I Need a Techno Freeper to Tell Me What Printer to Purchase.

mlmr's little computer | 4/29/02 | mlmr

[mlmr]

I need to buy a printer. I run two small businesses off of my computer, one web-based and one not. I want a laser printer because I need to make excellent copies of text for handouts. I want a printer that has excellent quality, and inexpensive and easy to run because I am unable to figure out anything with more than three steps. I also want it to hold a decent amount of paper and print envelops easily. I have tried a few review sites like epinion and PC world and there just wasnt a lot there. MOst of the information was about inkjets. My only experience has been with HPs. I like them. Are they good? Or are NECs better? Plese save me!!

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

I Need a Techno Freeper

Sorry, my leather jacket, mirrorshades, and DAF record collection are in permanent retirement.

[Thinkin' Gal]

I have an HP Laserjet 3100 that I bought in '98. It also functions as a fax and copy machine... really handy. We decided to get it because it had all the features we wanted in a laser (600 dpi - the best at that time - ease of use with envelopes and various paper thicknesses and sizes, e.g. a flip switch for weird stuff like transparencies or card stock or envelopes). The fax and copy wasn't that much more $, when we compared prices with other lasers that didn't have those options. The kids use the copier more than I do.

Lately I noticed that it likes to suck in several blank pages at a time (somebody addressed that issue already, I think), but I haven't gotten around to playing with it. Most of the time all that paper just feeds right through like it was one sheet and almost never jams, so who cares, LOL. Other than that it's run perfectly, not one problem with envelopes ever. And it's in the same room as the wood stove... I blow the soot off the printer every now and again. :-]

[Age of Reason]

While I used to really like HP, the units all suffer a dismaying aggravation -- the paper feed rollers get too polished by the paper and misfeed. I tried cleaning them but have found that runing a very fine emery cloth sheet thru with the emery side to the rollers works, and cleaning does not. I have to pull on the sheet and feed it through five or six times.

Similar problem here.

I've an HP 5L Laser printer where the paper sticks out the top--the feed on this machine has been nothing but trouble.

After the first year or so (and mind you, this printer does NOT get heavy use) the machine began to grab several sheets of paper at a time, frequently jamming.

One particularly nasty jam I was unable to clear completely; this resulted in my having to ship the printer back to HP for repair.

After I got it back, HP told me to periodically clean the rollers with some kind of pre-moistened wipes.

All was fine for about six months when the trouble returned.

The cleaning didn't do much good.

Now I just live with the problem by reaching over and placing my finger lightly against the paper in the hoppper to insure only one page at a time enters the printer.

I hate this printer for that reason--the paper feed is a totally dopey design that was done to give the machine a smaller footprint.

When I first saw the machine with the paper sticking out the top, I decided to use my old, dignified HP 4L printer for my office, where the 4L's low profile allows it to fit in a printer drawer in my credenza.

The ugly pain in the butt paper jamming 5L printer is in my home office.

I'll never buy another printer with such a dopey paper feed design.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Hi there. First of all, everything you said is true. Secondly, the manufacturers of the printers have heard about these problems and have new technologies to fix these problems. For example, I have both an Epson Photo 2000P printer and an HP designjet 500 ps printer. Both are inkjets, and both print in color. Also, in the time that I have had both, they have not had any serious clogging issues with the inks.

Why? Because the newer printers are seperating the ink tanks and the printer heads, and introducing pressure in-between the ink tanks and the printer heads. In the HP designjet 500 not only are the ink tanks and the printer heads in seperate places, but they are both replaceable! This really makes maintenance easy, and gives me the best of all possible worlds, a pressurized ink system to prevent clogging, and removable print heads if they ever do clog beyond the point where the printer can clear itself.

Technology marches on. Just wanted to give you the update on the latest and greatest.

[Goldi-Lox]

used equipment = EBAY!!!

[Age of Reason]

I have an HP Laserjet 3100 that I bought in '98 . . . . Lately I noticed that it likes to suck in several blank pages at a time

Me three--see my post immediately below yours.

I begged a friend of mine not to buy an HP with this type of paper feed. Did he listen? No.

Now he's got the same annoying problem.

[Goldi-Lox]

In my office those top loading HP 5s are the ones everyone trades for anything else that becomes available. If someone leaves, that night their computer's printer disappears to be replaced with one of "those". The paper feed problem is in all of them. It's a basic design problem. (They really should have recalled them ALL.)

I have an HP Laserjet 4L. I love it. I use one cartridge every year or two. I've had it for a LONG time. 600 dpi. Holds about 200 sheets. Does enevelopes one at a time, or if the papertray drawer is modified. I only do one or two at a time anyway, so it's fine for me. (I have a Seiko lable maker for more envelopes than 2). My Canon is used for the occasional color prints I make, which need to be high quality, and long lasting. Even the occasional black text print on the Canon is great.

