advice on printers

I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

I'm sort of in the same boat. I have a 7 year old LaserJet 6L. I know it's
just a matter of time before the toner starts running low. (It's been on the
same toner cartidge for a couple of years.) A new toner cartridge is $60 at
Staples but I can buy a whole new printer for about $100. (Just about any
laser printer that normally sells for about $150 can be had for much less if
you watch for sales and rebates.)

So for about $40 more than it would cost to replace the toner cartridge in
my old printer, I can get today's printer technology (faster ppm, better
resolution, etc.), a USB connection to my computer and a driver made for
Windows XP.

Ted Zieglar

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

advantages of a new sub $100 laser printer like the minolta 1350w is that
has a usb port, prints very fast, and is new and so under warranty. the
down side is that many of the new printers do not have the build quality of
the older lasers, and that you will probably have to buy a usb cable adding
a large percentage to the total cost. on the other hand, if you get a new
computer you may have to get a adapter (usb to parallel cable) to get your
old machine to work as many new computers do not come with parallel ports in
them. as for the two hp models mentioned above (the 6p and 6l) they are
both know for developing paper pick up problems that are not economically
fixable... hp does (did?) offer a free repair tool that essentially inserted
a new foam pick up pad into the printer but that only lasts for a certain
period of time before the problem comes back... so, if you have a paper
pick up problem, are low on toner, and are expecting to buy a new computer
in the foreseeable feature then i say it buy a new printer rather than buy a
toner for your old one.

"Ted Zieglar" wrote in message
...
I'm sort of in the same boat. I have a 7 year old LaserJet 6L. I know it's
just a matter of time before the toner starts running low. (It's been on
the
same toner cartidge for a couple of years.) A new toner cartridge is $60
at
Staples but I can buy a whole new printer for about $100. (Just about any
laser printer that normally sells for about $150 can be had for much less
if
you watch for sales and rebates.)

So for about $40 more than it would cost to replace the toner cartridge in
my old printer, I can get today's printer technology (faster ppm, better
resolution, etc.), a USB connection to my computer and a driver made for
Windows XP.

Ted Zieglar

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 16:27:51 GMT, "Christopher Muto"
wrote:

advantages of a new sub $100 laser printer like the minolta 1350w is that
has a usb port, prints very fast, and is new and so under warranty. the
down side is that many of the new printers do not have the build quality of
the older lasers, and that you will probably have to buy a usb cable adding
a large percentage to the total cost.

Don't know where you buy your USB cables, but I can't see that a USB
cable would add a "large percentage" to the total cost.
----
Looking for a GMail invite?
http://isnoop.net/gmailomatic.php
----

Thanks for your pov, Christopher.

I'd like to pick up on what you wrote about the build quality of todays
~$150 monochrome lasers. My 6L ($400 in 1997) is made almost entirely of
plastic parts held together by screws, yet it's managed to last for more
than 7 years. What is it about the current crop of printers that causes you
to feel that the build quality isn't that great? Perhaps I should spend a
little more on my next printer if I want it to last another 7 years?

Ted Zieglar

"Christopher Muto" wrote in message
news:bM5Od.17191$s16.9085@trndny02...
advantages of a new sub $100 laser printer like the minolta 1350w is that
has a usb port, prints very fast, and is new and so under warranty. the
down side is that many of the new printers do not have the build quality
of
the older lasers, and that you will probably have to buy a usb cable
adding
a large percentage to the total cost. on the other hand, if you get a new
computer you may have to get a adapter (usb to parallel cable) to get your
old machine to work as many new computers do not come with parallel ports
in
them. as for the two hp models mentioned above (the 6p and 6l) they are
both know for developing paper pick up problems that are not economically
fixable... hp does (did?) offer a free repair tool that essentially
inserted
a new foam pick up pad into the printer but that only lasts for a certain
period of time before the problem comes back... so, if you have a paper
pick up problem, are low on toner, and are expecting to buy a new computer
in the foreseeable feature then i say it buy a new printer rather than buy
a
toner for your old one.

"Ted Zieglar" wrote in message
...
I'm sort of in the same boat. I have a 7 year old LaserJet 6L. I know
it's
just a matter of time before the toner starts running low. (It's been on
the
same toner cartidge for a couple of years.) A new toner cartridge is $60
at
Staples but I can buy a whole new printer for about $100. (Just about
any
laser printer that normally sells for about $150 can be had for much
less
if
you watch for sales and rebates.)

