Xerox vs HP vs Lexmark midline monochrome lasers

[Julian Vrieslander]

After 12 years of flawless service, our LaserWriter Pro 600 is failing.
We were getting intermittent paper jams near the exit slot, and
overcooked, curled pages. Now it will not print at all. My guess is
that the fuser assembly needs to be fixed or replaced, but I'm not sure
that it is worth investing more money in a printer this old. By current
standards it is also rather slow, so we are thinking of replacing it
with a new monochrome laser. Here's our wish list:

- Ethernet networked (supporting 3 Macs)
- 1200x1200 dpi resolution
- prints up to legal size sheets, labels, transparencies
- Postscript compatible (true Adobe PS 3 preferred)
- automatic duplexing would be nice
- drivers and tech support for Mac OS X

The following models are under consideration:

HP Laserjet 2420DN
Lexmark T430DN
Xerox Phaser 3500DN

These are SOHO workgroup lasers. All three are close in price and spec.

We are a bit gun-shy about purchasing another HP, since we had a bad
experience with their Officejet g85 inkjet AIO (buggy software drivers,
and no more updates for OS X).

The Xerox is a new product (no reviews available yet), and looks good on
paper. It is the only one of the three that has true Adobe PS 3. But
there are no dealers near us (Seattle) that have it in stock. No
chance for a demo, so we would have to buy it on faith.

The Lexmark is a relative unknown. I read one review that criticized it
for poor quality on documents containing graphics.

We would appreciate comments from people who have compared or used any
of these printers, or comparable models. In particular, we are
interested in learning how well the Xerox lasers work with OS X. We
print letters, scientific manuscripts, and technical illustrations
(usually PDF and Word docs).

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

<julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-5D3FAF.03134827102005@news1.west.earthlink.net>
,

After 12 years of flawless service, our LaserWriter Pro 600 is failing.
We were getting intermittent paper jams near the exit slot, and
overcooked, curled pages. Now it will not print at all. My guess is
that the fuser assembly needs to be fixed or replaced, but I'm not sure
that it is worth investing more money in a printer this old.

I'd say that it is, even if you get a new printer.

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

<julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-5D3FAF.03134827102005@news1.west.earthlink.net>
,

By current
standards it is also rather slow, so we are thinking of replacing it
with a new monochrome laser. Here's our wish list:

- Ethernet networked (supporting 3 Macs)
- 1200x1200 dpi resolution
- prints up to legal size sheets, labels, transparencies
- Postscript compatible (true Adobe PS 3 preferred)
- automatic duplexing would be nice
- drivers and tech support for Mac OS X

The following models are under consideration:

HP Laserjet 2420DN
Lexmark T430DN
Xerox Phaser 3500DN

These are SOHO workgroup lasers. All three are close in price and spec.

Does the Phaser have Adobe Postscript? The low end 3xxx series, in the
past, didn't. All other Xerox printers do, but that particular low-cost
model kept costs down by avoiding the Adobe license.

Perhaps that's changed.

The same goes with the HP models. Years ago, they kept costs
down/profits high by going with a PS clone--and they did that across the
line, not just in the low end. Again, perhaps that's changed.

You might also check out Xerox's Ebay store. You might be able to pick
up a higher end model for the same money.

The Xerox is a new product (no reviews available yet), and looks good on
paper. It is the only one of the three that has true Adobe PS 3.

Then it has changed. That's impressive. The 3xxx series has been
around for a long, long time.

 

[Scott]

I have not used any of the printers you are looking into. But I would
look at a used workgroup printer from a local printer reseller in your
area.

I know the HP 5siMX is an old printer by todays standards, but if I
needed a "new" printer I would still look for one today. They are work
horses. At one of the company's I work at, they have had the printer
about 7 years (I think), and it has over 2 million pages on the unit.
Even though you will need to a maintenance kit on it every 350,000, and
it costs about $400 or so. It is well worth it. GREAT printer.

