recommend a decent desktop printer

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Johnnyreb
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Johnnyreb »

I've never had a laser printer but I think I'll look into the Brother ones. Thanks.

As for HP, not sure I'd want even a laser from them. Aside from my ink jet having a real problem with new ink cartridges, even brand new unexpired HP ones, we have HPs at work, ones that use big toner cartridges that cost about a hundred each and seem not to last as long as they should for how much we print. Every couple of days I have to cut the power and reboot the comp because that's how often the printer decides it does not want to print more than a single copy at a time, or it starts running one document behind. And the one in the Postmaster's office is even worse, he cusses that thing regularly.
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Netpackrat
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Netpackrat »

I think I have had to replace the toner cartridge in my HP a couple of times in the 12+ years I have been using it. It may have arrived without one, but I don't remember for sure. I know I have only ever bought two cartridges for it. The second replacement is still going strong, with no indication of any trouble. The printer is left on pretty much 24/7, connected to the wireless router, and always works. As I said, it will occasionally double feed, and I have had to clear a few jams in the time that I've owned it, but that's typical of any laser printer I have used. At some point after I bought it, I had it print out a page of stats showing its total lifetime page count, among other data. It was approaching 100,000 pages printed when I bought it; no idea what it has through it now. That info was lost when I had to reset it due to some weird network settings left by a previous user.

HP makes a damn fine laser printer.
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mekender
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by mekender »

Johnnyreb wrote:we have HPs at work, ones that use big toner cartridges that cost about a hundred each and seem not to last as long as they should for how much we print. Every couple of days I have to cut the power and reboot the comp because that's how often the printer decides it does not want to print more than a single copy at a time, or it starts running one document behind. And the one in the Postmaster's office is even worse, he cusses that thing regularly.
From that description, the problem is not the printer but is probably the print server. That is an IT issue not a printer issue.

As for use, a single toner cart should be able to print 5k or more pages at 10% coverage. For an office, that can be a few days or weeks. For a home, that will probably last you a year or more.
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Denis
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Denis »

Netpackrat wrote:I think I have had to replace the toner cartridge in my HP a couple of times in the 12+ years I have been using it. ... it will occasionally double feed, and I have had to clear a few jams in the time that I've owned it, but that's typical of any laser printer I have used.
Is it a LaserJet 1100, by any chance? Mine had paper uptake rollers that were too hard, and would cause multiple-page-feed jams. Turns out there was a free tech-fix from HP - they sent me new rollers at no cost. That might have been 14 years ago, and it's still going strong...

The other thing that helps on all printers is to fan the sheaf of paper before loading it into the feed tray. It's enough to separate the leaves, and really helps avoid jams.
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Weetabix
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Weetabix »

If the rollers are too hard, wiping them with alcohol can sometimes make them behave for a while.
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Netpackrat
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Netpackrat »

It's a 2100dn. And as I worked a computer lab help desk in college, I do know most of the tricks to make a laser behave. :D
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Denis
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Denis »

Netpackrat wrote:It's a 2100dn. And as I worked a computer lab help desk in college, I do know most of the tricks to make a laser behave. :D
If you were anything like the "help" desk we had*, you were more of a hindrance!

* (... with the exception of the nice Flemish girl who was both effective and decorative...)
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Netpackrat
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Netpackrat »

Denis wrote:
Netpackrat wrote:It's a 2100dn. And as I worked a computer lab help desk in college, I do know most of the tricks to make a laser behave. :D
If you were anything like the "help" desk we had*, you were more of a hindrance!
Nah... All of my co-workers were CS majors, and I was a business major, and it was the School of Management computer lab. So, while the other guys may have had the technical edge on me, I knew a lot of the users and was in the same classes as they were. So, I stood at least as good of a chance at being able to solve specific problems as the CS guys, and not to mention I was a lot more likely to give a shit than they were. If for no other reason than I had to deal with the users outside of the lab environment.
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Greg
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Greg »

Netpackrat wrote:
Denis wrote:
Netpackrat wrote:It's a 2100dn. And as I worked a computer lab help desk in college, I do know most of the tricks to make a laser behave. :D
If you were anything like the "help" desk we had*, you were more of a hindrance!
Nah... All of my co-workers were CS majors, and I was a business major, and it was the School of Management computer lab. So, while the other guys may have had the technical edge on me, I knew a lot of the users and was in the same classes as they were. So, I stood at least as good of a chance at being able to solve specific problems as the CS guys, and not to mention I was a lot more likely to give a shit than they were. If for no other reason than I had to deal with the users outside of the lab environment.
Oh sure, sure. But can we go back to talking about the buoyant Flemish lass, please? :lol:
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Netpackrat
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Re: recommend a decent desktop printer

Post by Netpackrat »

Image
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