Delimia: which laser printer to keep?

[Impmon]

I have HP Laserjet 4 with LC tray added and I like this tank. It's so
easy to fix and it's practically impossible for it to up and die for
no reason. But it's huge and whenever the fuser warms up, the lights
on the ceiling and in other room dims quite a bit. For this reason, I
generally keep it turned off unless I need to use it.

OTOH I just got Laserjet 5L and it works well. It's very tiny, has
sleep mode so I don't have to worry about it staying on overnight and
doesn't cause any power brownout. plus it's a bit faster.

What do I do? Sell the 4 and watch my electric bill shrink and my
desktop real estate space increase or what? 5L doesn't go for much at
all on eBay unless it has the extra memory and mine doesn't have any.
The 4 OTOH has 24MB (give ot take, I'll have to check) and the 500
sheet tray.

 

[Bill Mathews]

The LJ4 has more media handling options than the 5L. The 5L tends to develop
roller feed problems that cost more to fix than the printer is worth. (I
know - I have one, sitting in the corner.)
The LJ4 is far more robust.
Another possibility would be to sell both (on eBay?) and buy a used 6P -
also robust, and less of a strain on the circuits.

 

[Timothy Lee]

What do I do? Sell the 4 and watch my electric bill shrink and my
desktop real estate space increase or what? 5L doesn't go for much at
all on eBay unless it has the extra memory and mine doesn't have any.
The 4 OTOH has 24MB (give ot take, I'll have to check) and the 500
sheet tray.

Could you not keep both? I have an aged IIIp that sits here for use in
'emergencies'

 

[Jack LaBrecque]

I agree! Keep the old printers configured in the computer's Printer Setup
and set them aside for an emergency back-up. I kept some really old HP
Laserjets until repair was more expensive than replacement. And, some of
the olders HP's will outlast many of the newer models!

--
Semper Fi
Jack LaBrecque
USMC-1842692
JITB's Home Page:
http://home.att.net/~jitb/
JITB's USMC Page:
http://home.att.net/~jitb/usmc/usmc.htm
PFC Edward A. Peterson:
http://home.att.net/~jitb/ed/pete.htm

Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis,
Fratres Aeterni, Per Mare, Per Terram

Proud parent of the Sergeant of
Marines that your Honor Student
was terrified of after he joined
the United States Marine Corps

 

[Impmon]

Could you not keep both? I have an aged IIIp that sits here for use in
'emergencies'

That can be possible. I could leave the 4 at my parent's farm for
now. Should the 5L break down in the middle of important stuff, it's
only a few hours to my parent's house and back.

 

[Timothy Lee]

That can be possible. I could leave the 4 at my parent's farm for
now. Should the 5L break down in the middle of important stuff, it's
only a few hours to my parent's house and back.

I have my colour laser on the floor going through the usb and the HP
turned off but plugged in via the parallel and on a shelf on the wall
(on the next shelf up is a laminator and underneath the scanner)

 

[Alan]

I have HP Laserjet 4 with LC tray added and I like this tank. It's so
easy to fix and it's practically impossible for it to up and die for
no reason. But it's huge and whenever the fuser warms up, the lights
on the ceiling and in other room dims quite a bit. For this reason, I
generally keep it turned off unless I need to use it.

OTOH I just got Laserjet 5L and it works well. It's very tiny, has
sleep mode so I don't have to worry about it staying on overnight and
doesn't cause any power brownout. plus it's a bit faster.

What do I do? Sell the 4 and watch my electric bill shrink and my
desktop real estate space increase or what? 5L doesn't go for much at
all on eBay unless it has the extra memory and mine doesn't have any.
The 4 OTOH has 24MB (give ot take, I'll have to check) and the 500
sheet tray.

The only drawbacks for the 4 are power consumption.
Accordng to the specs:
Printing Maximum -- 660 Watts (6.4 Amps), 2250 BTU/HR
Standby (typical) -- 55 Watts (0.78 Amps)
Peak Current Draw -- 22 Amps for 20 milliseconds

So though it doesn't have a sleep mode, when not in use it doesn't
draw an outrageous amount of power. You could leave it on 12 hours a
day pulling 55 W at a cost about 5c/day.

As for desk space, I've got a "computer desk" with a shelf above the
monitor where I put mine, and inevitably some other junk. If you're at
all settled where you are, break out the tools and put up some
shelves, (strong ones for a HP4, at 40 lbs) get everything that
doesn't have to be on the desk out of the way.

The 5L is cute but terribly prone to jams -- there was actually a
class action suit about that. You'll notice after the 5L and 6L HP
dropped the whole idea of vertical feed. The 4 has a lot of options:
you can get PS SIMMs and RAM for about $20, or a network card for
about the same.

 

[Bob Fallona]

I have an Ink Jet on USB and a Lexmark Optra R on port 1. I would keep the
printer as the cost of shipping and packing are a killer. Go to Ebay and
look for a laser. I like the Lexmarks and they have them large to small.
Check shipping before bidding. I have had many HP's and all jam and feed
multiple pages. I worked for a gas company and we had them in our 500
stores. All of them jammed often. Thats why I would look for another brand.

 

[Alan]

I have an Ink Jet on USB and a Lexmark Optra R on port 1. I would keep the
printer as the cost of shipping and packing are a killer. Go to Ebay and
look for a laser. I like the Lexmarks and they have them large to small.
Check shipping before bidding. I have had many HP's and all jam and feed
multiple pages. I worked for a gas company and we had them in our 500
stores. All of them jammed often. Thats why I would look for another brand.

You should be a bit more specific on "All of them jammed often". Which
models are you talking about? Personally I had an LJII for many years
without problems, recently a bad patch with (by then old) a couple of
LJIII's which jammed (probably could have been fixed with the right
parts, but cheaper to buy a new printer around here) and about 6 years
with a 4L, and currently going strong with a 4M (1992 vintage) that I
got for $50. Paper handling is the number-one must-be-perfect thing
with a laser, as far as I'm concerned, which is why I never considered
the 5L and 6L, even before they got their bad rep, the loose stack of
paper on the top just was asking for trouble.

 

[Impmon]

You should be a bit more specific on "All of them jammed often". Which
models are you talking about?

The only HP laser printer I'm aware of with choronic jaming problem
are the 5L and 6L series. There was even a lawsuit on this matter.
Just about all other HP Laserjet don't jam very often if at all and
the problem usually occurs when the roller starts to get worn out.

There is one possible way to cause excessive jamming problem even with
new printer: wrong type of paper. Some really thin stock (ie
typewriter paper) don't separate well and may jam easily. Really
thick stock may be too thick and can cause jams.

I think the previous poster is basing his entire experience on either
the 5L/6L or cheap paper.

 

[Larc]

On 28 Jul 2004 10:41:33 -0700, (e-mail address removed) (Alan) wrote:

| Paper handling is the number-one must-be-perfect thing
| with a laser, as far as I'm concerned, which is why I never considered
| the 5L and 6L, even before they got their bad rep, the loose stack of
| paper on the top just was asking for trouble.

HP offered a free fix for that some time back. I got one and
installed it. Haven't had a single paper problem with my trusty 5L
since!

Larc



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