Reddit mentions: The best laser printer drums & toner

My go to brand is Steelseries.

I think Logitech has the gimmick but falls short on the execution. Works great for their marketing but when you get down to brass tacks, Logitech since 2003-2004 has become somewhat of a joke. The MX510 and the MX518 were great mouses but they've fell to the wayside with the innovation of brands like Razer, Steelseries and Zowie.

A lot of people like Razer. To me it feels like cheap plastic. I can certainly see the appeal because their software is pretty awesome but I prefer Steelseries because not only is software optional but the mouse works just as well without it.

Zowie is a new up and coming brand. It has a sponsorship deal with one of the greatest Counter-Strike teams in the world, Ninjas in Pajamas. Its a cool idea because Zowie has allowed legends like Heaton and Spawn to help design products catering specifically to the needs of competitive gamers. I have to give them credit for remaking the Microsoft Explorer 3.0, which is my favorite mouse of all time and I have to give them even more credit for the EC2. The EC2 is essentially the successor to the 3.0. I own one and its fantastic.

Back to Steelseries which is my brand of choice. I think these guys are the best when it comes to anything.

This is going to sound like a commercial but Ill give you the run down on why I like each piece of their line. They are SOLID. In the 6-7 years I've been using their products, I've never broken a single piece of equipment and I treat my stuff pretty bad.

The Kinzu and the Xai are fantastic mice for FPS players. They both pole to 1000 hz stock, the Xai has an LCD screen on the bottom that allows you to store config files if you're a dude who travels a lot and goes to a lot of LANs. They both also feature a braided cable. This means the cable is thicker than usual and it can really take a beating. There is one major flaw with the Kinzu and Xai and it is that it has built in mouse acceleration. According to Steelseries its supposed to help gamers and its supposed to act as a sort of buffer but as a competitive gamer, my personal philosophy is that mouse acceleration is always a bad thing which is why I opt to use the Zowie EC2 instead. If I had to choose between the Kinzu and Xai I would choose the Kinzu but thats mostly because I'm not a fan of the gimmicks of an LCD screen and side buttons. I should also mention Steelseries has another mouse called the Ikari. It doesn't have mouse acceleration but I don't believe its catered to FPS players. I think its more of an RTS/MMO mouse but I would imagine most Logitech fans would find the Ikari to be gold. Its just that kind of gimmicky mouse.

As for headsets, I have to recommend the Icemat Siberas V2. Again, it has a braided cable that wont tear. Most importantly, the design of the headset is meant to feel like you aren't wearing a headset at all and it executes on that so well. The headset is huge but its very light. It gives you really good directional sound but it feels like you're wearing nothing at all...nothing at all...NOTHING AT ALL!(Sorry, I can't help but make that Simpsons reference)

The keyboards, despite its price is probably the best bang for your buck. I own the Steelseries 6GV2 and its literally the last keyboard I will ever buy. Its so comfortable to type on that I've thought about packing it up and taking it with me to work. Its a mechanical keyboard that acts as a two port USB and headset hub. It also has the best build quality of any keyboard I've ever seen. Seriously, I've seen people do some horrendous things to this keyboard and it keeps on ticking. I remember one of the promo videos was a dude throwing it out a window, spilling a drink on it, swinging it around like a flail, the thing simply doesn't break. If you don't type on a mechanical keyboard, I can't recommend it enough. The tactile feedback is so nice and responsive that the squishy membrane keyboards have become unusable to me. The wrist rest is also really nice. If you spend a lot of time at a keyboard, and I'm talking about not only gaming but work and school then I think you should really consider this guy because it types like a dream. Also, mechanical keyboards last a really long time. The Steelseries 6GV2 is probably the last keyboard I will ever buy, assuming it never breaks on me or we find a way to utilize USB 3.0 in a way that is actually useful for keyboards.

Pricing isn't as bad as some would have you believe. Its certainly no worse than the most expensive Logitech/Microsoft products.

