My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.
Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air
print as well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original
toner cartridges. I bought the printer about this time last year on
sale. No problem whatsoever.

On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 22:18:42 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote:

wrote:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.
Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air
print as well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original
toner cartridges. I bought the printer about this time last year on
sale. No problem whatsoever.

I too have been served well by a Brother MFC 240C scan / copy / fax. But it
is a faily old USB inkjet, not a laser. I also have a Brother Laser
HL-3170CDW (double-sided, no scanner) via Wifi upstairs in the
'school-work' room.

I've had no problems with either. The only complaints I've seen on the web
is when someone uses 3rd party cartridges.

On 2/10/2016 10:18 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be
checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august
body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic
color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.

I'd go a step farther and advocate a MONOCHROME printer.

I just discarded our color laser (along with a complete set of spare
toner carts and two fusers) as it was seeing so little use that it
wasn't worth the space it occupied!

Likewise, discarded an Epson R1600 (wide carriage, photo) as it was
used so infrequently that it was a chore to keep the printhead
clean, etc.

We have a Kinko's within a 15 minute walk (takes almost as long to
start the car, drive there, park and walk in!) that we use for color
printing and photo printing. Alternatively, Costco is 2.5 miles
door to door and on our weekly shopping trip. Let other people
deal with maintaining the printer!

We have an HP LJ5p (on this "isolated" machine) and an HP LJ6p shared
on the other machines that handles most of our "low volume" printing.
They are on 24/7/365 as they draw relatively little power. An HP LJ4m+
handles our high volume, double sided (monochrome) printing -- but
it dims the lights (I think it's 12 ppm) and we seldom need to print
the hundred page jobs that it is best suited to printing.

The 5p/6p toner cartridge is ~$100 retail (without shopping around)
and we get more than 5 years of usage out of it (I think 5000pp?).

I think I paid $10 for each printer. Mad at myself for not buying
another one that I stumbled across a few months ago -- any toner
left in it is probably worth the $10!

I rely on separate scanners for that sort of work. A pair of A-size
scanners with document feeders, a B size scanner (tabloid) for
engineering drawings and a film scanner for 35mm film, slides and
oversize negatives. The latter may find its way into the discard
pile as scanning film/slides is *so* tedious that I think I'd
prefer to pay a service bureau for that effort!

Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air print as
well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original toner cartridges.
I bought the printer about this time last year on sale. No problem whatsoever.

I switched to Epson (XP-400), because ink
seemed to be cheaper and they make a well
regarded, high-end photo printer. It was
nothing but trouble. Ink dried out. The cartridges
were cheap but held very little ink. The machine
refused to do anything at all when it claimed the
ink was low. I suspect the low ink report is also
based on some combination of use and time. I was
getting very few pages out of a cartidge, and
colors were running out without my using them.
In short, Epson negatives went from the sometimes
irritating level of HP, with their ink that costs
nearly as much as the printer, to blood-boiling
outrage at their audacious sleaze.

I've recently switched back to HP.
An HP Envy 5660 for $80. Prints nicely. Provides
an option for draft printing. (Epson draft was high
quality, wasting ink.) HP has never been troublesome
for me in terms of ink drying and has never refused
to print.

Like you, I don't need anything fancy. Printing
photos well requires an expensive machine and lots
of expensive ink, so I don't try it. I only need a
printer on an occasional basis, to print contracts,
business receipts, etc. I probably use the scanner
function more than the printer. The HP scanner
applet could stand to be a bit more professional,
but it's serviceable.

But I'm still unsatisfied in terms of cost. For someone
who does occasional printing, the per-page cost is just
far too high. And at $62 for ink vs $80 for a printer
with starter ink, I have to seriously consider whether
it might be at least as cheap to just treat printers as
disposable.

You still print stuff?

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6, wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I have the Epson Workforce 635 (about 4 yrs) no issues, even with 2-sided printing. I would stay away from Lexmark (Dell) printer/scanners.

| You still print stuff?