If I looking for an actual new printer, I would not look at lower priced
printers, because even if the printer is fairly cheap, the toner
cartridges are usually expensive, and then repairs and the such is going
to be expensive, and sometimes hard to come by.

If all specs are the same, look for a repair center in your area, and
call and ask what they think of the printer. If it's a good shop, they
will tell you, and might even be able to sell you one, or a little older
model for cheaper. They could also tell you service history of the
different brands.

If you're business depends on the printer to be up and running when you
need it. That is something you need to check into.

Don't worry about your past experiences with HP. You had a
multi-function inkjet. No matter who made them, a lot of them were
temper-mental. When it comes to lasers, HP is what I look for, for
business. Why? Because I know pretty much all computers will be able to
print to them. I won't have to worry about drivers, unless you're
looking into advanced features in the printer. And there are service
centers across the nation. And supplies are easy to come by.

Scott
Allegan, MI

 

[Marc Heusser]

<julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-5D3FAF.03134827102005@news1.west.earthlink.net>
,

Xerox Phaser 3500DN

I'd go with this one personally, based on trust. Just check that it has
true PostScript 3, that alone is worht a lot.

HTH

Marc

 

[me]

In message

- Ethernet networked (supporting 3 Macs)
- 1200x1200 dpi resolution
- prints up to legal size sheets, labels, transparencies
- Postscript compatible (true Adobe PS 3 preferred)
- automatic duplexing would be nice
- drivers and tech support for Mac OS X

The following models are under consideration:

HP Laserjet 2420DN
Lexmark T430DN
Xerox Phaser 3500DN

These are SOHO workgroup lasers. All three are close in price and spec.

Can I chuck in the Kyocera Eco range, which appear to be built in the
tank manner of the old HPs. IIRC Model numbers FS-something.

 

[Marek Williams]

I have not used any of the printers you are looking into. But I would
look at a used workgroup printer from a local printer reseller in your
area.

The Printer Works has a store in Redmond. Good people. They also deal
in a lot of refurbished machines, and they have parts for just about
anything.

http://printerworks.com/ or (800) 225-6116.

 

[measekite]

*SPAMMER*

The Printer Works has a store in Redmond. Good people. They also deal
in a lot of refurbished machines, and they have parts for just about
anything.

http://printerworks.com/ or (800) 225-6116.

 

[Julian Vrieslander]

<julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-5D3FAF.03134827102005@news1.west.earthlink.net>

Does the Phaser have Adobe Postscript? The low end 3xxx series, in the
past, didn't. All other Xerox printers do, but that particular low-cost
model kept costs down by avoiding the Adobe license.

Looks like I need to post a correction, or at least a warning. Xerox is
providing conflicting information as to whether the Phaser 3500 series
has true Adobe Postscript 3 or not. Some of their literature shows this
printer with "Adobe® PostScript® Level 3" under "language support". In
other documents, they show it as having "PostScript 3 ... emulation".

I asked one of their local reps to inquire about this. He forwarded an
email response from someone at Xerox who says it has true Adobe PS 3.
But I don't know if that person has accurate information, or whether he
was just reading one of the same documents that I saw.

Bottom line: I don't know the answer. And I don't know whether Xerox is
making honest mistakes in some of their documents, or whether they are
publishing intentionally ambiguous or misleading specs.

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

<julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-C406D0.01354902112005@news1.west.earthlink.net>
,

Looks like I need to post a correction, or at least a warning. Xerox is
providing conflicting information as to whether the Phaser 3500 series
has true Adobe Postscript 3 or not. Some of their literature shows this
printer with "Adobe® PostScript® Level 3" under "language support". In
other documents, they show it as having "PostScript 3 ... emulation".

yeah, in the past they've snuck around the issue. In the past, I never
saw "Adobe(r) Postscript" or anything like it; they've always just said,
"Postscript 3" and left it at that.