Village,
Thanks, from a happy old fart. This is number 4, BTW.

You're right, printers are like razors, give 'em away, get an arm and a leg for blades, and keep "improving" (read, changing slightly, so they don't fit the old, or anyone elses.)
And, for the life of me, I don't know how they keep cartridge A from working in printer B. Physically identical, must be electrically different enough to not work, or else an ID of some kind that says"I'm not allowed to work in this model number." My HPs tell me wrong cart installed if I try a 78 in place of a 23. Not trying to cheat, just the numbers are small enough to misread.
Paperwise, I stock up on the buy one get one sales. I really don't think it's worth 75 cents to a buck a sheet, but will pay 40 or 50.
Professionally, you don't have much choice, do you? You hand someone a flimsy print, and a bill, they look for a new printshop. So a speedier printer is your only option.
For quality, you probably can't beat a good laser. Their consumeables must be sky high. I get e-mails offering them "free" with a service contract, if I guarantee X number of pages output over the contract life. Now, THOSE consumables nust have a profit margin built in, huh?
And Eddy's remarks on DPI, my Oki 800 B&W laser maxes at 300,and the text is relatively superior, compared to an inkjet, besides being fused to the paper and moisture proof. It just sits there and gives a gentle hum as the pages slide out of it. They're a little curled from the heat while wrapping around the drum, but the cost per is negligible, as I have a few bottles of toner and refill the carts when low.