HP inkjet duplexers

[TJ]

I'm thinking of buying a duplexer unit for my Deskjet 5650 printer, but
I'm wondering about how well they work. I checked on Google, but user
reviews of them are scarce. How about here? Does anybody have any
experience with them? Do they work, or are they prone to jamming up? I
saw a small note somewhere about bad jamming with photo paper. And what
about the way the printer works if the unit is attached, but
double-sided printing is turned off? Is it more prone to paper jams than
with the duplexer removed?

TJ

 

[measekite]

I have been using an HP 990Cse with a duplexer that is on by default.  It is many years old.  Of course I use HP ink carts but I use Hammermill Premium Inkjet paper exclusively and have NEVER had a paper jam.  There is not problem at all.

I am not familiar with the 5650.

TJ wrote: I'm thinking of buying a duplexer unit for my Deskjet 5650 printer, but I'm wondering about how well they work. I checked on Google, but user reviews of them are scarce. How about here? Does anybody have any experience with them? Do they work, or are they prone to jamming up? I saw a small note somewhere about bad jamming with photo paper. And what about the way the printer works if the unit is attached, but double-sided printing is turned off? Is it more prone to paper jams than with the duplexer removed?

TJ

 

[Tony]

I'm thinking of buying a duplexer unit for my Deskjet 5650 printer, but
I'm wondering about how well they work. I checked on Google, but user
reviews of them are scarce. How about here? Does anybody have any
experience with them? Do they work, or are they prone to jamming up? I
saw a small note somewhere about bad jamming with photo paper. And what
about the way the printer works if the unit is attached, but
double-sided printing is turned off? Is it more prone to paper jams than
with the duplexer removed?

TJ

TJ
I have found HP duplexers to be very reliable. They do not affect one sided
printing at all.
In common with all duplexers the extra paper handling may cause jams if you are
using paper that approaches or exceeds the printer specification.
Ink printer automatic duplexing is fairly slow due the pause to allow the ink
to dry, this may or may not be a problem depending on your requirements.
Best wishes
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[Andrew Rossmann]

I have found HP duplexers to be very reliable. They do not affect one sided
printing at all.
In common with all duplexers the extra paper handling may cause jams if you are
using paper that approaches or exceeds the printer specification.
Ink printer automatic duplexing is fairly slow due the pause to allow the ink
to dry, this may or may not be a problem depending on your requirements.

I use mine on an OfficeJet 7310 every day, with just basic 20lb paper. I
don't think it's jammed once, yet. I had an OfficeJet 2410 before that,
and a DeskJet 970 before that. Out of all those, I think there were only
1 or 2 jams.

As for the pause, you can adjust that in the printer settings, at least
for non-Vista drivers. The Officejet 7310 Vista driver is a joke (and I
mean the genuine HP drivers, and not the basic Vista driver).

 

[TJ]

I use mine on an OfficeJet 7310 every day, with just basic 20lb paper. I
don't think it's jammed once, yet. I had an OfficeJet 2410 before that,
and a DeskJet 970 before that. Out of all those, I think there were only
1 or 2 jams.

As for the pause, you can adjust that in the printer settings, at least
for non-Vista drivers. The Officejet 7310 Vista driver is a joke (and I
mean the genuine HP drivers, and not the basic Vista driver).

Good to hear, guys. That duplexer would have been a big help last month
when I was working on my taxes.

Andrew, Vista won't be a problem. I never touch the stuff. My computer
wouldn't operate with that bloated memory-eater without major surgery.
Not that I want it, anyway. This printer is primarily used from Linux,
and maybe once in a great while from Windows 98SE. I don't think the
Linux driver allows you to adjust the drying time. All I see in the HP
Device Manager is an on/off setting for automatic two-sided printing. I
couldn't turn on the power-saver auto-off feature from Linux, either -
or at least I didn't find it. Luckily for me, once set with Windows
98SE, it also worked for Linux. Maybe the drying time setting would be
similar.

TJ

 

[rjn]

I'm thinking of buying a duplexer unit for my Deskjet 5650
printer, but I'm wondering about how well they work.

