A laser printer. They’re much less expensive to operate over time than inkjet printers. Just stay away from color lasers, as I’ve found that consumer models are prone to breakdowns.

If you really like to see dense, sharp text, you need a laser printer.
Toner cartridges are expensive, but if you're only printing text (no large solid areas), a cartridge should last 12 months.
You can also use less expensive paper.

"Just stay away from color lasers"
In the budget/consumer market, color lasers also tend to have worse resolution than b/w lasers. So if you mainly need/want high quality in text, definitely go for a b/w laser.

Since I also have this problem – any recommended brands? Canon, HP, or whatnot?

A "600 dot per inch" is what you are looking for.

Cheers!

I recently purchased an hp p2015 for a couple hundred bucks from newegg. It's 1200x1200 dpi and the text quality is really nice so far. My only complaint is that really thick black areas (+.5") lose density in the middle but I'm running garbage thin recycled paper through it. A smoother, brighter and more opaque paper would look great, try some Hammermill Great White if you want something decent.

Thanks, will take that into account. :)

Ricoh AP610N has been a reasonable purchase.