This is a great question!
You're on the right track about getting an HP LaserJet. If you get the right one, you can save a lot of money on printing costs.
The general rules of thumb are:
- printer models meant for office use have the lowest per page costs, followed by printers meant for small office/home office use, followed by personal laser printers
- check how many pages a given printer model's toner cartridge can print (for instance, the LaserJet 2100 cartridge prints 5000 pages/cartridge whereas the LaserJet 6P prints 4000 pages/cartridge and your 4L only does 3350 pages/cartridge)
- usually, printers that handle more pages per cartridge end up having a lower cost per page (e.g. the LaserJet 2100 works out to 1 cent/page with a generic cartridge and 2 cents/page with a genuine HP cartridge, whereas the LaserJet 4L works out to 2.7 cents/page with a genuine cartridge)
- older printer models use the same quality toner, but it is generally less expensive (HP has been trying to convert their toner business into more of a profit center recently, hence the higher prices for newer toner cartridges -- for instance, the LaserJet 1200 works out to 3.5 cents/page with the standard, genuine cartridge, and the LaserJet 1012 works out to a whopping 5.1 cents/page)
- if you're going to print a lot of documents, a duplexer attachment (it lets the printer print on both sides of a page) will quickly pay for itself.
My advice is to purchase a used LaserJet off eBay, specifically an older model designed for office use. Avoid models that end in "L" as those were oriented towards consumer use; most models that end in "P" are fine, as are models that have no suffix or another suffix. The LaserJet 4, 5, and 6 series are all excellent. The 3 series would be fine too, especially if you can get one with the duplexer. The latest models which I'd consider getting are the LaserJet 2100/2200 (excellent) or perhaps the LaserJet 1200 (not the 1300). After that, HP's quality started going downhill and the toner costs start going up.
