HP CP1025NW Toner Cartridges (HP126A)

I had no intention of ever buying a laser printer, but a neighbor in need just came by with a brand new one still sealed in the box, so I bought it. The price for the printer wasn't too bad, but the prices of genuine HP toner cartridges are. There are four different colors of which each costs $50 or more, which is more than I paid for the printer.

Not surprisingly, I found much cheaper cartridges on eBay, but I'm wondering if they are like inkjet cartridges and are significantly inferior to the OEM ones?

There are many (especially those who provide them) who swear the aftermarket cartridges are perfectly suitable. But my experience is not the same.

One of the big problems is standards and consistency. With genuine HP, whether you buy it New York or Hong Kong, the toner will be genuine HP toner, with the same chemical composition, year after year. With aftermarket cartridges, Company A may use this formula this month and Company B that formula that month, then next month something slightly different.

I have also seen many reports from users of both ink jet and laser aftermarket ink where poor print quality was resolved by switching back to genuine cartridges.

Yeah, laser cartridges are expensive, but I note with the black, you get around 1200 pages - and with the color ink, about 1000 pages. That's a lot, about 50% more than my HP inkjet cartridges, though still quite a bit more costly - hence the popularity of inkjets.

Lasers have always been more expensive, but do yield a better (and more durable) finished product.

Thanks for the insight. I had already suspected that what you said was true, but am still looking for a way to save on this. This printer is color, which means that it uses 4 cartridges, and I'm not willing to spend over $200 for them. Would it work if I only bought a black cartridge and used it that way?

Also, I'm curious in what way the print quality suffered with the aftermarket cartridges...not clear, faded, or ? Does laser copies have the same problem as some inkjet copies in regards to being waterproof?

Would it work if I only bought a black cartridge and used it that way?

Some printers refuse to print if one or more of the cartridges are missing and some refuse to print if one or more are empty. Depends on the printer.

As for quality - all sorts of complaints from off color to less sharp, to blotches of excess ink, to spots with no ink where there should be - to not printing at all.

Does laser copies have the same problem as some inkjet copies in regards to being waterproof?

That is part of what I meant by a more durable printout. Laser toner is heated and "fused" to the paper, hence it is much less prone to smearing and water damage.

What a lot of folks do is do most of their printing, and draft copies with an inkjet - then when ready to go final, use the laser.

Actually, the inkjet really serves my purposes, because I only use it for my own needs. I kind of think that the laser presents more problems than it solves...not only because of cost, but also because it doesn't have any FAX or scan functions, and I currently haven't the space available for it, unless I used it as a wireless network printer and found a niche for it away from the desk. However, with the usual skimpy instructions that HP offers on their products in general, I don't know what it would take to accomplish that? I assume that would require some kind of wireless adapter to connect it to... right?

It has inbuilt wireless and wired ethernet so would connect using either directly to an existing router.

Ahh, that is good! If HP had better instruction manuals, I might have known that. Now the only problem left is the toner cartridges. Given the nature of aftermarket cartridges described by Digerati, I'm wondering if any one brand is any better than others? Knowing me, I would just buy the cheapest, and that would probably result in the worst, unless someone enlightened me further. I guess I could buy an OEM black cartridge and then the other three aftermarket, just so that all of the cartridge slots were filled.

I guess I could buy an OEM black cartridge and then the other three aftermarket, just so that all of the cartridge slots were filled.

Great minds think alike eh - was thinking along the lines of such a compromise. I'd certainly stick with genuine cartridges for the black majority use - I use only genuine cartridges for printing myself - just not worth the mess and damage that cheapos can do to both media and hardware.

You said this was a brand new printer, "still sealed in the box". I have bought many HP printers and they all came with rip-off (IMO) "demo" cartridges (only partially full ). Didn't this printer too? If so, not sure you would need to buy any replacements - for awhile, and then only a full black (if color is not needed).

I kind of think that the laser presents more problems than it solves... ...because it doesn't have any FAX or scan functions

Well, of course that is not a laser problem - but the fact it is a "printer" and not an "All-In-One multifunction printing device" like your inkjet. I have an HP6500 AIO Inkjet and it takes up a lot of space but a LOT less real estate than a separate printer, scanner, fax, and copy machine would (and all their data cables, separate power supplies and power cables too). And in my case, with it networked, it is located in a central location, and off my desk!

My old perfectly good laser printer is sitting on a shelf in the basement, next to several old, perfectly good CRT monitors and other electronics hardware deemed obsolete before its time. The cost of progress, I guess.

And of course, the folks at Staples, OfficeMax, OfficeDepot would argue their aftermarket stuff is equal or better quality. And I suspect they are better compared to some - especially the no-name stuff on eBay. The big brand stores likely have better quality and consistency control across the inks and ink batches too. I suspect if you buy from Staples, for example, and it works fine, then continuing to buy those replacements from Stables will be fine. But all it takes is one bad one to gum up the works (literally!), and I don't suspect any of the aftermarket suppliers will cover damage to the printer from a faulty cartridge. But Canon, HP, Epson, Brother, etc. will (assuming the printer is still under warranty).

I guess it depends on how much you print, and how important print quality is. If the idea is to have a "hard copy" on file, then as long as it is readable, the quality is not that important. But more and more "paperwork", including our own personal and home finances stuff has gone "green", "paperless", "digitized". I can't remember the last time I actually "wrote" a check. And for that matter, I rarely print out reports anymore, but attach them to an email, or just keep them as files on my computer. I just printed out a new "Proof of Insurance" card my insurance company emailed me. But only because the law requires I carry a copy in my truck. But even that startled the printer out of hibernation, its been so long since I printed anything, it took forever to actually start the print job.

If you are looking for a new job and will be printing resumes, or important sales or presentation "reports" for your work or school, and top quality is important, it is hard to beat a good laser printer (with the right paper, anyway). And for that I just think the genuine ink is the safer bet.

That said, inkjets can create some great printouts too, with the right paper.

You said this was a brand new printer, "still sealed in the box". I have bought many HP printers and they all came with rip-off (IMO) "demo" cartridges (only partially full ). Didn't this printer too? If so, not sure you would need to buy any replacements - for awhile, and then only a full black (if color is not needed).

I believed that when I said it, but unfortunately I was too occupied with trying to figure out other problems, that I failed to notice that the box had "refurbished" on it. I guess that accounts for the lack of cartridges, but the fact that I can't locate a serial number on either the box or the machine baffles me.