So for about $40 more than it would cost to replace the toner cartridge
in
my old printer, I can get today's printer technology (faster ppm, better
resolution, etc.), a USB connection to my computer and a driver made for
Windows XP.

Ted Zieglar

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75.
Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

Consider yourself lucky. The design defects in 5L, 6L, 1100 and maybe a couple
of other models were cause for a class action lawsuit against HP. The
settlement of the lawsuit was agreement by HP to supply a free kit to remedy
paper pickup problems. The kit cost pennies to make and provided a stopgap
solution to the misfeed problems that plagued the printers. The kit is no
longer available from HP.

You must have cared well for the printer, feeding it the best of paper, and
gently doing whatever needed to be done to it so as not to fracture the cheap
and not very sturdy plastic parts.

The aforementioned 5L, 6L, etc. were HP's bottom-of-the-line laser printers
intended for an extremely light duty cycle, even tho they cost $400, a high
price by today's standards.

Today's equivalent bottom-of-the-line laser printers, any brand name, are just
as cheaply made, although they may have improved and more reliable design. Of
course, as with inkjet printers, the laser printer manufacturers are now
designing much smaller toner cartridges capable of printing far fewer pages
before needing replacement. The "justification" for smaller toner cartridges is
a smaller footprint occupied by the printer. Frankly, I'd rather have a larger
printer that consumes long-life toner cartridges. I've installed some of these
el cheapo laser printers for people and the absence of any sturdiness is not
impressive. Same with the ones I see in the mass market stores.

I'm not aware of the 6p having the same paper (mis)feed issues as the 5L, 6L,
etc.

With any of these older printers, one also needs to consider the markedly lower
cost of recycled and refilled toner cartridges, from a reliable source, of
course. The operating costs with refilled cartridges are miniscule.

I've been using a larger old Hewlett-Packard 5M with JetDirect card. Prints
fast enough at 12ppm. Has a PowerSave option, so it can be on 24/7. Full
PostScript capability and maxed out on-board memory, which means no problems
printing Acrobat PDFs or anything else. Ethernet means that it is networked and
shared with other people's computers. Ethernet also means much faster
printing-and-spooling within my computer. The difference here is that the LJ 5M
is built like a small tank, and just keeps pumping out the paper. It helps that
I can take one apart partially (4 Philips head screws) and keep the inside clean
and free of dust and dirt as needed... Ben Myers

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 11:50:53 -0500, "Ted Zieglar" wrote:

Thanks for your pov, Christopher.

I'd like to pick up on what you wrote about the build quality of todays
~$150 monochrome lasers. My 6L ($400 in 1997) is made almost entirely of
plastic parts held together by screws, yet it's managed to last for more
than 7 years. What is it about the current crop of printers that causes you
to feel that the build quality isn't that great? Perhaps I should spend a
little more on my next printer if I want it to last another 7 years?

Ted Zieglar

"Christopher Muto" wrote in message
news:bM5Od.17191$s16.9085@trndny02...
advantages of a new sub $100 laser printer like the minolta 1350w is that
has a usb port, prints very fast, and is new and so under warranty. the
down side is that many of the new printers do not have the build quality
of
the older lasers, and that you will probably have to buy a usb cable
adding
a large percentage to the total cost. on the other hand, if you get a new
computer you may have to get a adapter (usb to parallel cable) to get your
old machine to work as many new computers do not come with parallel ports
in
them. as for the two hp models mentioned above (the 6p and 6l) they are
both know for developing paper pick up problems that are not economically
fixable... hp does (did?) offer a free repair tool that essentially
inserted
a new foam pick up pad into the printer but that only lasts for a certain
period of time before the problem comes back... so, if you have a paper
pick up problem, are low on toner, and are expecting to buy a new computer
in the foreseeable feature then i say it buy a new printer rather than buy
a
toner for your old one.

"Ted Zieglar" wrote in message
...
I'm sort of in the same boat. I have a 7 year old LaserJet 6L. I know
it's
just a matter of time before the toner starts running low. (It's been on
the
same toner cartidge for a couple of years.) A new toner cartridge is $60
at
Staples but I can buy a whole new printer for about $100. (Just about
any
laser printer that normally sells for about $150 can be had for much
less
if
you watch for sales and rebates.)

