about $7 each for typically a couple thousand copies each). At minimum the Mita's drum and fuser need replacing so it might be cheaper to buy a new copier.
I could not find a newsgroup devoted to personal copiers on Usenet, but since many are integrated with PC printers I figured this group was a good place to start. If there is a better newsgroup or some web pages about personal copiers, please point me in the right direction.
Could people please suggest what brands of personal copiers (they can be integrated printers as long as they will copy without being attached to a PC) do not try to rip you off with huge prices on replacement toner cartridges, drums, and other parts?
Are there any web sites listing the cost per page of various copiers with a reasonable coverage level (not something like ridiculous 10% which is almost a blank page)?
There are tons of copiers in office stores by Canon, Epson, HP, etc., but the first thing I ask the clerks about is the copy cost per page and they tell me they don't have that information so I'll have to investigate it on my own. That's why I'd like some suggestions which companies/brands don't try to rip you off on replacement toner and parts so I can start looking at those copiers. By the way, we're hoping there's something under $600 that will meet our needs. We'd rather pay a little more upfront on the hardware if it will save us significant money down the road on replacement toner and parts.