Can't find printer meeting these criteria

[lindsey]

6 things are important:

1) Low cost (budget $250-$300)
2) Must have automatic-duplex (automated 2-sided printing)
3) Laser
4) Colour
5) Consumables must be reasonably priced – it's ridiculous that to refill your ink bank once you often end up spending more than the cost of the original printer!
6) Supported by Linux

For home use, specifically for uni.

I've looked around but apart from ridiculously expensive printers or printers with hidden catches such as expensive consumables or "optionality" of auto-duplex (i.e. feature costs an extra $300 if you want it included).

Some of these printer companies have contempt for consumers and are incredibly sly in making a printer look cheap at face value but eventually they recuperate from the cost of consumables and added profits of so called "optionals".

The only one I've seriously considered and ultimately rejected because of it's "optional" auto-duplex (at $300 extra) is:

Fuji Xerox DocuPrint C2120 colour laser printer

(See Fuji Xerox DocuPrint C2120 - reviews - Printers & Scanners - Colour Laser Printers - PC World)

[psic]

I work part-time for a computer magazine and among other things also test printers.

I'm sorry to say that you won't find a printer which fits all of the above criteria - as you mentioned, the auto-duplex is what most of the cheaper printers are lacking. Other than this, printer support in Linux has gotten quite good, especially with laser printers.

[lindsey]

I work part-time for a computer magazine and among other things also test printers.

I'm sorry to say that you won't find a printer which fits all of the above criteria - as you mentioned, the auto-duplex is what most of the cheaper printers are lacking. Other than this, printer support in Linux has gotten quite good, especially with laser printers.

Perhaps you may be right. Auto-duplex with mono-lasers barely seem affordable. And I want colour. You would think it would be cheaper these days, I mean I've wanted one fitting the above description for years, yet it seems printer pricing has remained high. Technology is supposed to depreciate in cost very quickly as is the case with everything else.

I don't know what else to do. I mass duplex so manual is a pain, and often confusing when you've got unconventional orientations and layouts. I waste so much paper and ink getting it wrong sometimes, it's counterintuitive and unpredictable.

Willing to spend $300 max. so long as maintenance and consumables doesn't inflate the costs too much. Any other ideas?