On Wed, 3 Oct 2012 10:34:04 +0000 (UTC), "Geoffrey S. Mendelson"
wrote:
Tom Biasi wrote:
Not so. With mechanical devices, regular moderate use provides a longer
useful lifetime than using the device only rarely.
I don't agree but will say no more.
Laser printers. I have given away for parts several laser printers because
they sat unused 99% of the time, and started to jam when I printed the
one or two pages a month I needed them for.
I've seen flat spots on laser printers. However, just running a few
pages through the printer usually returns them to normal. If not, use
some rubber roller restorer to soften the rubber.
http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/specials/misc/all/S03
In my experience, many printer jams are caused by paper slippage on
the rollers. Usually, it's the white paper dust that causes slippage,
but it can easily be household dust accumulated over the time the
printer was idle. Maybe hitting the printer with a compressed air
blast before operating might help.
Another slippage problem is when the rubber surface becomes glazed or
polished. The rubber roller restorer will take the surface gloss off
the rollers, and improve the traction, but if there's any rubber wear,
the roller(s) should be replaced.
Not only did the rubber wheels dry out and lose their ability to grab paper,
they flatten where they are pressed against something.
I have a perfectly good Samsung laser printer in that condition now.
Ugh. I don't have much nice to say about Samsung printers. They're
cheap, function adequately, use overpriced toner carts, and don't last
very long. I've never really done an autopsy to isolate a culprit.
The usual end of life symptoms are either paper jams or flimsy broken
plastic parts.
My choices are to once a week clean out a jam, and clean the feed roller;
print something everyday (a waste of paper); spend $15 for a new roller
(including postage) and an hour to install it; or wait for a sale
(every 2-3 months) and buy a newer faster, higher resolution model with a
2,000 page toner cartridge included for less than the cost of a full load toner.
Chuckle. Yeah, that's about it. Next purchase, I suggest HP LaserJet
printers. They have their own collection of problems, but parts and
refills are commonly available and cheap. The printer cannibals sell
used parts and assemblies fairly cheap on eBay. Also, expertise is
more easily found:
http://www.fixyourownprinter.com
My favorite printer of the week is the HP 2300DN or DTN at between $90
to $220 used depending on condition and options. Favorite feature is
double sided (duplex) printing.
Geoff.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558