Duplex printer advice

[Wojciech Puchar]

> 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.

while i don't use color printers, usually this postscript is disadventage. 
if there is a choice like in HP laserjets - switching to PCL and using 
ghostscript works MUCH faster giving same results.

your computer's CPU is much faster than printer's.

> The only time inkjet makes sense is if your printing
> needs for your lifetime consist of a single ream of
> paper.

i don't think they can print as much without failure.

my HP LaserJet 4 shows 122000 pages, was 88000 when i bought it for 100PLN 
(about 40$)+another 100 for made-in-Poland new ink cardridge (enough for 
about 8000-10000 pages).

HP LaserJet 4 and 3 is excellent, anything newer - crap, as HP joined 
others in making craps so every year user has to buy new one.

> 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.

i don't think it will stop within 10 years. but do you have original 
HP manual? if not - i have for laserjet 4 in PDF.
do not try to disassembly without it :)

> 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.

as long as people will buy them, they will produce it.

> 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.

this is his/her money, not yours. if he/she want to waste it - what a 
problem :)

same with computers - most of us don't really needs new ones, while older 
as really cheap.