I Need a Techno Freeper to Tell Me What Printer to Purchase.

mlmr's little computer | 4/29/02 | mlmr

[mlmr]

I need to buy a printer. I run two small businesses off of my computer, one web-based and one not. I want a laser printer because I need to make excellent copies of text for handouts. I want a printer that has excellent quality, and inexpensive and easy to run because I am unable to figure out anything with more than three steps. I also want it to hold a decent amount of paper and print envelops easily. I have tried a few review sites like epinion and PC world and there just wasnt a lot there. MOst of the information was about inkjets. My only experience has been with HPs. I like them. Are they good? Or are NECs better? Plese save me!!

[mlmr]

I thank all the techie freepers for saving my little neck again. I love you!!

[Billy_bob_bob]

I have an HP Officejet Pro 1175 cxi, it's been a very solid performer. Built like a tank, I routinely print out 200 and 300 page manuals and books of schematics on it. You really can't go wrong with their better printers, just avoid their really cheap printers and you'll do fine.

P.S. I recently got a HP designjet 500 ps - 42" of printing power for larger drawings (circuit plots, large schematics) and it is simply fantastic. Couldn't be happier.

[hillary's_fat_a**]

On a cost per sheet basis, lasers are much less expensive. Both Brother and HP make good lasers; I have an HP 1200 myself. To get good reviews on printers, try the site www.cnet.com and go to hardware reviews. Good luck.

[Dinsdale]

just avoid their really cheap printers and you'll do fine.

Actually their really cheap printers are good also. Just learn to think of them like bic lighters. Not recommended if you need to print 300 page manuals though.

[kezekiel]

HP LaserJets will still be running when the Messiah comes.

[mlmr]

Are they expensive?

[dennisw]

I've heard that the HP laser printers from ~5 years ago are indestructible and cheap to operate per page printed.

[Marauder]

Your best bet for reliability:
Inkjet: HP - each time you replace the ink cartridge, the spray head is replaced as well, as part of the package. I have an Epson in my attic that I wish was a HP because of that.
Laser: IMHO, Lexmark or HP, in that order; workhorses, both of them.

[mlmr]

Thank you!

[mitchbert]

My only advice would be to check that whatever printer you buy has drivers available that your operating system will support. With some of the recent iterations of Windows there's been a lag in the availability of this crucial software. My understanding is that with an XP/HP combination it's a particular problem...this may have recently been rectified, I don't know, though I agree that HP makes some mighty fine product.

I have Canon stuff right now personally. No complaints. I've owned HP and it was great product as well. Probably a good move if you stay within these brands. At least that's what the guys in our tech office said when I posed the question.

Good luck, eh!

[TheCPA]

I would get an HP 2200.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Depends on what you call "expensive". I have to agree with Dinsdale that even their cheap printers are good, as long as you don't make heavy demands on them. It depends on your uses and your load. I often print out rather thick manuals, so I needed something that could handle heavier printing loads. The 1175 cxi cost about $950 about three years ago. The designjet 500 ps cost about $4200. It's all relative, it depends on your needs.

All in all, however, the inkjet paradigm is fantastic, it has been very, very, very good to me. I like HP inkjets a whole lot.

[RightWhale]

HP is the only printer manufacturer to look at. Be sure it is laser and not inkjet if you want permanent prints.

[foto]

I'd stick to name brands HP, Epson etc. Stay away from those cheap do it all machines. First go out and price toner cartridges. See how many sheets can be printed per cartridge before you have to buy a new one and also see if lower cost remanufactured cartridges are available and how many sheets they'll print. I'd also consider inkjets, they are now very fast and quality is up there plus most will do color. Again make sure you check out the cost of the cartridges and whether you can resupply with black ink only which will be majority of printing. Remember that over the life of the printer, regardless of type, cartridges & ink /per sheets printed will be the number one cost factor, not the initial cost. Its a real bummer buying that new printer for a bargain price and then realizing that you have to shell out another $150 for a cartridge that prints only a thousand sheets. At my office I have everyone printing the majority of their work thru the copy machine which prints at a extremely low cost per sheet and uses raw toner reloads instead of cartridges. JMHO. Hope it helps.

[bvw]

I have four HP deskjets of various types, all low-cost end of the HP line. While I used to really like HP, the units all suffer a dismaying aggravation -- the paper feed rollers get too polished by the paper and misfeed. I tried cleaning them but have found that runing a very fine emery cloth sheet thru with the emery side to the rollers works, and cleaning does not. I have to pull on the sheet and feed it through five or six times.

A second aggravtion is compatibility with Linux, which varies from model to model, and even supported models may not be fully functional under Linux.

The Linux compatibility issue also gets to whether the printers are "winprinter" types, where HP saves on CPU horsepower in the printer by making your PC do more. That is an aggravation when you have a bunch of stuff running.

You should mention what you want to use the printer for. If you want to copy photos, a regular inkjet is not the best choice -- adequate quality originally may be there but the inks quickly fade. If you want to make mailings, to address envelopes, you'd best look at envelop feeding mechanisms -- but don't take the spec's at face value on that.

[mlmr]

Maybe 10 to 20 sheets a day??

[balrog666]

HP printers are the best all around printers - excellent quality, rugged, versatile, long lasting. I have owned many, both personally and for heavy business use, from the original Thinkjet (the first inkjet printer) to the laserjet HP II's, the HP4M's, the HP4MV's (11x17!), the HP5M's, the HP6's, the network-biggie 4500DN's and a whole lot more (even a couple of color laserjet printers). Every one I(we) have every bought is still working today!

That said, at my small home business today I use two laser printers, an HP6MP (with postscript ~$900 a couple of years ago) on one system and a Samsung ML-4500 on the other (under $150 at Sam's Club). If one broke tomorrow, I'm afraid I would just buy another Samsung.

[mlmr]

HP LaserJets will still be running when the Messiah comes

Do you expect HIM soon?? smile!!