Pretty well, unless the page entering the duplexer is
soggy saturated with ink. If your jobs are like that,
use heavier stock.

I have cp1700d. Feed failures are 99.67% pick-fails of
the raw paper, and not jams in the duplexer.

If you are satisified with the DJ as a simplex printer,
chances are you'll be happy with it as a duplex
printer - and you'll save a bunch of money on paper.

 

[DJT]

Good to hear, guys. That duplexer would have been a big help last month
when I was working on my taxes.

Andrew, Vista won't be a problem. I never touch the stuff. My computer
wouldn't operate with that bloated memory-eater without major surgery.
Not that I want it, anyway. This printer is primarily used from Linux,
and maybe once in a great while from Windows 98SE. I don't think the
Linux driver allows you to adjust the drying time. All I see in the HP
Device Manager is an on/off setting for automatic two-sided printing. I
couldn't turn on the power-saver auto-off feature from Linux, either -
or at least I didn't find it. Luckily for me, once set with Windows
98SE, it also worked for Linux. Maybe the drying time setting would be
similar.

TJ

I have been using a duplex unit on HP DJ 5160 for several years with
only 1 paper jam.
The only problem I struck was with a HP5550 with the same duplexer
under Vista. The back page was always upside down.
I gave up on the 5550 because it did not seal the cartridge properly
when parked and kept not printing properly.

At least the 5160 works properly under Vista except I can't clean the
cartridge or check ink level. I have to just put ink in the carts
every month and reset the carts when the light flashes.


DJT

 

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

I'm thinking of buying a duplexer unit for my Deskjet 5650 printer, but
I'm wondering about how well they work. I checked on Google, but user
reviews of them are scarce. How about here?

I don't think they are common at all. I bought a secondhand DeskJet 5850
(very similar to your 5650--it adds only a network interface) after trashing
the JetDirect firmware on my first 5850. It came with the duplexer fitted,
and is the only one I've ever seen set up that way.

Does anybody have any experience with them?

I use mine all the time on plain paper, up to 24 pounds/ream. It works
*great*. I've never had it jam.

If you turn double-sided printing off, the printer just works as it would
without the duplexer attached.

William

 

[TJ]

Hi!


I don't think they are common at all. I bought a secondhand DeskJet 5850
(very similar to your 5650--it adds only a network interface) after trashing
the JetDirect firmware on my first 5850. It came with the duplexer fitted,
and is the only one I've ever seen set up that way.


I use mine all the time on plain paper, up to 24 pounds/ream. It works
*great*. I've never had it jam.

If you turn double-sided printing off, the printer just works as it would
without the duplexer attached.

William

The C8955A duplexers can be found on Ebay for $20-25 or so. Some used,
some that are supposed to be new. (Overstock from some bundling deal, I
suppose.) A bargain when you consider that HP wants around $80. Since
I've heard extremely little against them, I ordered one this morning.

TJ

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

I acquired a duplexer that came with a printer that I bought at a Humane
Society thrift shop for $10 USD: an HP-979Cnn. I've used it with a 940c
and a Photosmart 1115. I became an instant addict, and I can't imagine
living without a duplexer ever again. Think of the paper savings. I've
only been able to find inkjet paper in 24# in my area, but with my LED
printer (laser-like process), I've always used 20#, and I'd like to try
this with an inkjet if I can find it.

There have been a couple of strange issues with some programs. In one
case, when I print a sheet on one side, the driver insists on running a
second sheet, blank. Setting a program, sometimes, for a single sheet is
a pain, so I just let the duplexer do it's thing with the blank side.
What's so fascinating to watch is how in duplex mode, side 2 is printed
upside down through the printer, and everything works out just fine.

I want a second duplexer so's I can use it as a personal standard -- on
a second computer in another room.

Enjoy.

Richard

 

[TJ]

I acquired a duplexer that came with a printer that I bought at a Humane
Society thrift shop for $10 USD: an HP-979Cnn. I've used it with a 940c
and a Photosmart 1115. I became an instant addict, and I can't imagine
living without a duplexer ever again. Think of the paper savings. I've
only been able to find inkjet paper in 24# in my area, but with my LED
printer (laser-like process), I've always used 20#, and I'd like to try
this with an inkjet if I can find it.