The Kinzu is $35

The Ikari is $80

The Icemat Siberia V2 are $75(Keep in mind this is a headset, not just headphones. It has a retractable microphone. The only problem I have with this headset is that it looks kind of dorky)

The 6GV2 is $115(I know, pretty damn expensive, but it really is in my opinion, the best keyboard on the market and is totally worth the price, especially if you're a guy who switches keyboards ever 2-3 years because this thing isn't going anywhere.)

I've wasted many hours repairing Xerox Phaser printers. The possible points of failure are numerous, and from your description a few red flags come to mind. The incident with spilled toner is concerning, because it is possible to contaminate non-serviceable areas of the machine requiring almost a complete disassembly to repair. The mechanical problems can be difficult to effectively repair, and are not recommended for inexperienced technicians. Even assuming everything goes as planned, the reward for your efforts would be a 10+ year old printer with thousands of aging parts ripe for the next failure to occur...

Honestly, I would consider cutting your losses and discard the printer. I'm not sure which $440 HP printer you are considering, but I'll try to make a few recommendations for organizations like yours that require high volume color printing capabilities:

The HP LaserJet Pro 500 color MFP M570dn is a great business multi-function printer. It will handle printing, scanning, faxing, and copying. This printer features automatic on/off (with Instant-on), fast 31ppm color printing, Gigabit Ethernet, scan to e-Mail/Cloud/Flash Drive, and automatic high-speed duplex (2-sided) printing and scanning. It does not include built-in Wi-Fi - you would have to downgrade to a different model for that feature (you can still print to it over an existing wireless network, you just have to plug it into your router with an Ethernet cable).

The M570dn runs about $750 on Amazon with FREE shipping. Keep in mind that this price includes a complete set of full capacity toner cartridges which are good for about 6,000 pages. Each toner cartridge has an integrated drum, and waste toner receptacle. A full set of replacement cartridges will run you about $680 for HP-branded ink and are good for about 6,000 color pages at a total cost of about $0.12 cents per color page. Since the bundled set of cartridges is comparable to the cost of the printer itself, it's like buying your first set of toner up front and getting the printer free of charge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfrCIqlRk0

https://www.amazon.com/HP-LaserJet-M570dn-Printer-CZ271A/dp/B0095ZC75W/

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Color-Enterprise-M551-Cartridges/dp/B006R17HE8/

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2012/FallBizPrinting/HP_LaserJet_Pro_500_color_MFP_M570.pdf

Another option would be the Canon Color imageClass MF810Cdn. This printer will easily scale up with your organization to meet your current and future needs. The MF810Cdn costs less than $800 on Amazon with FREE shipping. This model has a many nice features like Apple Airprint, Mobile Device Printing, Secure Print, scanning OCR support, high-speed Gigabit Ethernet, and a huge 550-sheet paper tray standard. This printer is fast at 26ppm, and will support thicker paper up to 58lb. stock in both the multipurpose/manual feed trays and the paper cassette. It is also highly expandable, giving you the ability to add extra paper drawers and a wheeled base that attaches to the bottom of the printer (see brochure link below) giving you a total online paper capacity of up to 2,300 sheets - perfect for printing on many different paper types, letterheads, etc.

The MF810Cdn includes FULL MODE duplex operation (automatic double-sided print, copy, scan, fax), and has a 50-sheet ADF feeder. Scan to PC (Push from printer, or Pull from PC), Scan/Fax to Email, Scan/Fax to Network Folder, Scan/Fax to SMB, LDAP/Active Directory are all fully supported.

Canon's business color laser printers are well-engineered and very reliable. These machines represent the state of the art in business printers. The MF810Cdn uses an advanced air-pressurized toner system, which is a similar technology to their line of high end color copiers (the imageRunner series), ensuring fast and reliable performance for high-volume environments such as yours.

Toner, drums, and waste toner receptacles on this Canon printer are all separately replaceable, which gives you more flexibility with your consumables costs. Unlike cheaper color laser printers that use an integrated cartridge for each color (containing both toner and a disposable drum), with this Canon printer you will only replace what you need when you need it.

Consumables for color laser printers are typically more expensive than for black & white printers. This printer is different than most, in that the black toner is significantly lower priced, and comes in a higher-capacity package than the other colors. Canon toner will cost a total of about $820 for 7,300 pages, drums run about $250 each per 35,000 pages, and the waste bottle runs $25 per 30,000 pages. Black toner is sold in a higher yield package good for 12,000 pages at a lower cost than the other colors. (Your first set of consumables including all toners and drums are included in the box.) This all adds up to a total consumables cost of less than $0.14 cents per color page, and less than $0.02 cents per black & white page.

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-imageCLASS-MF810Cdn-Airprint-Printer/dp/B00RWSYOPA/

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-CRG-034-Standard-Yield-Cartridge/dp/B01BKXXGWE/

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-9454B001-Original-Toner-Cartridge/dp/B00RWWTHQM/

http://www.digitalsystemcopiers.com/Images/Canon%20820_Brochure.pdf

(Edit: I think the low price is because you have to add the toner/cable - add that, and it will still come out very cheap but not suspiciously so. It's still cheaper than the non-duplex Brother I have which was sold together with a starter toner that lasted a long time.)

It is a very cheap printer especially considering it has duplex, much cheaper than mine too. Don't know how they managed it. I personally have even been able to use third party toner without hassle in my older Brother laser printer. I see third party toner being sold for the printer I linked as well.

Brother says TN660 toner prints 2600 pages if I'm not mistaken. On Amazon, that would be $45. I don't remember ever changing the toner in my printer either which I think has a similarly specced toner cartridge.

I suspect Brother's end game is just to embed itself in the public conscience consciousness by means of people like /u/AnalogDan and myself. Some (many) of the people and companies buying the printers will buy the original toner anyway - and since it typically allows you to print so much more than an inkjet cartridge anyway, even that's not such a bad idea. It's still a fair enough price IMO and should still give them ample opportunity to make a profit on the toner by selling large quantities at a smaller markup, rather than totally ripping off a small number of seething customers, as in the inkjet and color printing market. I'm guessing the printers themselves are just sold at cost.

[Start Here] (http://wecravegamestoo.com/forums/monitor-reviews-discussion/15027-best-27-2560x1440p-monitors-ahva-ips-pls.html)

Obviously, you can ignore the 144hz options, unless they fall within your budget. But I'd go top to bottom and price check and take the best one within your budget.

[Another Good Source] (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-27-inch-monitor/) - less technical, more average user oriented.

Based on those two, I'd go in this order based on my personal preferences:

1. [Dell U2715H] (https://www.amazon.de/Dell-U2715H-Monitor-Reaktionszeit-schwarz/dp/B00PRCRWRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483308124&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+u2715)
   
2. [BenQ GW2765HT] (https://www.amazon.de/BenQ-GW2765HT-Monitor-Aufl%C3%B6sung-Reaktionszeit/dp/B00M913DVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483308208&sr=8-1&keywords=benq+gw2765ht)
   
3. [LG 27MB85R] (https://www.amazon.de/LG-27MB85R-B-27Zoll-2-560x1-440-AH-IPS/dp/B00II5PWR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483308172&sr=8-1&keywords=lg+27mb85r)
   
   The LG is likely the best or 2nd best in image quality, but it falls just outside of your budget so I placed it 3rd.
   
   Best of luck and I hope that this helps.

I started with the toner transfer method and after getting ugly ground planes, no matter what I did, I decided to up my game and see how I could improve. The dry film photoresist method is great!

Stencil:

• Laser Printer: I got this one for $50,- at the time, price has gone up since then.
  
• Laminator: Cheapest and best laminator I could find - no modding or anything required.
  
• Transparency Film/Paper: This one seemed to work the best out of all the others I bought.
  
  Etch-resist:
  
  
• Positive Developer (Sodium Hydroxide): This stuff is dangerous - it's lye! The solution I bought was pre-diluted 10% and can be found here. My developer solution is roughly 1% lye. That means you need to dilute one part from MG Chemicals bottle with 10 parts water. This has yet to go bad for me.
  
• UV Light Source: I use this cheap one found on Amazon. Works well and is just big enough to fit my largest 4"x6" boards.
  
• Dry film photo resist OR pre-sensitized photo resist boards: Pick any that you find will suit your purpose. I found some lying around at my university and have no idea where it came from. I've heard good things about Riston (eBay), and we use the pre-sensitized boards made by MG Chemicals at my university.
  
• Other: Rugged rubber / "vinyl" gloves, safety glasses (you should own these already if you solder), a respirator if desired, lots of plastic containers such as Tupperware big enough for your PCBs, acetone to clean the copper boards and to remove the photoresist, reasonably heavy duty scotch brite pads, and glass from a picture frame to hold the transparent stencil onto the board.
  
  Etchant:
  
  Here it really is up to you. I use the hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) with hydrogen peroxide method, but any method will work fine. Be careful that your etchant isn't too strong and will somehow inadvertently strip off your photo resistive etch-resist!
  
  I hope I didn't forget anything...
  
  ---
  
  Pros:
  
  
• Cheaper than a CNC by far.
  
• Cleaner results than toner transfer, if done right.
  
• Reusable chemical solutions - depending on your choice of etchants.
  
• Photoresist also allows you to make your own solder masks. Take a look at my previous post here for pictures!
  
• High accuracy depending on your printer. I can confidently get down to about 6 mil before I get nervous with my printer.
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Still somewhat pricey if you have no materials on the list at all - somewhere around $200.
  
• Dangerous chemicals which require proper storage, safe handling, and approved disposal.
  
• Will probably take a few trial & error runs to tweak your procedure in order get good results; same as toner transfer.

>Motherboard

• Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H offers the best value at the moment on Amazon.jp. Similar performance to Z97-Deluxe, with less extra features and gimmicks for 12,000 less.
  
  >Water Cooling
  
  
• An AIO liquid cooler like Corsair H100i would most likely be your best bet. They're very easy to install and don't require any maintenance.
  
  >Case
  
  
• Fractal Define R4 would be your best bet for a simple and silent case, it's currently on sale on Amazon, for up to 3,000 cheaper than similar alternatives.

How do I know if it is overclocked, I dont think it is but is there a way to check, also I wouldnt mind buying a new psu if the one I have isnt very good.

For which 970 to get I guess the best and coolest looking one, I've never really looked into overclocking

This is the card I'm looking at getting from a quick search

Talked to some friends and they said this is the best card to go for? Can anyone confirm? this

Nope, thats about right. I'd probably still swap out the Samsung EVO for the 90$ Kingston (You can keep the evo if you want they're both quality SSDs), and since you're not overclocking take out the cooler (Intel CPUs + Nvidia GPUs are very energy efficient and usually run very cool/silent)

So it'll look more like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | €167.86 @ Amazon Deutschland
Motherboard | ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | €51.07 @ Amazon Deutschland
Memory | G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | €76.83 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage | Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | €89.89 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €55.50 @ Amazon Deutschland
Case | Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case | €95.37 @ Amazon Deutschland
Power Supply | XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | €61.13 @ Amazon Deutschland
Other| Gigabyte Geforce GTX970 Gaming Grafikkarte| €340.00
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | €937.65
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 22:25 CET+0100 |

So to give you an actual option this is what you should get.

RICOH C250DN

You will need to refill your own cartridges to save money but its super easy to fill. Refill kits are like $40-50 for 4 toner bottles and new chips.

