I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

John wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I
then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then
get an excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks
time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)

Doh! You remind me of my son. "Just print a sheet once a week. Do you
understand? It's costing me a fortune replacing cartridges in your
printer because you don't listen." Seriously, do make a point of
printing out a colourful ( if it is a colour printer) once a week. It
will help avoid this situation.

"John" wrote in message
...
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print
and then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it
again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer. Precise model I'll leave to others.

cheers,
clive

John wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I
then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then
get an excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks
time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)

Do you reall need colour? Good quality mono laser printers are so
inexpensive now.

Peter Crosland

On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:14:16 GMT
"John" wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)


Low cost Black & White Laser, Brother do one about for 65 pounds. Take
your digital pictures to Boots (on a USB dongle) and use their machine.

R.

Peter Crosland wrote:
John wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I
then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then
get an excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks
time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)

Do you reall need colour? Good quality mono laser printers are so
inexpensive now.

This is my choice

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/110661/brother-hl5240.html

Peter Crosland

Peter Crosland wrote:

Peter Crosland wrote:

John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I
then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then
get an excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks
time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)

Do you reall need colour? Good quality mono laser printers are so
inexpensive now.


This is my choice

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/110661/brother-hl5240.html

I bought my laser printer for £39-99 ay staples a few months a go. Wait
until early to mid February and yo might find the same bargain.

Dave

ps I have an epsom photo printer and I usually ask it to do a nozzle
check every week. Saves the cost of a new cartridge every time the
nozzles get clogged up.

In article ,
"John" wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Been there, done that. IME Epson are highly overrated. Got a Canon and
would never buy another Epson. Canon are more expensive to buy but with
separate carts at just over a quid, much cheaper to run and nowhere near
as prone to clogging as Epson. It did block once when I left it next to
a radiator unused for a couple of months but you van whip the print head
out, stand it in a saucer of glass cleaner for an hour, run a cleaning
cycle and you're back in business.

On 21 Dec, 22:14, "John" wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

John
As an alternative to the laser technology - and I will admit to having
gone down that way once and found it an expensive mistake - can I
suggest you take a look at the HP printers that use the Continuous Ink
System ( I've a HP 3210). You do then get the advantage of a scanner
and copier too.

The ink in these printers is continuously circulated such that the
jets do not jam up and the 'cleaning' ink is recovered meaning there
is no wastage. Mine doesn't get used on occasions for several weeks
and when it is powered up, there's a bit of whirring and then it just
prints perfectly every time.

If you go to Inkjet Revolution, they will supply you with an external
ink pack which gives you so much ink that the running cost is near
enough zero.

Rob

On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:14:16 GMT, John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked.

Colour or monochrome? As others have said if you only need monochrome get
a laser, I bought a HP LJ1200 a few years back and it has been excellent,
much better print quality that is water resistant (if not proof). I get
through a toner cartridge about every 18 months two years at a cost of
around £50. It almost got replaced earlier in the year when the film
around the fuser started to breakup at one end but I found you can get
replacement films for £35 all in.

I also have a colour Epson and suffer like you from infrequent use and
blocked nozzles. If the LJ1200 had gone to the scrap heap it would have
been replaced with a colour laser of some sort.

For colour photographs, there are plenty of online places where you can
upload your images and get them printed properly and delivered for very
similar prices to home printing.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Well options are, stick with the Epson and use it more often (I have a
1290 and can have similar difficulties if it has not been used in a while).

Or look at a laser printer - mono ones are silly money now. If you need
business class colour (i.e. not super slick glossy photo output)
something like a Samsung CLP 300N takes some beating - a colour network
laser at under £150 - and the running costs are not bad either.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:37:27 UTC, John Rumm
wrote:

Or look at a laser printer - mono ones are silly money now. If you need
business class colour (i.e. not super slick glossy photo output)
something like a Samsung CLP 300N takes some beating - a colour network
laser at under £150 - and the running costs are not bad either.

Last two laser printers I bought were really silly money - 7 pounds the
pair off eBay! (local, so about 3 quid in petrol to collect them).

I still use them - HP LaserJet 4+ both of them. PostScript, 12 ppm.
Power consumption is a little higher, and complex pages take a bit
longer, but a third example has been running here for eight years.

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

On 21/12/2007 22:14, John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads.

Before too much longer the printer will assume the "overflow sponge" is
close to being soaked full of ink and stop printing altogether and
request a return to the factory for a new one.

