If you can site the printer near an ethernet port (router, switch, power line etc) then the C240 is still £44.99 at Box.co.uk. Essentially the same printer (the 250 is slightly faster) without the WiFi built in. Connecting it via your router will allow wireless printing though.

Go for a brother.

Manufacturers deliberately do this, effectively giving away the equipment at cost and really making any profit on consumables. Ink-jet printers were probably an early example of it, now lasers have joined the fun with expiry chips in some of the print cartridges. Label printers from Bother and Dynmo are much the same. However, the whole consumer electronics world is affected by similar eco non-friendliness. So, it is often more cost-effective to replace your equipment, whatever it may be than to get it repaired,, even if you get the component and fit it yourself. I reckon the pod coffee machines are slowly going the same way. Once sales for new or replacement machines slows down, then the cost of machines will drop while pods remain absurdly expensive, purchase cost being totally divorced from production costs. For example, even Lidl's espresso coffee pods are about 4 times more expensive than their tinned version. It's all a wheeze and was always thus.

Double sided printing as standard, seems a good deal. Toner (even compatibles) is a little on the expensive side.

The Dell which was £99 has much cheaper toner though no double-sided printing.

Approx £100 for a set of replacement toners (3rd party)

amazing how its cheaper to buy a new printer. Not at all environmentally friendly :smirk:

If you can site the printer near an ethernet port (router, switch, power line etc) then the C240 is still £44.99 at Box.co.uk. Essentially the same printer (the 250 is slightly faster) without the WiFi built in. Connecting it via your router will allow wireless printing though.

Agreed what would people recommend for a low volume home laser with low cost toner options?

Go for a brother.

Manufacturers deliberately do this, effectively giving away the equipment at cost and really making any profit on consumables. Ink-jet printers were probably an early example of it, now lasers have joined the fun with expiry chips in some of the print cartridges. Label printers from Bother and Dynmo are much the same. However, the whole consumer electronics world is affected by similar eco non-friendliness. So, it is often more cost-effective to replace your equipment, whatever it may be than to get it repaired,, even if you get the component and fit it yourself. I reckon the pod coffee machines are slowly going the same way. Once sales for new or replacement machines slows down, then the cost of machines will drop while pods remain absurdly expensive, purchase cost being totally divorced from production costs. For example, even Lidl's espresso coffee pods are about 4 times more expensive than their tinned version. It's all a wheeze and was always thus.

​i have a Xerox Workcentre 6015. Prints well. The compatible toners are very reasonable - approx £8 - £10 per toner (4 colours).

Unless you want colour prints, go with something like the ricoh sp201 (n/w). You can get it in both Ethernet and Wifi versions. It's only black and white, but you can refill the toner cartridge that comes with it by simply popping the refill cap on the cartridge and pour in some of toner bottles off ebay (150g around £7), should give you two refills and you'll get at least few reams of paper out of each refill.

for everything else, if you really do need colour, you can take it to places like your local library who'll print it off for you.
Laser printers aren't ideal for pictures, you can take them to places like Asda or Tesco and have them printed off.
If you're using an ISP like virgin media, you probably have free prints with snap fish for online printing of pictures.