There have been a couple of strange issues with some programs. In one
case, when I print a sheet on one side, the driver insists on running a
second sheet, blank. Setting a program, sometimes, for a single sheet is
a pain, so I just let the duplexer do it's thing with the blank side.
What's so fascinating to watch is how in duplex mode, side 2 is printed
upside down through the printer, and everything works out just fine.

I want a second duplexer so's I can use it as a personal standard -- on
a second computer in another room.

Enjoy.

Richard

The C8955A duplexer arrived a couple of hours ago. I've only done a few
test pages, and just with Linux, but so far, so good. Too bad it didn't
come with a "user guide." They aren't available from HP's website, as
far as I can see. I can experiment easily enough, but it would be nice
to know what HP says about it. The printer manual I downloaded from HP
just says, "consult the duplexing device's user guide."

TJ

 

[Tony]

The C8955A duplexer arrived a couple of hours ago. I've only done a few
test pages, and just with Linux, but so far, so good. Too bad it didn't
come with a "user guide." They aren't available from HP's website, as
far as I can see. I can experiment easily enough, but it would be nice
to know what HP says about it. The printer manual I downloaded from HP
just says, "consult the duplexing device's user guide."

TJ

TJ
Try http://tinyurl.com/2brsbo it may be what you already have but it does have
quite some information on the use of the duplexer.
Tony

 

[TJ]

TJ
Try http://tinyurl.com/2brsbo it may be what you already have but it does have
quite some information on the use of the duplexer.
Tony

Yeah, I already have the pdf version of that. Mostly I was interested in
what HP says are the paper type, size, and weight limits of the
duplexer. The rest is easy enough to figure out. Since HP doesn't seem
to think it's important to have that information available, I guess I'll
assume that the limits of the duplexer are pretty close to those of the
printer.

I think I'll turn it off when I print envelopes, though. <grin>

TJ

 

[Tony]

Yeah, I already have the pdf version of that. Mostly I was interested in
what HP says are the paper type, size, and weight limits of the
duplexer. The rest is easy enough to figure out. Since HP doesn't seem
to think it's important to have that information available, I guess I'll
assume that the limits of the duplexer are pretty close to those of the
printer.

I think I'll turn it off when I print envelopes, though. <grin>

TJ

Yes, please do turn it off for envelopes, transparencies (ever seen a
transparency printed on both sides?????) and other heavy stock. Especially turn
it off when printing anything that you may be sending to our resident troll, he
doesn't know how to read upside down!
Tony

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

I didn't find anything in that document that I didn't already know. I'd
also like to know the specs for my duplexer. Also, I could use servicing
information, cleaning, recommended maintenance, how to remove paper jams
safely, etc.

Richard

 

[measekite]

It does not jam.&nbsp; It is transparent.&nbsp; You really do not need to know anything.

Richard Steinfeld wrote: I didn't find anything in that document that I didn't already know. I'd also like to know the specs for my duplexer. Also, I could use servicing information, cleaning, recommended maintenance, how to remove paper jams safely, etc.

Richard

 

[Tony]

I didn't find anything in that document that I didn't already know. I'd
also like to know the specs for my duplexer. Also, I could use servicing
information, cleaning, recommended maintenance, how to remove paper jams
safely, etc.

Richard

Richard
Most duplexers are not designed to be serviced (they don't need it). It is hard
to get specs for inkjet duplexers, they are very simple and generally have one
or two sets of rollers and nothing else. Some of them can be opened up to
remove paper jams, this is usually an obvious door or hinged portion of the
duplexer. Yes paper can be jammed in the duplexer but more often than not the
cause of the jam will not be the duplexer itself, simply that the printer has
detected a paper jam somewhere and stops the paper feed leaving paper in the
duplexer.
Laser duplexers are a little more complex but many of those are also not
designed to be serviced.
Tony

 

[Frank]

measekite wrote: