There are more expensive parts, such as photoconductor drums, that have lifespans, too. Worth noting here is that this figure will also vary widely. If all your print jobs are one-page efforts, the actual life of the drum may be less than a third of the rated figure. In order to have what you see on paper even faintly resemble what you saw on the screen, you need software drivers for the printer that translate what the operating system or application is sending into codes the printer can understand. You must discuss which operating system you are using, which applications, and which versions of them with the vendor before you pay for the printer 'and' get any assurances that it will work properly written on the sales agreement.
Many printers come bundled with oodles of software apps.
We're not done yet. Aside from the practical shopping advice, it's going to help to know how your printer does some of the things it does before you can decide whether it's right for you. There are two basic ways laser printers interact with your computer. In a traditional laser printer, all of the processing power and memory is located inside the printer. This method doesn't place a large strain on your computer.