In article ,
mike wrote:
Been there, done that. IME Epson are highly overrated. Got a Canon and
would never buy another Epson. Canon are more expensive to buy but with
separate carts at just over a quid, much cheaper to run and nowhere near
as prone to clogging as Epson.

I agree the Cannon doesn't seem to block so readily as the Epson, but if
anything the running costs are higher. It seems to use more ink on the
cleaning routine. Not so easy to re-fill either.

--
*No radio - Already stolen.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
mike wrote:
Been there, done that. IME Epson are highly overrated. Got a Canon and
would never buy another Epson. Canon are more expensive to buy but with
separate carts at just over a quid, much cheaper to run and nowhere near
as prone to clogging as Epson.

I agree the Cannon doesn't seem to block so readily as the Epson, but if
anything the running costs are higher. It seems to use more ink on the
cleaning routine. Not so easy to re-fill either.



I haven't been to Peter Maude's site for ages, you might like to take a
look

http://www.charisco.com/


--
geoff

John wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)


10 year old HP laserjet from Ebay. If monochrome is all you need.

If you want color, you pay for it.

They are all without exception average to crap.

At lest yours doesn't do what mine did. I changed cartridges, threw the
old one away (BIG mistake) only to have the thing light up like a
christmas tree. much googling later I found a manual online - bad
cartridge. BUT I had bought it two years before, and never used it. 30
quid down the drain.

It was the yellow one. I ONLY wanted to print black and white anyway.
*******s.

wrote:
On 21 Dec,
"Clive George" wrote:

"John" wrote in message
...
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then
have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an
excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I
want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)
Not an inkjet - get a laser printer. Precise model I'll leave to others.

Seconded. I've had to do no maintenance on my colour laser on over two years,
apart from changing a black cartridge. With an inkjet it was jet cleaning and
cartridge replacement every few weeks. And the laser gives better prints,
which are waterproof too.

There's a good selection around and under �200 now, and the running costs are
much lower than inkjets, which could mitigate the extra purchase cost.



Are there by gum. I'll have to look into that..

Trouble is SWMBO wants an A3/..

Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.

Then sit back and admire the muddy colour, inability to produce a smooth
colour gradient and the impressively high running costs. See, see, see
the paper crawl. Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

mike wrote:

Been there, done that. IME Epson are highly overrated. Got a Canon and
would never buy another Epson. Canon are more expensive to buy but with
separate carts at just over a quid, much cheaper to run and nowhere near
as prone to clogging as Epson.

Great if you only want to view your print for a week then they fade
away...

John wrote:

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

The HP printers with printheads built into the cartridge have the
advantage that you can throw away the printhead when it gets clogged.
They cost more to run, but since you're not printing much do you really
care?

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Are there by gum. I'll have to look into that..

Trouble is SWMBO wants an A3/..

Sticky tape :-)

cheers,
clive

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

If you want color, you pay for it.

They are all without exception average to crap.

Not true, the Xerox Phaser solid ink printers are good, but you need to
be printing around a ream a week to make them worthwhile.

The ink is cheap, the print quality excellent, the printers cost between
300 and 1100 pounds depending on the options chosen. They need to left
switched on 24/7 and if you don't print several 10s of pages a day the
ink can change colour in the printhead (because it is a solid wax ink
melted down in the printhead and being kept hot or a long time changes
the colour.) That's where they get expensive, they use a lot of
electricity.

OTOH the colour output is excellent and they manage 30ppm duplex.

For photographic output the HP printers with Vivera ink produce prints
that are better than anything I've had from a mini-lab, but output on
plain paper is disappointing. The Epsons we have all perform well, and
unlike others experience, the colour output is stunning especially on
art quality matt paper and the colour doesn't fade which is a bonus
compared to Canon. OTOH you do need to use the printer from time to
time.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Are there by gum. I'll have to look into that..

Trouble is SWMBO wants an A3/..

HP Deskjet 1280 - £170 ish
HP Photosmart Pro B8350 - £250 ish (photo quality)
Epson Stylus Photo R2400 - £500 ish (photo quality)

If you produce a lot of prints and you want to match them to press
output then there's the Lyson continuous print system for the Epson
R2400. There's also the PermaJet Eco-Flo system which does the same job,
it's just that I trust Lyson more than I trust PermaJet.

If you're an amateur, the HPs are great, if you're producing
professional work then the Epson is essential.

"John" wrote in message
...
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print
and then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it
again.

