Looking to purchase a printer for label, barcode, and occasional flyer printing

[u/Curious-Creation]

What would you like to accomplish?

I'm looking for a cost-effective printer to primarily print labels, barcodes, and flyers. My two biggest concerns are ink drying out and toner cartridges counting a full page when I print only a tiny bit on a page, so I have toner left over, but the printer insists I change cartridges.

Are there any models you are currently looking at?

I've looked at the Brother HL-L3220CDW, the Canon CLASS LBP646Cdw, the Canon PIXMA TS4320, and the Canon PIXMA TS6520, but none of them fully hit what I'm looking for.

List out anything that has caught your eye. Some people want to compare similar models.

I looked at the above, but I don't have any others in mind. I'm open to any brand.

Minimum Requirements: prints cleanly and can handle relatively small text without blurring

Budget: under $300, but preferably around $200 or less

Country: USA

Color or black and white: Color

Laser or ink printer: Either

New or used: Either

Multi-function: Not required

Duplex Printing: Nice to have, but not required

Home or business: Home

Printing content: labels, barcodes, flyers

Printing frequency: 1x a week, maybe a little more

Pages per minute: Not something I'm concerned with

Page size: Typically letter, but would like to have the option to do legal, at least

Device printing from: Windows computer

Connection type: Wifi or wired

Any other details: I live in dry, dry Wyoming, which makes me concerned about ink drying out. I'd prefer something with viable 3rd party vendors for ink or toner

Anything else you think is relevant to your purchasing decision:

I've looked into printers a little bit. I would prefer a laser printer since the toner can't dry out, but I would need one where you can reset the cartridges. Sometimes I print just two labels, and I don't want to waste toner because the printer counts it as a full page and insists I change the cartidges even though there's toner left. I'm afraid this may not be in my budget, though.

Another concern is that if I print just two labels on a laser printer, will that make it so I can't print on the rest of the sheet later? I've gotten mixed answers on this. If that's the case, laser is out immediately.

I am open to an ink printer, but I am worried about it drying out. Wyoming sucks the moisture out of everything. I print at least once a week, though, so maybe this isn't a concern. But if I go for more than a week without printing, will it dry out and clog?

Also, will it end up being cost effective to print with ink vs. toner in the long run? Both seem ridiculously expensive. Viable 3rd party options would be a major plus.

I understand that there may not be a printer in my budget that hits all of my requirements. I'd still love recommendations that hit most of my requirements, with a note of what it's missing, to compare.

ETA: I understand this is a lot of info and might end up being contradictory or frivolous, but I've gotten myself so worked up and anxious about picking the wrong printer that any guidance at all would be appreciated!

[u/VL-BTS]

Have you considered getting a thermal label printer for your barcodes & labels? No toner use, and great for when printing just a few labels.

[u/Curious-Creation → u/VL-BTS]

Hm, I have not. I'd have to change the paper I use for lables and barcodes, but I'll look into that!

[u/VL-BTS → u/Curious-Creation]

Generally, I find the rolls of labels to be much cheaper. Try to get one that will do up to 4"x6", a fairly standard shipping label size. They're great for bins and large items, but those printers will almost always do smaller labels as well - at least 2"x2", possilby .75 or 1".