[X4U] Cheap Reliable USB Laser Printer

[David R. Boag, DDS]

My parents' have an Apple LaserWriter Select 360 (one of Apple's best  
printers they ever sold under their own name). It is LocalTalk only.  
When they bought their G4 350 MHz Sawtooth, we actually bought a  
network card, because my dad is cheap and didn't want to get an  
ethernet hub/router. (They admittedly were much more expensive then  
than they are now.) So they have 2 ethernet networks: one that comes  
directly from the cable modem (still no router) and the other for the  
printer, which is bridges with an Asante LocalTalk to Ethernet bridge.

Well for whatever reason, they can no longer see the printer, and the  
sequence that we have used many times to fix this problem and  
reconnect no longer works. I have no idea if a setting has been  
changed or if the bridge is bad or what the problem is, but I live a  
full day's drive from them, and can't play with things, and they are  
not computer literate.

What I really want my dad to do is to upgrade to a Mac Mini and get a  
simple USB printer. He wants a laser printer, not an inkjet. B&W is  
fine. They've never had color. The last time I was looking for a laser  
printer, i got an HP, and it still sits on my desk. It's been reliable.

Is HP still a good way to go for a cheap printer? They want one for  
roughly $150 or so. Is there a better alternative to HP now for low- 
end laser printers?

BTW, I was hoping that they would listen to me and upgrade their G4 to  
a Mac Mini so that I could remotely take over their Mini when they  
needed help, but for some reason, they fail to see the value. <sigh>  
Maybe they'll see it better if I stop trying so hard to help them when  
they are in a computer fix, but they're my parents, and they've helped  
me out of much worse fixes than that. Just wish they would listen to  
reason. Oh well.

Love to hear recommendations for new low-end laser printers.

Thanks.

David R. Boag, DDS