If you run a nozzle check about once a week, it will keep the nozzles clear,
without using a lot of ink. Buying a good compatible ink cartridge will keep
the cost down.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Impossible to say without knowing what sort of printing you want to do. Six
or more colour inkjets do photos particularly well and IMO are better than
having them printed professionally, which is usually done in four colours.
However, no inkjet is going to like being left unused for long periods. If
all you want is monochrome, or business quality colour, a laser is hard to
beat. Samsung is doing lots of special offers as it tries to erode HP's lead
in the domestic market.

If you want an inkjet, I suggest you compare the prices of consumables for
different makes, as that can also be an important facto in deciding what to
buy. I recommend www.inktecshop.co.uk, mainly because that is my site and I
hope you will buy from me rather than someone else. You will find that HP,
Lexmark and rebadged Lexmark (such as Dell) cartridges are expensive when
compared to Epson and Brother, because the former have the print head built
into the cartridge, while the latter have it built into the printer. Canon
does a bit of both.

I won't be able to follow up on any replies to this, as the Christmas break
is about the only time I manage to get away from computers and mine will
stay firmly switched off for the next ten days. Happy Christmas and a good
New Year everybody.

Colin Bignell

Steve Firth wrote:
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.

Then sit back and admire the muddy colour, inability to produce a smooth

Plenty are capable of decent colour. You won't get the glossy photo
quality results of the good inkjets, but if all you need is business
style colour then its not really a problem. Results are also light fast,
which is not usually the case if you have an inkjet that used dye based
inks.

colour gradient and the impressively high running costs.

Running costs are typically far lower than inkjet... even the Baby
Samsung personal laser I mentioned above where you would expect
consumable costs to be higher works out about 2p/page mono, 8p/page
colour, which is not that far of the costs of running large volume
serious colour lasers like the big Ricoh CL7200.

See, see, see
the paper crawl. Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

You get what you pay for. Most higher spec lasers are single pass these
days. An Oki C8600CDTN A3 colour laser will knock out full colour A4 at
26ppm and A3 at 15ppm.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

nightjar cpb@ wrote:

into the cartridge, while the latter have it built into the printer. Canon
does a bit of both.

The Pixma range of Canon machines is quite nice in that respect. The
print head is a modular replaceable item in the printer in the same way
the inks are. Which gives the cheapness of the Epson approach, and the
financially viable ability to replace the head HP style should you need
to. They are also pretty impressive on top end photo work.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John" wrote in message
...
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit
a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print
and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)



Set a scheduled task at least once/twice a week for the printer to print a
document in colour.

John Rumm wrote:

Steve Firth wrote:
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.

Then sit back and admire the muddy colour, inability to produce a smooth

Plenty are capable of decent colour.

Umm no, they're not. None of them can do a decent black and they
certainly can't print a colour ramp.

You won't get the glossy photo quality results of the good inkjets, but if
all you need is business style colour then its not really a problem.
Results are also light fast, which is not usually the case if you have an
inkjet that used dye based inks.

Ink jets are not the only printers.

colour gradient and the impressively high running costs.

Running costs are typically far lower than inkjet... even the Baby
Samsung personal laser I mentioned above where you would expect
consumable costs to be higher works out about 2p/page mono, 8p/page
colour, which is not that far of the costs of running large volume
serious colour lasers like the big Ricoh CL7200.

Indeed, they are expensive.

See, see, see
the paper crawl. Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

You get what you pay for. Most higher spec lasers are single pass these
days. An Oki C8600CDTN A3 colour laser will knock out full colour A4 at
26ppm and A3 at 15ppm.

Only in the middle of a run of single sided prints of the same image,
you can't get anywhere near 26/15ppm on a typical document. That's
partly because no matter what you pay the printers are essentially four
pass, whether this is done explicitly as in the case of the cheaper HP
laser printers or is achieved by four passes onto the drum before
printing.

On 21 Dec, 22:38, TheOldFellow wrote:
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:14:16 GMT

"John" wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Low cost Black & White Laser, Brother do one about for 65 pounds. Take
your digital pictures to Boots (on a USB dongle) and use their machine.

R.

I went down that way and then found the inconvenience of not being
able to print out all sorts of other things that require colour - maps
being the one at the top of my list. That's why I went back to an
inkjet - an HP continuous ink type that costs next to nothing to run
and is totally reliable (at least it will be till after I've written
this ) !!

Rob

clot wrote:
John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has
blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I
then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then
get an excellent print and then it all repeats again in a few weeks
time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)


Doh! You remind me of my son. "Just print a sheet once a week. Do you
understand? It's costing me a fortune replacing cartridges in your
printer because you don't listen." Seriously, do make a point of
printing out a colourful ( if it is a colour printer) once a week. It
will help avoid this situation.