Refill Kit on Amazon

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | €166.79 @ Amazon Deutschland
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | €32.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
Motherboard | ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | €51.07 @ Amazon Deutschland
Memory | G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | €76.83 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €54.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
Case | Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case | €95.37 @ Amazon Deutschland
Power Supply | XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | €61.13 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage| Samsung 840 EVO 250GB| €110.00 @ Amazon Deutschland
Graphics Card| Gigabyte Geforce GTX970 Gaming Grafikkarte| €340.00 @ Amazon Deutschland
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | €989.17
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 21:15 CET+0100 |

You don't need the cooler tbh, but if you're anal about temps/noise it's a good choice. Else save the €33.

edit2:

Fixed links and titles, PCPartpicker doesn't list some stuff from amazon.de

If you are set on making prints yourself, you should look to see if you can score a second hand printer at your local resale store or craigslist. I bought one off someone who was moving out of their apartment for 40 bucks. You can easily get off brand cartridges for much cheaper than the original ones, whatever model you get, do a quick search on amazon for replacement toner before you buy so you know how much replacement toner is. Whatever laser printer you get will be many times cheaper than inkjet.

Here is one example. Brother HL-L2350DW for about 100 bucks with a 4-pack of thrid party toner for 40 bucks. The estimated yield per cartridge is 3000 pages.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0763WDSYZ/

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Imaging-Compatible-Replacement-TN760/dp/B07LCKWVBY/

Ideally you shouldn't have to be supplementing for what the school isn't providing.

For my 21st birthday, I went to Las Vegas, I think that is pretty hard to beat. It was a good time, not sure I'll ever go back, but 21 and in Vegas is pretty extreme!

This is a bit over $5.25, but it is cute, and I really need a stapler!

Laser!

Stop! Don't do it! Instead, invest in a handheld scanner! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Koolertron-Cordless-Handheld-Scanner-Resolution/dp/B004DHYGF6 Here's a model for example, but yeah! You don't have to destroy the book, AND you can scan as many bbooks as your heart desires!

Well, I’m pretty sure I have the wireless version of that. Just got a generic from Amazon that was way cheaper that did the job fine.

Lightning sale for $10 ending in 3.5 hours: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY6OLCK

This just popped up on my pcpartpicker alert!

FYI I used the Amazon link on Flubit and got the card for £244.98. Although the price is higher on Amazon at the moment, so you might get a better deal using the ebuyer link on Flubit.

Id get a laser printer, a higher initial cost, but the toner last 3x as much as ink and is less expensive. Id recommend a Brother printer, it isnt a scanner, but you could probably find a usb scanner pretty cheap.



https://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2340DW-Monochrome-Wireless-Replenishment/dp/B00LZS5EEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1496773097&sr=1-1&keywords=brother+printer This is the printer for $80




https://www.amazon.com/E-Z-Ink-Compatible-Cartridge-Replacement/dp/B00NY6OLCK/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1496773170&sr=1-4&keywords=brother+tn-660 This is the generic toner for $16

[Toner for my brother printer. $32] (https://www.amazon.com/Brother-TN420-Toner-Cartridge-Packaging/dp/B003YFHCK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486923272&sr=8-1&keywords=brother+tn+420+toner) Honestly a laser printer is the best thing you can get if you don't need color. I was "low" on toner for about 2 months of light use. Finally ran out once i started printing a textbook.

I have the Brother HL-2270DW. It supports duplex, has a very quick page per minute print speed, and toner lasts forever (I used the included toner for over a year printing a ton for school, probably over 50 pages per week). This is the aftermarket toner that I use and it has been exactly as good as the oem toner. I highly recommend it.

Hi, Acetate sheets you'll likely find in the kitchen department for chocolate making. The office versions are usually called Transparency Film. There are two types that I know of, the transparency film for printers and the ones that say 'not for use in printers' and they direct the user to special markers that can be cleaned off easily.

The former, printer version is like this.

The latter, writing and drawing version is like this.

Sorry, I don't know what they're like though. Never tried.

Good luck :)

Damn yeah it's tough finding any good priced GPU in spain, maybe I don't know spanish enough :p. But I found 3 shops in France that sell the R9 290 4GB for 240€ - 250€, which I guess is better than the 380 / GTX 960 if they do ship to spain.

Cdiscount, Materiel.net, LDLC

From what I saw the GTX 970 in Spain is at minimum 345€, in France there is one at 310€ (again, don't know if shipment is possible) so harder to fit in the build.