So for about $40 more than it would cost to replace the toner cartridge
in
my old printer, I can get today's printer technology (faster ppm, better
resolution, etc.), a USB connection to my computer and a driver made for
Windows XP.

Ted Zieglar

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75.
Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

That is a good printer! Get a new cartridge. I have a HP 5P and I love it.

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

What a great thread this has become.

My 6L has been sitting in exactly same spot all these years, and with one
exception (see below) the only time I ever touch it is to feed it paper and
change the toner. If that qualifies as gentle treatment, that may be why
it's lasted so long. What else do people do to a printer? Smack it around?
Drop it every now and then?

Yeah, I had that paper problem. I installed HP's pad and the machine's been
fine ever since. The printer is for my personal use so even a reduced size
toner cartridge will last last for years. Maybe a cheap laser printer is all
I really need.

What I'm looking for in a new printer is more speed, more memory, USB and -
here's a big one - less noise. The 6L's whine makes me nuts. (Reminds me of
my mother-in-law.) If today's crop of personal lasers are quieter, that's a
big push for me.

Ted Zieglar


"WSZsr" wrote in message
. com...
That is a good printer! Get a new cartridge. I have a HP 5P and I love
it.

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

Well, I owned both a 6P and 1100, so both form factors.

Both died from feed problems. The 6P lasted for years, but the rollers
literally melted. It was never high use.

The 1100 lasted 18 months. Probably 200 sheets total fed through it.

On the other hand, my Dad's 4P is still going strong with lots of use.

I bought a Samsung ML-1710. It's been perfect. Goes to sleep, so
absolutely silent. USB ONLY!.

$79 with rebate. Included full toner cartridge, not a 'demo cartridge'.
Lasted forever (just replaced it).

It also does a great job of single page and single envelope feed, which is
important to me.

Highly recommended.

Tom
"Ted Zieglar" wrote in message
...
What a great thread this has become.

My 6L has been sitting in exactly same spot all these years, and with one
exception (see below) the only time I ever touch it is to feed it paper
and
change the toner. If that qualifies as gentle treatment, that may be why
it's lasted so long. What else do people do to a printer? Smack it around?
Drop it every now and then?

Yeah, I had that paper problem. I installed HP's pad and the machine's
been
fine ever since. The printer is for my personal use so even a reduced size
toner cartridge will last last for years. Maybe a cheap laser printer is
all
I really need.

What I'm looking for in a new printer is more speed, more memory, USB
and -
here's a big one - less noise. The 6L's whine makes me nuts. (Reminds me
of
my mother-in-law.) If today's crop of personal lasers are quieter, that's
a
big push for me.

Ted Zieglar


"WSZsr" wrote in message
. com...
That is a good printer! Get a new cartridge. I have a HP 5P and I love
it.

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75.
Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)

Yep, you've given your 6L gentle treatment. Some people carelessly put paper in
crooked, and just as carelessly yank the paper out when the paper jams. Some
people try to feed thick card stock and envelopes thru laser printers. Not a
good idea with a low-end printer of any brand or any era. Some people smash a
new toner cartridge into the printer or rip out a spent one... Ben Myers

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 13:54:58 -0500, "Ted Zieglar" wrote:

What a great thread this has become.

My 6L has been sitting in exactly same spot all these years, and with one
exception (see below) the only time I ever touch it is to feed it paper and
change the toner. If that qualifies as gentle treatment, that may be why
it's lasted so long. What else do people do to a printer? Smack it around?
Drop it every now and then?

Yeah, I had that paper problem. I installed HP's pad and the machine's been
fine ever since. The printer is for my personal use so even a reduced size
toner cartridge will last last for years. Maybe a cheap laser printer is all
I really need.

What I'm looking for in a new printer is more speed, more memory, USB and -
here's a big one - less noise. The 6L's whine makes me nuts. (Reminds me of
my mother-in-law.) If today's crop of personal lasers are quieter, that's a
big push for me.

Ted Zieglar


"WSZsr" wrote in message
.com...
That is a good printer! Get a new cartridge. I have a HP 5P and I love
it.

"bullseye" wrote in message
...
I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
print)
is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
may
finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75. Would
I
be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
realistic?

I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)