Lots of people print all sorts of things. A digital
world is a long way off. Next week I'm starting
a new job. State law requires that I use a 2-page
contract and also provide 2 copies of a form
allowing the customer to cancel. That's 6 pages.
If it weren't a fairly new house I'd probably also
need to provide a lead paint test report -- on
paper. When the job's done I might email a PDF
receipt, but some people like to get them on paper.
I also print my business estimates. And I print
return address labels.

This week I had to scan in a receipt, to make an
image to go into a PDF, to send to my insurance
company. I also like to scan in photos sometimes,
to provide graphic stock or convert old photos to
digital.

All that and I'm a person who really doesn't use a
printer regularly. If you don't use a printer or scanner
at all then I'm guessing you don't actually use a
computer, except for email and maybe shopping.

wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

Using a Canon MX492 in a 3 person dental office for printing statements,
scanning insurance claims, etc

On 2/10/2016 11:54 PM, wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body.

I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic
color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.


Good luck with the ink monsters. I bought an inexpensive multi-function
black and white laser and wouldn't go back. If you *must* have color be
prepared to pay out the nose for timed and/or dried out cartridges.

John

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 9:17:48 AM UTC-5, Mayayana wrote:
| You still print stuff?

Lots of people print all sorts of things. A digital
world is a long way off. Next week I'm starting
a new job. State law requires that I use a 2-page
contract and also provide 2 copies of a form
allowing the customer to cancel. That's 6 pages.
If it weren't a fairly new house I'd probably also
need to provide a lead paint test report -- on
paper. When the job's done I might email a PDF
receipt, but some people like to get them on paper.
I also print my business estimates. And I print
return address labels.

This week I had to scan in a receipt, to make an
image to go into a PDF, to send to my insurance
company. I also like to scan in photos sometimes,
to provide graphic stock or convert old photos to
digital.

All that and I'm a person who really doesn't use a
printer regularly. If you don't use a printer or scanner
at all then I'm guessing you don't actually use a
computer, except for email and maybe shopping.

Suggest
A nice Brother MONOCHROME laser printer and a seperate scanner.

I got a Brother laser printer with a WIRED Ethernet port.

Wired it to the my router. Setup was easy.

Both Wired and wirelss devices on my netwrok can print to it.

Seperate usb based scanner.


M

On 2/11/2016 9:02 AM, Mayayana wrote:
I switched to Epson (XP-400), because ink
seemed to be cheaper and they make a well
regarded, high-end photo printer. It was
nothing but trouble. Ink dried out. The cartridges
(snip)
But I'm still unsatisfied in terms of cost. For someone
who does occasional printing, the per-page cost is just
far too high. And at $62 for ink vs $80 for a printer
with starter ink, I have to seriously consider whether
it might be at least as cheap to just treat printers as
disposable.



My Epson c4700 seems to do okay with ink, and
such. Does flat bed scanner, also. And BW or
color copies.

OTOH, my fax machine (not going to go
look to see which one it is) ran out of ink,
and it was almost the same price to buy the
entire machine. I let it stay dry, and use it
only to send fax, not receive.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 02/11/2016 08:33 AM, wrote:
On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 9:17:48 AM UTC-5, Mayayana wrote:
| You still print stuff?

Lots of people print all sorts of things. A digital
world is a long way off. Next week I'm starting
a new job. State law requires that I use a 2-page
contract and also provide 2 copies of a form
allowing the customer to cancel. That's 6 pages.
If it weren't a fairly new house I'd probably also
need to provide a lead paint test report -- on
paper. When the job's done I might email a PDF
receipt, but some people like to get them on paper.
I also print my business estimates. And I print
return address labels.

This week I had to scan in a receipt, to make an
image to go into a PDF, to send to my insurance
company. I also like to scan in photos sometimes,
to provide graphic stock or convert old photos to
digital.

All that and I'm a person who really doesn't use a
printer regularly. If you don't use a printer or scanner
at all then I'm guessing you don't actually use a
computer, except for email and maybe shopping.

