Re: Cheap printer - quick ideas?

In article <L4nMe.9330$6i5.6166@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Dorothy Bradbury
<dorothy.bradbury@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes

>Re used printers...
>o HP 4 are built ok - later models get increasingly weaker
>---- parts are cheap, servicing is not difficult re consumable areas

HP 5 is pretty good too, quicker than the 4 and uses the same EP-E
cartridges which are dirt cheap and easy to refill.

Paper pickup can be a weak point, but fixyuourownprinter.com sells the
kits to sort this out and they're not hard to fit given some time and a
little mechanical aptitude. They're US based but will ship to UK.

The fuser in the HP5 is also a doddle to replace.

>o Later HPs have some quirks - service history can matter

Indeed. Bought a 4200dtn (d=duplex, t=additional 500 *** tray,
n=network) last year. Although a good, fast departmental printer, it
feels flimsy in part and uses a chipped toner cartridge. Tried to buy
the same model printer a couple of weeks ago to share the load, and it's
already no longer available.

The replacement is the 4250dtn which is even faster, but HP specify a
different cartridge for it, so we now have to carry two different types
in stock. When we had the LJ4m and 5m, we could just carry a load of
EP-E cartridges which would fit either printer, were dirt cheap and
lasted ages.

The 4200 and 4250 cartridges look at a glance physically identical. I
haven't yet tried swapping them, but bet the onboard chip will prevent
it working in the 'wrong' printer.

>o More paper handling options invite more risk
>---- duplexing & multi-bins increase your DIY servicing cost

With HP lasers, if you don't want to fit the pickup roller kits
available from fixyourownprinter.com, at least non-functional extra
paper bins and duplex kits can be taken off and dumped, and the printer
can be used as-is.

BTW, does anyone think HP's prices for "extended warranties" (onsite
maintenance) are outrageous? I was quoted nearly £400 for an onsite
maintenance agreement for a HP LJ4550dn colour laser. Thinking this was
for three years, I thought it was expensive, but given the printer is a
colour laser and much more complex than mono, the cost was _just_ about
justifiable. On reading the small print though, this £400 was for only
ONE year's maintenance!

Protested to HP and this resulted in a generous "educational discount"
of a whole 5%. Needless to say, we haven't bothered and will get the
printer fixed by a local firm if it breaks. If it's going to cost too
much, it'll get scrapped.



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