PeterD writes:

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:41:48 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:21:57 -0500, PeterD wrote:

FWIW, I got, off of eBay, a really nice Xerox 5400 40 PPM duplex laser
printer the other day. Incredible performance, had about 33K copies on
the counter. Price? Well, 49.95, and I was able to pick it up and save
on shipping. I didn't complain about the fact it came with a brand new
toner cartridge, either. I still laugh whenever I look at it. bg

http://www.office.xerox.com/printers/laser-printers/phaser-5400/enus.html
I'm jealous. Nice buy. The problem I have with Xerox printers
(mostly Tek color Phaser models) is getting parts.

I guess then I done good when I got another one for parts at a cost of
$20... bg

Xerox does not
make it easy for independents to buy parts and pieces direct:
http://www.xerox.com/go/xrx/template/018p.jsp?Xcntry=USA&Xlang=en_US
I can get most of what I need from recyclers and eBay parts cannibals,
but it's MUCH easier with HP products, where original parts and clones
are common and cheap.

There are some good deals on higher quality printers right now, as
companies either upgrade, or go out of business.

Shipping on large printers is usually the problem.

My favorite printer of the week is the HP2200dtn. They're fast,
duplex, network ready, and most important for me, don't make any noise
or suck power when in standby. About $100 to $175 on eBay. I
obtained a pile from the local recycler for about $25/ea. One problem
with the HP2200dn is decomposed foam on the solenoids causing paper
jams. Here's the fix:
http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/hp2200/hp2200.html

I picked the 5400 because I already have a GCC XL-40, which is the
same print engine, just different software. That made two of them, but
the GCC didn't have duplex. Then after getting the second one, I
figured 'spare parts would be nice'. OK, found a third one for $20,
and that one did have a duplexer. I pulled the duplexer and put it in
the GCC, and kept the rest fo the $20 printer for parts.

(The $20 printer was heavily used, so I didn't feel bad about parting
it out--the thought of cleaning it was too much! And I didn't need
three printers, either.)

I know it's cheating, but I bought a $99 HP P1006 on-line and it is actually
perfect for what I need - small, light weight, trivial install, decent print
quality. I know it will probably fall apart in a year from loneliness given
the amount of printing I do - mostly mailing labels and tax returns.
Between now and then maybe another friend will dump off a half-working printer
at my door step.

Thanks for all the comments!

--
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