Suggest
A nice Brother MONOCHROME laser printer and a seperate scanner.

I got a Brother laser printer with a WIRED Ethernet port.

Wired it to the my router. Setup was easy.

Both Wired and wirelss devices on my netwrok can print to it.

Seperate usb based scanner.


M





Yep, An inexpensive laser printer sure has saved me a ton of money. I
bought a $100 Samsung and did not even realize it was network-ready.

Easy to get all the computers in the house to print to it.


We have one high quality ink jet that's used only for photos.



The funny thing was that the OEM ink cartridge for the Samsung was $80
so I bought some inexpensive re-filled. The cheap ones worked fine and
actually lasted about twice as long as OEM.(Over a year)

On 2/11/2016 8:12 AM, bob_villain wrote:
On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6, wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I have the Epson Workforce 635 (about 4 yrs) no issues, even with 2-sided printing. I would stay away from Lexmark (Dell) printer/scanners.


I have an HP Photosmart C4180 All-in-One Printer - Scanner - Copier. It
does a decent job, but sometimes the paper feed misbehaves.

--
Maggie

On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:54:18 -0800 (PST), wrote:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

Have look here. It may help sort them out easier.

http://printers.toptenreviews.com/all-in-one/

Not been in the market for a printer for a long time

Muggles wrote:
On 2/11/2016 8:12 AM, bob_villain wrote:
On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6,
wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning.
Polite opinions invited.

I have the Epson Workforce 635 (about 4 yrs) no issues, even with
2-sided printing. I would stay away from Lexmark (Dell)
printer/scanners.


I have an HP Photosmart C4180 All-in-One Printer - Scanner - Copier.
It does a decent job, but sometimes the paper feed misbehaves.

I had one of their 4400 series all in ones . At less than two years old it
started doing the phantom paper jam thing , which rendered it useless . What
REALLY ****ed me off is that we'd just found OEM cartridges for it at a very
very good price and stocked up . I'm now using a black only Samsung laser
unit that happily uses toner that I refill myself . Messy but cheap - oh ,
and the printer was given to me .

--
Snag

On 2/11/2016 1:41 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Muggles wrote:
On 2/11/2016 8:12 AM, bob_villain wrote:
On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6,
wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning.
Polite opinions invited.

I have the Epson Workforce 635 (about 4 yrs) no issues, even with
2-sided printing. I would stay away from Lexmark (Dell)
printer/scanners.


I have an HP Photosmart C4180 All-in-One Printer - Scanner - Copier.
It does a decent job, but sometimes the paper feed misbehaves.

I had one of their 4400 series all in ones . At less than two years old it
started doing the phantom paper jam thing , which rendered it useless . What
REALLY ****ed me off is that we'd just found OEM cartridges for it at a very
very good price and stocked up . I'm now using a black only Samsung laser
unit that happily uses toner that I refill myself . Messy but cheap - oh ,
and the printer was given to me .


I've been thinking it could be the average printer paper I've been using.

--
Maggie

On 2/11/2016 7:32 AM, John wrote:
Good luck with the ink monsters. I bought an inexpensive multi-function black
and white laser and wouldn't go back. If you *must* have color be prepared to
pay out the nose for timed and/or dried out cartridges.

IME, a *lot* depends on how much you print and what types of things
you print -- and quantities.

Inkjets don't like to be left unused for long periods. Carts
dry out, nozzles clog, etc. You spend a fair bit of time getting
*a* print, let alone the print you are actually HAPPY with!

Lasers tend to be more tolerant of "non-use". Though they can
also suffer from long idle periods (mechanisms tend to get gummed
up, scraper blades get brittle, etc.).

Inkjet colors tend to be more vibrant than laser (IME). Inkjet is
much slower than laser; you'd not want to print out a LOT on
an inkjet!

And, of course, inkjet ink is pricier than laser toner.

