Thank all of you for your responses! Looks like it'll be a Brother color laser (probably the HL-L9310CDW) that will be replacing the HP. I do see some reviews mentioning print quality issues, but we'll see how it holds up. The user who will be getting this (unfortunately not me!) does mostly spreadsheets, charts, and diagrams, so photo accuracy isn't a requirement here. I like that the HL-L9310CDW's cartridges can do up to 9,000 pages between changes and it'll still take the 6,500 page cartridges from their smaller models, so I can use one cartridge for multiple models if we end up standardizing on Brother printers here. I will post a full review once it arrives.
Originally Posted by
bocastephen
Are there any pros/cons of a LED color printer vs a laster color printer in terms of print quality, crispness, ink longevity and operating costs?
In theory, LED should be the best option -- no scanning mirrors, fewer moving parts, etc. However, in practice, you'll find LED printers only in the low-end offerings while the business-class offerings still are laser-exclusive. Both are actually the same in terms of toner and imaging, the only difference is that LED uses a page-width bar of LEDs to excite the toner/transfer rollers while the laser uses a laser & scanning mirror to do the same. Lasers generally are more focused light sources than LEDs, but technology keeps getting better for LED. For generic home use, either would be fine.