This is an example toner refill that costs just under $7. You always want to get a recommended type of toner for your printer because you want a shade that your printer will not have trouble with, otherwise your shading might be way off.

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-MFC-7460DN-MFC-7860DW-DCP-7060D-DCP-7065DN/dp/B004WSO73W/ref=pd_sim_229_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41CZlKuC03L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0D5136FJFXWZ5HJKVAF0

You can also buy the drum with toner already in it, off-brand. Typically branded drums cost about $45-$150. But off-brand, which I've never had issues with in over 5 years, cost $8-$25. This is an example, and if your friend is paying $600 for refills then they're probably for corporate grade printers. But typically it costs around $150-$300 for a cartridge that prints out 25,000 to 50,000 pages.

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Toner-Cartridge-Replacement-TN450/dp/B0062ZNYFK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1458062293&sr=8-2&keywords=brother+laser+cartridge

An example of a cartridge for a corporate grade printer:
http://www.amazon.com/Xerox-4250MFP-Toner-Cartridge-1-Pack/dp/B0059LU9KG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1458062513&sr=8-4&keywords=Xerox+4250+Copier

Just fyi on replacement carts. These have worked great for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY6OLCK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anecdotal evidence: My replacement cartridge - 1200 pages, $30, never dries out. The printer I bought was like $100. And the cartridge that came with it has been good for about 500.

Doo-da-doo... make your own!

Glass plate, 200mm, ferrofluid, glass clamp, EL Tape, Transparency film.

This is just how I'd build it - though, 0.2mm film may be too thick.

• Cut a 200mm circle of transparency film, then cut a 180mm circle into that (so you have a ring with an OD of 200mm, an ID of 180mm, and a wall of 10mm)
  
• Clean your glass plates, add the transparency, and measure the thickness of the sandwich without the fluid in, using a micrometer (should be roughly 6.2mm). Trim your EL tape to a strip of that thickness (should be a little less than a third the base thickness of the EL tape).
  
• Place the film onto the plate, and tape it down at the edges. You don't need a seal, just enough tape so the transparency doesn't walk.
  
• Drip 5 mL fluid onto the plate (0.2mm pi (90mm)^2 = 5mm. Get a micrometer and measure the thickness of your transparency film to get the correct thickness; 0.2mm is assumed).
  
• Carefully place the top plate on
  
• Wrap the EL tape around the loose sandwich, using the bottom plate for the majority of your support. Tape it tightly in place.
  
• Carefully add the clamps at 90ᵒ angles along the plate's edge. Clamps should be unable to move from light vibration, but not so tight you risk breaking the glass. The transparency layer helps here.
  
• Apply power, and have fun!
  
  If the transparency layer leave too thick a film of ferrofluid, my second thought:
  
  

• Thoroughly wash a plate
  
• Cut a 180mm circle of waxed paper. Lay it in the center of a plate, and hold it in place with a dot of ferrofluid in the middle.
  
• Use cheap, thin packing tape to make a solid layer, starting from the middle of the waxed paper and moving outward.
  
• Carefully cut away the center
  
• Proceed as above, but using the ring of packing tape instead of transparency.
  
  Also, if you don't like cutting curves, there's no reason you couldn't do this with square or rectangular glass; you just wouldn't get consistent illumination along a given circumference. If I build this successfully, and proceed to design a segment display, I'm going to almost certainly use rectangular glass for it.

Hmm well I use an HP Laserjet printer, color ink, and this transparency paper. So far I have had only success. The images come out crisp and in color. They are all slightly see through when held up to light but its not bad at all. The larger minis tend to bend over because it isn't the must sturdy paper ever, but I havn't had a single one get bent in any corners or anything yet.

A printer like this [Referral link] or this [Not referral link] is pretty affordable.

Here [Refferal] and here [Not referral] is the toner cartridge, which isn't as cheap as an ink cartridge but lasts a heck of a lot longer.