Most of our printing (and I suspect most of MOST FOLKS' printing)
can easily be accommodated with B&W. Those things that you really want
to see in color you probably want to see in *good* color! You don't
want to wonder why the "reds are funny" or the faces are a bit yellow,
etc.

I've kept a Sony photoprinter:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DPP-EX50-Digital-Photo-Printer/dp/B0001GDE8S
for the few times when I need a photo (4x6") and the trip to Kinko's
is impractical (after hours, busy doing something else, etc.). But,
when I run out of "print cartridges" (paper+"ink"), it will probably
get discarded; I think the cartridges are too expensive compared to
what I can get "up the corner".

I cling to a Phaser 8200DP:
http://www.office.xerox.com/printers/color-printers/phaser-8200/enus.html
for printing proof copies of my publications. The colors are rich and
vivid, the (solid) ink doesn't degrade over time and the prints have a
"magazine like" finish to them. But, mainly, I've color calibrated
the printer (along with my monitors and scanners) so I can KNOW what
the actual colors will be when reproduced by a commercial service
bureau (print shop).

It'll be a tough decision to decide what to do with it when I run out
of ink blocks! :

[And, the "melted crayons" scent when printing is hugely nostalgic!]

On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:54:18 -0800 (PST), wrote:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.
Canon Maxify MB2020. Id does duplex, but for the price you sure can't
beat them.
Since the HP8500 Pro is no longer available.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 06:12:14 -0800 (PST), bob_villain
wrote:

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6, wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I have the Epson Workforce 635 (about 4 yrs) no issues, even with 2-sided printing. I would stay away from Lexmark (Dell) printer/scanners.
The one in my wife's room is a MFC295cn. It's been working well - she
doesn't use it much - and cheap aftermarket ink cartridges have been
no problem. Bought them on EBay from China for something like $6.00
each including shipping, 6 or 10 at a time.

On 2/11/2016 2:33 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:54:18 -0800 (PST), wrote:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.
Canon Maxify MB2020. Id does duplex, but for the price you sure can't
beat them.
Since the HP8500 Pro is no longer available.

Never overlook local surplus equipment auctions!
Schools, cities/counties, businesses, etc. frequently
have them! Many bargains to be had!

But, they usually aren't "full page ads in the Sunday paper"
so you have to know where to find them.

The local university has a surplus equipment auction every
two weeks. Amazing to see how much stuff they "discard":
Your Tax Dollars At Work.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 13:22:08 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 2/11/2016 7:32 AM, John wrote:
Good luck with the ink monsters. I bought an inexpensive multi-function black
and white laser and wouldn't go back. If you *must* have color be prepared to
pay out the nose for timed and/or dried out cartridges.

IME, a *lot* depends on how much you print and what types of things
you print -- and quantities.

Inkjets don't like to be left unused for long periods. Carts
dry out, nozzles clog, etc. You spend a fair bit of time getting
*a* print, let alone the print you are actually HAPPY with!

Lasers tend to be more tolerant of "non-use". Though they can
also suffer from long idle periods (mechanisms tend to get gummed
up, scraper blades get brittle, etc.).

Inkjet colors tend to be more vibrant than laser (IME). Inkjet is
much slower than laser; you'd not want to print out a LOT on
an inkjet!

And, of course, inkjet ink is pricier than laser toner.

Most of our printing (and I suspect most of MOST FOLKS' printing)
can easily be accommodated with B&W. Those things that you really want
to see in color you probably want to see in *good* color! You don't
want to wonder why the "reds are funny" or the faces are a bit yellow,
etc.

I've kept a Sony photoprinter:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DPP-EX50-Digital-Photo-Printer/dp/B0001GDE8S
for the few times when I need a photo (4x6") and the trip to Kinko's
is impractical (after hours, busy doing something else, etc.). But,
when I run out of "print cartridges" (paper+"ink"), it will probably
get discarded; I think the cartridges are too expensive compared to
what I can get "up the corner".

