Looking for an entry level, reliable, laser monochrome printer,

[Booklet]

Hi,
I'm going to have to buy a new printer and I need some advice.
Here's the specs :
It's going to be a laser monochrome.


All advice, experiences, horror stories or success stories appreciated,
Also, I can wait a month or two, if there's some amazing machine in the
pipeline somewhere.

Thanks in advance,


Booklet

 

[jasee]

Hi,
I'm going to have to buy a new printer and I need some advice.
Here's the specs :
It's going to be a laser monochrome.


All advice, experiences, horror stories or success stories
appreciated, Also, I can wait a month or two, if there's some amazing
machine in the pipeline somewhere.

(Just talking HP machines)

It remains to be seen whether the new cheaper (much more lightly built)
lasers actually can last anywhere near as long as, for instance the old
laserjet4. It may be significant that certain newly introduced models have
been discontinued and new models introduced.

 

[Warren Block]

(Just talking HP machines)

It remains to be seen whether the new cheaper (much more lightly built)
lasers actually can last anywhere near as long as, for instance the old
laserjet4. It may be significant that certain newly introduced models have
been discontinued and new models introduced.

But the LJ4 was a business-class laser, which is really not fair to
compare to the new, cost-reduced "personal" lasers. Personal lasers can
be okay, but sometimes have annoying problems that wouldn't be
acceptable on business printers, like the paper feed problems of the
top-feed printers, or the image skewing of the LJ1200.

A used business-class laser is usually cheaper to buy, cheaper to run,
and more capable (multiple trays and paper paths).

I think that the newer business class HP lasers can match the old LJ4
for reliability, and are faster and quieter. There are LJ4050s that
have over a million pages on them. The plastic doesn't look the
greatest, but they don't seem to turn yellow like some LJ4s did, either.

 

[jasee]

But the LJ4 was a business-class laser, which is really not fair to
compare to the new, cost-reduced "personal" lasers. Personal lasers
can be okay, but sometimes have annoying problems that wouldn't be
acceptable on business printers, like the paper feed problems of the
top-feed printers, or the image skewing of the LJ1200.

A used business-class laser is usually cheaper to buy, cheaper to run,
and more capable (multiple trays and paper paths).

I think that the newer business class HP lasers can match the old LJ4
for reliability, and are faster and quieter. There are LJ4050s that
have over a million pages on them. The plastic doesn't look the
greatest, but they don't seem to turn yellow like some LJ4s did,
either.

Yellowing plastic seemed to happen to a lot of old stuff, AFAICT it didn't
actually have an adverse effect.

(I think the OP was actually thinking of a 'personal laser'? ).

How do you define a 'business laser' anyway?

I do notice that the modern fuser units (for instance) much shorter life
(even by HP standards) than the older ones: it was pretty rare to replace a
fuser unit.
What's an good example (from the current HP range) IYP?.

 

[Booklet]

Here I am, lads ! The OP.
Actually, I'm looking for a Business Class printer. Nothing personal !

I do agree with you, the LJ 4P we have here may have yellowed - as indeed
have my teeth - but it's still chugging along ...
You know, the he Fiorina Syndrome was just that: somehow the teeth do stay
white, but they fall out in yer soup !

So what's the new Business line of products from HP ?


Booklet

 

[Warren Block]

Yellowing plastic seemed to happen to a lot of old stuff, AFAICT it didn't
actually have an adverse effect.

The worst I saw was an old IBM 4019 laser where the plastic was actually
crumbling with age. Agreed, it's usually just cosmetic.

How do you define a 'business laser' anyway?

It's a kind of fuzzy line with HP. The 3000, 4000, and 5000 series,
definitely. The 1000 series seem to be aimed straight at home users.
The 2000... I don't know about the current ones. The LJ2100 and 2200 I
would not consider business class.

Featurewise, a good indicator is paper trays that hold at least a ream
of paper. Toner with more than 5000-page capacity, too.

I do notice that the modern fuser units (for instance) much shorter life
(even by HP standards) than the older ones: it was pretty rare to replace a
fuser unit.

That may be the case. The LJ4050 fuser is rated for 200,000 pages, but
seem to deteriorate on the left edge somewhat earlier than that, like
150-175,000. Replaced many of those for a place that does a lot of
printing, easy and quick, although not particularly cheap, about $200.

I've only replaced one fuser on a LJ4, many years ago. Cheap halogen
bulb ($25), and a long puzzle to work out all the catches to get the
thing open. Can't recall what the page count on it was at the time;
pretty sure it was under 20,000. That printer is still in use, but the
page count is not appreciably higher.

What's an good example (from the current HP range) IYP?.

My favorites are the 4000 series. The LJ4050 is very nice and
can be had used for around the same price as a new "personal"
laser. Parallel and serial ports, and an EIO slot for a JetDirect,
which may be included on a used printer.

Newer 4000-series versions like the 4350 seem to have flimsier plastic,
but I haven't seen problems because of that. If I could justify having
one of those at my desk, or found a 4200-4300 model for a good used
price, I'd have it in a second.

 

[Booklet]

What about the new DELL 3115cn. ?
Is that worth a look at ?
Long term costwise ?

Booklet

 

[Warren Block]

What about the new DELL 3115cn. ?
Is that worth a look at ?
Long term costwise ?

Please don't top-post.

That printer isn't entry-level or monochrome.

I've heard interesting things about the Dell color lasers, but it would
take a lot to get me put one somewhere for serious use. The major
concern would be over availability and pricing of toner.

 

[Rich/rerat]

Booklet,
You may want to look at the Samsung Monochrome laser printers. I purchased a
SCX-4100 3-in-One (copier/scanner/printer) for $100.00 on EBay, recently. Very
happy with it. Does have a front feeder slot so you can feed individual envelope
and sheets of paper in it. So you do not have to make changes in the paper tray
for a single project.

--
Have A Good Day,
Rich/rerat
(RRR News) <message rule>
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What about the new DELL 3115cn. ?
Is that worth a look at ?
Long term costwise ?

Booklet