Duplex printer advice

Gary Kline kline at thought.org
Mon Jun 2 22:41:16 UTC 2008


On Mon, 2008-06-02 at 14:03 -0700, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Chuck Robey
> > Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 5:26 PM
> > To: Ted Mittelstaedt
> > Cc: Kurt Buff; kline at thought.org; FreeBSD Questions; Derek Ragona
> > Subject: Re: Duplex printer advice
> >
> >
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > Hash: SHA1
> >
> > Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> > > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Gary Kline
> > > Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 12:23 PM
> > > To: FreeBSD Questions
> > > Cc: Kurt Buff; Derek Ragona
> > > Subject: Re: Duplex printer advice
> > >
> > >
> > >> I second this suggestion since my Brother HL-5250DN just-worked once it
> > >> was plugged into my hub.  It was $179 at Costco a few months back, has
> > >> all the features that David mentions, and builtin Postscript|clone.
> > >> It just prints--nothing fancy--but then hey... .
> > >
> > > Just one warning about these.
> > >
> > > The toner empty light blinks use the same pattern as the
> > > fuser fail.  And, unlike the HP units, you usually can't
> > > "shake down" the cartridge to get an extra hundred or
> > > so pages out of it.  Don't jump to conclusions that the
> > > fuser is bad when it's out of toner.
> >
> > Man, this is really going to look like I'm never satisfied, which
> > I guess is
> > actually true, so why am I worried about that?  thanks to this
> > thread, I found
> > out about the Brother printers ... my own requirements list
> > includes (color
> > duplex printer scanner).  I don't need it to be a laser, but I do
> > need both
> > color, multifunc, and duplex printing.   I spotted the Brother
> > the DCP-9045CDN,
> > but at $700 list, I begin to wonder if I could find one with the
> > same specs
> > ESCEPTING it was the cheaper technology of inkjet.
> 
> No, no nooooo.... Don't join the dark side, Luke!
> 
> Inkjet color printing is NEVER cheaper.
> 
> Color laser is what you want.  There are some really
> good inexpensive units out there.  I recall reading the
> inexpensieve Samsung color laser even speaks Postscript.
> 
> The only time inkjet makes sense is if your printing
> needs for your lifetime consist of a single ream of
> paper.
> 
> My HP Laserjet 4+ at home is the oldest operating piece of
> computer equipment I have.  And I fully expect it to last
> another decade, and once it dies, I have another one in the
> basement that I picked up for $50 - WITH a duplexer.
> 
> Color laserjets will end up doing the same thing.
> 
> The reason the printer mfgrs love inkjets is that
> not only is the cost per page far higher, necessitating
> frequent ink cartridge changes, but the ink cartridges
> themselves dry up and stop working, and the printers
> jam, strip gears, and stop working.  Thus you are able
> to sell the person printer after printer.
> 
> If you look at laserjet sales, the only movement on
> the printers themselves is
> among people who buy laserjets for very high volume
> printing.  Thus the printer manufacturers have bent
> over backwards to keep the laserjets out of the retail
> supply chain, and it is the new entries into the US
> market - like brother, samsung and the like, who are
> willing to go into the retail chain and discount.
> 
> When I visit Fry's every once in a while and overhear
> people discussing what printer to buy, I love to
> drag them over to the salesguy's little kiosk and point
> out the HP Laserjet 8000n behind the counter, which
> occupies just about all free space in the kiosk.
> I ask them, why would Fry's stick this giant printer
> behind the counter, and suck up all free space if
> a small "personal" printer occuping so much less
> space was as good of a deal?
> 
> But laserjet technology is old, been around for years,
> and is very time tested.  If the average printer
> consumer realized how much money they were tossing
> away on inkjets, they would be demanding lasers and
> the price of the laserjet would be dirt cheap.
> 
> >
> > The reasoning behind going to inkjet is because I'm currently on
> > a tight budget.
> >  I really would like to pay no more than about half that $700.
> 
> You will pay more over the long haul, guarenteed.  Run the
> numbers.  Seriously, this is one of those purchases where
> it actually makes sense to finance it on a visa card or
> some such.


Agree 100.0%, Ted.   Long run, the inkjet will bleed you like a leech.
My 1991 [?] DeskJet 500 was > $400, major bux.  But having bought at
least
two cadtrides/year until last winter.  Lowball it: $20 per cartridge.

Well over a kilobuck.  

I *know* what it's like to be squeezed for cash, Chuck.  It may take you
weeks 
of surfing for the best deal, but go laser if you can.

At the same time, HP's patents are about to expire in the next few
years.  Anybody 
know when, to-the-year?

gary

> 
> Ted
> 



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