I cling to a Phaser 8200DP:
http://www.office.xerox.com/printers/color-printers/phaser-8200/enus.html
for printing proof copies of my publications. The colors are rich and
vivid, the (solid) ink doesn't degrade over time and the prints have a
"magazine like" finish to them. But, mainly, I've color calibrated
the printer (along with my monitors and scanners) so I can KNOW what
the actual colors will be when reproduced by a commercial service
bureau (print shop).

It'll be a tough decision to decide what to do with it when I run out
of ink blocks! :

[And, the "melted crayons" scent when printing is hugely nostalgic!]
From my experience the ram chip on it will likely fail the week after
you buy another box of wax. I was involved with 2 of them. Replaced
the RAM on one (almost $300 for the "proprietary" ram chip - then the
second one also had a ram failure and the customer nixed the repair,
so it was thrown out - with the left over wax going to the first
customer. A year or so later it got a RAM error again - just as the
wax was running out, so it got binned as well.

On 2/11/2016 2:48 PM, wrote:

From my experience the ram chip on it will likely fail the week after
you buy another box of wax. I was involved with 2 of them. Replaced
the RAM on one (almost $300 for the "proprietary" ram chip - then the
second one also had a ram failure and the customer nixed the repair,
so it was thrown out - with the left over wax going to the first
customer. A year or so later it got a RAM error again - just as the
wax was running out, so it got binned as well.

I've had this machine for at least 5 years (using my recollection of when
the friend who helped me load it into the car moved away from here).
To date, no problems. I thought the disk drive would quit but it's
not been a problem.

Biggest issue is ink wastage on power up. So, have to PLAN when I will
be using it (silly to power it up for *one* page!)

I'd be more concerned that I won't be able to find ink/spares for
it as time passes.

But, when/if that time comes, I would have no problem discarding
it -- *if* I paid for it (many items come to me from friends
wanting to upgrade their kit), I would have paid "surplus value":
plastic $0
tin $0.01/pound
PCB's $2/pound
etc. The "supplies" being essentially free (plastic/ink having no
recycle value)

I used to have an 860. Discarded it when I ran out of ink blocks
(cuz I had the 8200 to take its place!).

Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.

Oren wrote:
On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:54:18 -0800 (PST), wrote:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning.
Polite opinions invited.

Have look here. It may help sort them out easier.

http://printers.toptenreviews.com/all-in-one/

Not been in the market for a printer for a long time

I just bought the HP 4630 , versatile , in the top ten , and I already have
a supply of cartridges for it . Being wifi capable was a comsideration too .

--
Snag

On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:23:02 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.
Other than HP's professional grade stuff, they make a lot of
fantastic junk. The "phantom paper jam" even hits some of their pro
stuff. For as long as they've been in the (printer) business you'd
think they'd have it figured out by now - kinda like GM and compact
cars - - -

wrote:
Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what
happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper
jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a
computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously
wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the
platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.

I think the phantom paper jam thing is caused by a torque sensor on the feed
stepper motor . Probably a current sensor , if the motor drags it draws more
current . No one really seems to know what the cause is and I'm just
guessing ...

--
Snag

On 2/11/2016 7:26 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:

I think the phantom paper jam thing is caused by a torque sensor on the feed
stepper motor . Probably a current sensor , if the motor drags it draws more
current . No one really seems to know what the cause is and I'm just
guessing ...

Go ask Muggles, I'm sure she'll know. Muggle knows all.

Mayayana wrote: "and I'm a person who really doesn't use a
printer regularly. If you don't use a printer or scanner
at all then I'm guessing you don't actually use a
computer, except for email and maybe shopping. "


I work part time in the second hand business
and have on stock a steady supply of printers,
printer-scanners and all-in-ones. My impression
is that people don't print photos and documents
as often as they did 10 or 20 years ago.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 19:26:49 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

wrote:
Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what
happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper
jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a
computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously
wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the
platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.

