I need a good reliable fast b&w desktop printer for under 200 bux. Is a Laser printer that prints at 10ppm going to print faster than an inkjet claiming 20ppm? Please respond to mshapiro@gmu.edu Thanks

ppm means pages-per-minute. If it says 10 black and white ppm, then in one minute it will print 10 black and white pages. Make sure that on both printers, they are both talking about black and white, or both talking about color. I think that laser printers are generally used for speed, not quality, so if you want to print high quality pictures, go with the inkjet.

You may want to check up on the price of replacement cartridges... A cheap printer in England can cost £35 and replacement cartridges for that printer are £30!

Laser printers are used for speed and quality. High-yield replacement toner for my laser at work goes for $130 us, but it is good for something like 18,000 pages. I am not sure I would trust a $200 laser printer, though. A 10ppm rating may explain the low price. Ink jet cartridges seem to run out around a couple hundred pages and can cost up to $30. Inkjet printers seem to be fairly disposable.

Same here Mike, The cheapo Lexmark my sister bought actually costs more for replacement cartridges than the printer cost with them!!

Well, best buy for me was a Panasonic KX-P7100 laser. It duplexes, and is 15ppm, 600dpi, B/W. Got one for 199 (US) about a year ago for printing manuals. Costs 59(US) for the toner. It has been surprisingly reliable for the price.Got mine here: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=227462&Sku=P172-1000%20P