For these two items you'll have a printer that'll last and toner that won't dry out and will print way more than regular ink.

I got one of those on Craigslist for $30. I've been feeding it $7 bottles of toner for over a year (2 so far, not sure on the page count), it's great. I get these: http://www.amazon.com/MFC-7360-MFC-7460DN-MFC-7860DW-DCP-7060D-DCP-7065DN/dp/B004WSO73W

Switched over to laser and haven't looked back. One $25 drum prints over 1,000 pages, and you could even get the drums cheaper from knock-off manufacturers who make pretty much the same thing.

What I have: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-2270DW-Compact-Wireless-Networking/dp/B00450DVDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371151438&sr=8-1&keywords=brother+printer

Drum: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-TN420-Toner-Cartridge-Packaging/dp/B003YFHCK4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1371151647&sr=1-2&keywords=brother+tn+420

https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Brother-TN450-Toner-Cartridge-Black/dp/B0062ZNYFK

You're welcome.

Good enough?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GTX-970-Graphics-Card/dp/B00NZT6D68

well: https://www.amazon.de/GIGABYTE-nVIDIA-GTX970-DDR5-Overclock/dp/B00NZT6D68/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467135660&sr=1-2&keywords=gtx+970
a brand new gtx 970 OC for 249€ exactly the amount i can spare (i really really savewd up money for that rx480).
so it doesnt matter what card i buy? can you point me out some generic pro´s con´s? im not that into graphic cards, but my 660 is dying right now.

btw, pls correct my english!

I got laser all-in-one from Brother for $100 it takes 3rd party toner cartridges that cost $12 and yields 2,600 pages of text.

Lasers really aren't expensive at all, I'm still on my first toner cartridge at 1,156 pages. I would have needed to buy a full set of ink cartridges at least once (either they run out or dry up) which, initial purchase included, would add up to more than I've spent on the laser.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY6OLCK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I got. You get like 2600 pages for 15 bucks versus 700 in an ink cartridge for the same price.

Plus you get the lower quality print with the inkjet and slower PPM.

For me, it was an investment for sure that was long overdue.

Yeps been buying this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062ZNYFK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lasts like 3 months and I print about 30 pages a day.

Sure thing buddy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062ZNYFK

Try getting the refills of Amazon. They cost $10-15 and last a crazy long time.

Edit: like this E-Z Ink (TM) Compatible Toner Cartridge Replacement for Brother TN630 TN660 High Yield (1 Black Toner) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NY6OLCK?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Don't forget Amazon will deliver here too for some items. Amazon DE comes to a total of ~$350 including delivery.

i5 4690k and a GTX 970
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GTX-970-Graphics-Card/dp/B00NZT6D68/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420767625&sr=8-1&keywords=gtx+970



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-i5-4690K-Processor-Graphics-LGA-1150/dp/B00KPRWB9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420767652&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+core+i5-4690k

I have the Brother DCP-L2540DW which takes TN630 (standard 1200 pg $31) or TN660 (high yield 2600 pg $48). I bought the TN660. I had previously purchased [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Z-Ink-Compatible-Cartridge-Replacement/dp/B00NY6OLCK?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00) for $13.

I get 1800 to 2000 prints out of this

then whats the difference betwenn that MSI 970 and this Gigabyte 970, that makes the gigabyte need the extra 50w?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GTX-970-Graphics-Card/dp/B00NZT6D68/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1419179683&sr=8-6&keywords=gtx+970

Literally the only thing you needed to do was type "HL-2270DW toner" into the search bar.

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Brother-TN450-Cartridge-2270DW/dp/B0062ZNYFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412965711&sr=8-1&keywords=hl-2270dw+toner

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Yield-Toner-Cartridge-TN450/dp/B003YFHCKY/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y

or

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Brother-TN450-Cartridge-2270DW/dp/B0062ZNYFK/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412965800&sr=1-2&keywords=TN450

http://www.amazon.com/MFC-7360-MFC-7460DN-MFC-7860DW-DCP-7060D-DCP-7065DN/dp/B004WSO73W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404876339&sr=8-1&keywords=toner+refill+kit+brother

https://www.amazon.de/GIGABYTE-nVIDIA-GTX970-DDR5-Overclock/dp/B00NZT6D68/

Edit: Sorry Guys. The Card for 249€ is sold out.