I think the phantom paper jam thing is caused by a torque sensor on the feed
stepper motor . Probably a current sensor , if the motor drags it draws more
current . No one really seems to know what the cause is and I'm just
guessing ...
From what I've been able to pry out od HP support it's an electronics
problem - something on the board goes out of spec

Tony Hwang wrote:

wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.
Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air
print as well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original
toner cartridges. I bought the printer about this time last year on
sale. No problem whatsoever.

I agree, I bought a Brother MFC 9340 color laser. It is probably a
little more that Tony wants, since it will both print and scan duplex.
I have done a lot of black/white printing and am on my 2nd toner
cartridge.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
My local Weather http://www.wunderground.com/weathers...p?ID=KOKMUSTA4

Jim Rusling wrote:
Tony Hwang wrote:

wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.
Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air
print as well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original
toner cartridges. I bought the printer about this time last year on
sale. No problem whatsoever.

I agree, I bought a Brother MFC 9340 color laser. It is probably a
little more that Tony wants, since it will both print and scan duplex.
I have done a lot of black/white printing and am on my 2nd toner
cartridge.

I bought 9130CW on sale. I got tired of messing with ink cartridges.

wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 19:26:49 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

wrote:
Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what
happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper
jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a
computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously
wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the
platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.

I think the phantom paper jam thing is caused by a torque sensor on
the feed stepper motor . Probably a current sensor , if the motor
drags it draws more current . No one really seems to know what the
cause is and I'm just guessing ...
From what I've been able to pry out od HP support it's an electronics
problem - something on the board goes out of spec

That's what I thought . And as I said above , I believe it's in the torque
sensing system for the paper feed motor .

--
Snag

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning.
Polite opinions invited.

If you don't much need to print photos, look at small color laser printer.
Best decision I made buying Brother MFC color laser. It does NFC, Air
print as well. Scan, copy, fax. Just for home use I still use original
toner cartridges. I bought the printer about this time last year on
sale. No problem whatsoever.

I agree, I bought a Brother MFC 9340 color laser. It is probably a
little more that Tony wants, since it will both print and scan duplex.
I have done a lot of black/white printing and am on my 2nd toner
cartridge.

I bought 9130CW on sale. I got tired of messing with ink cartridges.


Last fall, I bought the Brother HL 3140-CW colour laser - it's not
a multi-function. I already have a good scanner $ 135. Canadian.
I'm hoping that my light usage - occasional colour printing and
never any photo printing - will make the colour cartridges last for
years - if I buy 1 replacement black - that should last me for
years ... fingers crossed.
I was fairly happy with my HP inkjets, over the years - but the ink
costs were frustrating ; and the re-fill re-furb units were getting
worse.
This Brother has wireless, and it weighs a ton - surprised me
for a cheapo printer.
John T.



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

posted for all of us...



On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:23:02 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Thanks for all the replies.

Interesting about the HP "locking up" for printing. That's what happened to my HP. It would copy and scan, but showed up a "paper jam" when addressed remotely to try to print. My soon who is a computer geek could not figure it out, and since the paper obviously wasn't blocked or jammed since it printed/copied whatever was on the platen, I am going to avoid HP like the plague.

Off to get my Consumer reports magazines out of the file cabinet.
Other than HP's professional grade stuff, they make a lot of
fantastic junk. The "phantom paper jam" even hits some of their pro
stuff. For as long as they've been in the (printer) business you'd
think they'd have it figured out by now - kinda like GM and compact
cars - - -

+1 Also they have no viable support on the non professional stuff.

--
Tekkie

wrote in
:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and
scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I've had *very* good experiences with Brother printer/scanners -- my first one just died last
summer after about 12 years. I have one at home and one in my office; the one in the office
is over 6 years old and still going strong.

I've been using Brother ink until the warranty expires, then buying aftermarket ink cartridges
on Amazon thereafter, and have had no problems.

I've had one too many bad experiences with HP customer "service" to ever buy, or
recommend, their products again. IMO, it's no coincidence that "Hewlett Packard" sounds a
lot like "Useless *******".

