Cheap ish Back & White Printer

I went laser cos we hardly ever use it but need it when we need it. Took advice on avoiding inkjet as they tend to gum up over time. Got a Brother WD350 or similar letters. Not "cheap", not especially small, but lasted longer than previous cheaper ones. Wish I'd got the ethernet one, as it needs manually reconnecting to the wifi after any tiny drop out.

Edit: HL-L2350DW

We realised that colour printers were a pain in the backside for just this reason and very rarely print in colour. We pushed the boat out and got a basic brother b&w laser printer. Cartridges cost about £25 and last forever. Much cheaper in the long run

Another vote for a cheap mono laser printer.

EDIT: Looks like they've gone up massively in price in the last few years though.

We bought the USB-only version of this  seven years ago for around 60 quid.

We have a HP LaserJet M110w. Cost £90 ish and it just sits there on the wifi, ready to be used when needed.

Printed a form last week after it was sat there idle for six months.

Came off straight away with no fuss, much better than any old ink jet that blocked as soon as you looked at the thing.

Cheap to buy or cheap to run and long lasting? If the latter, then brother HL-L2350DW as above.
wireless is really nice as you can print from your smartphone without having to go near a computer.

I posted on this a while ago. As someone who only prints a handful of times a year, a home printer is too expensive and unreliable. I just go to the library. Obvs no good if you print a lot and need the convenience or to print sensitive stuff but for me it is so rare, that having to buy new cartridges every few months as they dry up through inactivity was a waste of money.

If you are local to Nottingham I've got a Canon compact laser here you can have.

a home printer is too expensive and unreliable

Inkjets are. Pick up a smal laser printer and they will just keep working for years.

I'd personally avoid Hp printer nowadays, as their ability to rip you off with ink seems top of their agenda, cannon seems slightly better. Again I'd recommend a laser printer that is going to be more reliable. I run a HP laserjet 2100,  it's 20+ years old and is getting cranky, but again I rarely print that much (or do it at work 😀 )

I have a cheap samsung colour laser - a C430W. Wouldn't go back to inkjets.

Brother Mono Laser here - it just works, 60 quid for a toner cassette is good for over a 1000 prints

Inkjets are. Pick up a smal laser printer and they will just keep working for years.

Had one I was gifted from a job years ago. Was reliable until it wasnt. Expensive to replace.

I Have an HP Laser 107 which I think was around £60 (but now seem to be £110!).  Bought first replacement cartridge a few months back for £15.

Sits upstairs with no use for months at a time then prints fine as soon as turned on.  Also pretty small in size.

Hp printer and instant ink.

Flaw

Less.

I've had a B&W (4000) and now Colour (pro 400) HP laser jets - enterprise grade, used.  They're designed for 20k prints a month or something stupid.  Load of 'refurb' stuff on Ebay with 6 month warranty.

the B&W didn't miss a beat in c14 years with a fair bit of use.  They're common enough you can pick up genuine toner at a big discount to retail on eBay or use generic stuff for very little money (you might not get a toner level in the app but they have loads of life left in them after the app reports them empty so you just use them until the print fades)

Thanks for all the replies, plenty to think about. @seriousrikk thanks for the kind offer but I'm in Sheffield.

We use Xerox b230s at work. Super fast double sided printing, decent size paper tray, £100 to buy with enough toner to last your average home user a lifetime.

HL-L2350DW

Yes one of these.  We have the same model.