It's a good card, but a GTX 970 is just as fast and uses a lot less power so no need for a new PSU unless your current psu is less than 550w. The gtx980 is much more expensive and not in your price range.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NZT6D68/?tag=pcp0f-21

The minor downside is that you will have to uninstall your current video drivers and install new ones with the 970 and you will not with the 290x. Takes 5 minutes to do though.

strangely enough here in italy the cheapest one is actually the gigabyte one
http://www.amazon.it/Gigabyte-GTX-rev-1-0-Scheda-Grafica/dp/B00NZT6D68/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418413971&sr=8-3&keywords=GeForce+GTX+970

for 350 euros

Simple B&W brother laser- $70 -$200 on sale.
TN-420 replacement toner - $60.

Your numbers make no sense unless you're buying refurbished stuff.

Ps. I literally am mentioning Toner in my original post, so idk how you're getting confused with inkjets.

tried to do a 980ti system but it ended up costing 1550 without the speakers.(+33)

If you want a 980ti in there you will have to drop the cpu to i5 or the ssd(i guess you need the 16 gigs)

https://www.amazon.fr/Intel-1150-INTEL-E3-1231V3-SR1R5/dp/B00K64I0S4/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462980991&sr=1-2&keywords=xeon

https://www.amazon.fr/ASRock-B85M-Carte-Intel-Socket/dp/B00MI8D2D4/ref=sr_1_31?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462981228&sr=1-31

https://www.amazon.fr/HyperX-HX316C10FR-M%C3%A9moire-1600MHz-Rouge/dp/B00J8E90NW/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462981338&sr=1-6 x2

https://www.amazon.fr/Seagate-ST1000DM003-Barracuda-Disque-interne/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=lp_430345031_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462981103&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.fr/Disque-SanDisk-vitesse-lecture-SDSSDHII-240G-G25/dp/B00M8ABEIM/ref=sr_1_16?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462981299&sr=1-16

https://www.amazon.fr/GIGABYTE-nVIDIA-GTX970-DDR5-Overclock/dp/B00NZT6D68/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462984185&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.fr/Seasonic-S12II-520W-Alimentation-520-BRONZE/dp/B00390P1NO/ref=sr_1_45?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462984132&sr=1-45

https://www.amazon.fr/ARCTIC-F12-Ventilateur-performance-boitier/dp/B002KTVFTE/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462982595&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.fr/Thermaltake-Versa-Bo%C3%AEtier-tour-avec-ventilateur/dp/B00P9OES28/ref=sr_1_104?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462982417&sr=1-104

https://www.amazon.fr/Acer-GN246HLBbid-Predator-FullHD-1920/dp/B00IG0Z0HY/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1462983738&sr=1-1&keywords=Acer+GN246HL

https://www.amazon.fr/Logitech-Speaker-System-Haut-parleurs-Subwoofer/dp/B003LNXT7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462984316&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+z313

final cost 1261,73 with all costs included

I've used spray adhesive, but I used it with [this]9https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Printer-Copier-Transparency-Sheets/dp/B0040YC7FI/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481164639&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=trasnsparency+sheets0 as my stencil.

As long as you LIGHTLY spray the adhesive on it works fine. Spray too much and it's a gigantic PITA. I'd suggest practicing with the spray before doing your project.

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2340DW-Monochrome-Wireless-Printing/dp/B00LZS5EEI

$90 shipped. Note that it comes with "starter toner" which only lasts 700 pages, but the high-yield cartridges are $49 and last 2600, making for very cheap printing.

I've been using a Brother HL-2170W for years, and the thing just won't die. I share it between two Macs and a Windows machine. No complaints at all.