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 10:54:23 PM UTC-6, wrote:
My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one. Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and scanning. Polite opinions invited.

http://bestreviews.com/best-home-printers

On 2/12/2016 6:24 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
wrote in
:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and
scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I've had *very* good experiences with Brother printer/scanners -- my first one just died last
summer after about 12 years. I have one at home and one in my office; the one in the office
is over 6 years old and still going strong.

I've been using Brother ink until the warranty expires, then buying aftermarket ink cartridges
on Amazon thereafter, and have had no problems.

I've had one too many bad experiences with HP customer "service" to ever buy, or
recommend, their products again. IMO, it's no coincidence that "Hewlett Packard" sounds a
lot like "Useless *******".

Sadly, "HP" is the schlock half of the *old* (pre-breakup) "HP".
Their early printer products were delightfully robust! I don't
think you could break an LJII or LJIII with a 3 pound sledge hammer!

When they decided to go into the *ink* business, they sold their
soul. Some of their printers are almost entirely plastic -- with
the electronics on a single PCB "bolted on the back". I.e., when
recycling these, you simply snap off the circuit board (it is designed
to be removable -- no doubt because that's all HP does when it
"repairs" a unit) and toss the rest in the trash (plastic having little
or NO recycle value)

I wouldn't mind if the printer was an expensive, robust mechanism
and you "paid the price" in consumables. But, when the printer is
a piece of trash, it's sort of insulting to then be paying through
the nose for "multicolored, liquid cocaine"!

[When folks give me "new(er)" printers, I smile, say "Thank You" and
then discard (recycle) them. Nothing there worth my time to repair
or restore!]

On Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 2:16:47 AM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:

I wouldn't mind if the printer was an expensive, robust mechanism
and you "paid the price" in consumables. But, when the printer is
a piece of trash, it's sort of insulting to then be paying through
the nose for "multicolored, liquid cocaine"!

Being an "engineer" I surprised you don't see the quality in the Epsons. Seiko Epson has been designing computer printers for 55 yrs. Getting a huge boost from its successful EP-101, and eventually renaming the company to EP'son.
I worked on their printers designed for POS and was intrigued by the watch precision.

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 01:16:04 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 2/12/2016 6:24 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
wrote in
:

My old HP printer/scanner has died and I need to get a new one.
Will be checking Consumer Reports, but also wanted some opinions
from this august body. I don't need any fancy features such as
double-sided, just good basic color and BW printing and
scanning. Polite opinions invited.

I've had *very* good experiences with Brother printer/scanners -- my first one just died last
summer after about 12 years. I have one at home and one in my office; the one in the office
is over 6 years old and still going strong.

I've been using Brother ink until the warranty expires, then buying aftermarket ink cartridges
on Amazon thereafter, and have had no problems.

I've had one too many bad experiences with HP customer "service" to ever buy, or
recommend, their products again. IMO, it's no coincidence that "Hewlett Packard" sounds a
lot like "Useless *******".

Sadly, "HP" is the schlock half of the *old* (pre-breakup) "HP".
Their early printer products were delightfully robust! I don't
think you could break an LJII or LJIII with a 3 pound sledge hammer!

When they decided to go into the *ink* business, they sold their
soul. Some of their printers are almost entirely plastic -- with
the electronics on a single PCB "bolted on the back". I.e., when
recycling these, you simply snap off the circuit board (it is designed
to be removable -- no doubt because that's all HP does when it
"repairs" a unit) and toss the rest in the trash (plastic having little
or NO recycle value)

I wouldn't mind if the printer was an expensive, robust mechanism
and you "paid the price" in consumables. But, when the printer is
a piece of trash, it's sort of insulting to then be paying through
the nose for "multicolored, liquid cocaine"!

[When folks give me "new(er)" printers, I smile, say "Thank You" and
then discard (recycle) them. Nothing there worth my time to repair
or restore!]
Yhey don't even repair them. It's often a mechanical problem - like
a split gear or clutch - and if they fail under warranty they just
send you a new one and don't even want any part of the old one back.