[OldFriend]

Excuse me.......I am not a HP employee........on the contrary, I am a 65 yr. old woman with NO tech skills at all. We have a HP Deskjet 722C attached to the computer that has never ever given a moment's trouble.

We use good paper, get great looking copies, and even use photo paper for great photographs too.

The color is great and we have had NO problems at all in four years.

[Cicero]

I've had three HP LaserJets. The new ones are the best, in my opinion. The first one I had sucked up power and ran hot. The latest ones conserve power, run cool, and run forever before you need to replace the toner cartridge.

The only reason I can think of to buy an inkjet printer would be if you want to do color printing.

[fnord]

If you are only printing 20 sheets a day, you probably don't want the bigger (better) models. I have a 3 year old Brother HL-1040, and it is very reliable. You can get the current model (1340? 1440?) easily for less than $300. Toner cartidges are pretty cheap ($30-40), and long-lasting. I'm sure HP and Canon have similar 'low-end' models.

Reviews can be found at Tom's or ZDnet
Check prices at Pricewatch

[thatsnotnice]

My only experience has been with HPs. I like them. Are they good?

I have a three years old HP LaserJet 1100. It was relatively inexpensive and built for light-moderate use. Like several people here, I had the multiple page feed problem. The feed mechanism would grab 3, 4, 5, 6+ sheets and jam. There was a lawsuit that resulted in a free “separator pad” fix-it kit, I ordered mine from the HP website, that solved the problem for me.

I’ve been happy with it otherwise. That model (1100) may no longer be available. Your results may vary…

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The one my wife got my daughter for Christmas, still in the box, unopened.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Haha, I should count my blessings, since mine hasn't done anything too bad. I just figured that it was my fault because of dust or wood ash. I had no idea it was a design flaw.

Too funny... I thought you had been looking over my shoulder when I read this:

Now I just live with the problem by reaching over and placing my finger lightly against the paper in the hoppper to insure only one page at a time enters the printer.

:-)

If this thing got heavy use I'd probably be quite perturbed, but overall it's done a great job for us.

[kezekiel]

My point was whether or not he tarries, somebody will still be running their home office on a LaserJet II. :D

[gortklattu]

I have a Minolta pageworks 20 that has worked for 4 years without one problem. It's suffered business use and two moves, and prints 20 ppm!

If you have a business, you may consider a printer that will accomodate 11x17 sheets.

[hangin' chad]

HP LaserJets will still be running when the Messiah comes.

Right on brother...we just "retired" the first HP LaserJet which was purchased by my office in 1986! It came along with our first computer, an actual IBM. The whole set-up cost a little over ten grand! The IBM has been in my basement for years collecting dust (I'll show it to the grand kids). But the HP just kept on ticking. We now have five HP printers of differing capacity in the office and never have a problem with any of them.

[Paul Atreides]

My first printer was a Canon BJC-610 which worked great. When I bought my second computer, I bought a Canon BJC-3000 which has more dpi. It is the strangest thing, I upgraded my OS to Windows XP, and I have noticed that the quality of my printing has improved dramatically.

[Great Dane]

I begged a friend of mine not to buy an HP with this type of paper feed. Did he listen? No.

Are we talking front loaders, I have an HP front loader, it's 3 years old.......... never had any problems.

[Tawiskaro]

My office has nearly 50 printers, mostly HP 5si and HP 4s, but we still have a handful of IIIs and IIs. Some of our printers are 15 years old and even the newer ones have 1,000,000+ page counts. It is a rare month that we have more than a couple of maintenance calls. I have two at home--a 4p and a 6p. Neither is anything like new, and neither has ever required maintenance. I bought the 4p at a garage sale for $75 (the seller threw in a new set of PC speakers and a used 15 in. Super VGA monitor) three years ago when it had 80,000 pages on it. Apart from a handful of paper jams it has run like a charm. Prior to that I had a IIp that died after ten years of heavy use without a single maintenance call.

I have limited experience with Lexmark lasers and inkjets, and Epson Inkjets. I don't think much of them.

Of course, there are many other printers out there that may be just as reliable as HPs, but you'd have to prove it to me.

Good luck.

[mrsmith]

"there a place where one can get used equipment?? "

State surplus is a great place to get used computer, or other, equipment.
I've found terrific deals at the Virginia one.

Maine SURPLUS PROPERTY isn't having an auction until June though.

If you can wait, I'd bet you'd find a great deal on an old HP there- it's in Augusta.