No, do a test print first. This exercises every nozzle a colour print
out might not. That is what I do with my elderly Epson 750.

Failing that, change the printer to a Canon with 6 separate ink carts.
Change the ink cart and you have new nozzles again. And you can refill
them, unlike the Epson.

Dave

robgraham wrote:
On 21 Dec, 22:38, TheOldFellow wrote:
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:14:16 GMT

"John" wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)
Low cost Black & White Laser, Brother do one about for 65 pounds. Take
your digital pictures to Boots (on a USB dongle) and use their machine.

R.

I went down that way and then found the inconvenience of not being
able to print out all sorts of other things that require colour - maps
being the one at the top of my list. That's why I went back to an
inkjet - an HP continuous ink type that costs next to nothing to run
and is totally reliable (at least it will be till after I've written
this ) !!

Rob

The Boots/dongle idea I like. I upload photos to Kodak or whoever but,
being able to print the odd thing in a hurry, would be useful.

I don't miss the inky fingers and the printer rage I used to suffer. I
also get the pleasure of looking at other peoples photos and thinking,
"Christ, what IS wrong with your skin tones?"

On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:23:07 UTC, robgraham
wrote:

On 21 Dec, 22:38, TheOldFellow wrote:
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:14:16 GMT

"John" wrote:
I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print often,
when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets has blocked. I
run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of ink, I then have to fit a
new cartridge because I have wasted loads. I then get an excellent print and
then it all repeats again in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.

Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable quality
with infrequent usage - and economical)

Low cost Black & White Laser, Brother do one about for 65 pounds. Take
your digital pictures to Boots (on a USB dongle) and use their machine.

I went down that way and then found the inconvenience of not being
able to print out all sorts of other things that require colour - maps
being the one at the top of my list. That's why I went back to an
inkjet - an HP continuous ink type that costs next to nothing to run
and is totally reliable (at least it will be till after I've written
this ) !!

Agreed. Solution was a LasertJet 4M+ for all the mono printing (the
bulk). And an A3 colours PostScript inkjet for the colour stuff.
(actually there's a little LaserJet 5L tucked in a corner downstairs
too; that cost nothing except a new pickup roller).
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.
Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.
Not on any decent laser printer for the past five years anyway, do try
to keep up dear.

--
Clint Sharp

Bob Eager wrote:


(actually there's a little LaserJet 5L tucked in a corner downstairs
too; that cost nothing except a new pickup roller).

When you changed the pick up roller did you run into any problems with
it not passing the paper on to the next roller?

I changed the pick up on my 5 l using a kit I purchased the the USA and
the paper stops just short of the next roller now.

Dave

Dave wrote:
clot wrote:
John wrote:

I am getting annoyed with my current Epson Printer. As I don't print
often, when I come to use it I find that at least one of the jets
has blocked. I run the jet clean and test which uses up loads of
ink, I then have to fit a new cartridge because I have wasted
loads. I then get an excellent print and then it all repeats again
in a few weeks time when I want to use it again.
Any suggestions on a printer suitable for my usage? (ie. Reliable
quality with infrequent usage - and economical)


Doh! You remind me of my son. "Just print a sheet once a week. Do you
understand? It's costing me a fortune replacing cartridges in your
printer because you don't listen." Seriously, do make a point of
printing out a colourful ( if it is a colour printer) once a week. It
will help avoid this situation.

No, do a test print first. This exercises every nozzle a colour print
out might not. That is what I do with my elderly Epson 750.

Failing that, change the printer to a Canon with 6 separate ink carts.
Change the ink cart and you have new nozzles again. And you can refill
them, unlike the Epson.

I could never recall how to call up the Test routine and doubted that my
son would remember or be bothered!

Clint Sharp wrote:

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.
Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

Not on any decent laser printer for the past five years anyway, do try
to keep up dear.

It's exactly how lasers still work, if I were you I'd learn about the
technology I use rather than spout ********.

On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:00:30 UTC, Dave wrote:

Bob Eager wrote:
(actually there's a little LaserJet 5L tucked in a corner downstairs
too; that cost nothing except a new pickup roller).

When you changed the pick up roller did you run into any problems with
it not passing the paper on to the next roller?

I changed the pick up on my 5 l using a kit I purchased the the USA and
the paper stops just short of the next roller now.

No, it feeds fine. I actually got the roller and the three separation
pads; bought them directly from a place in the UK, just quoted the part
numbers.

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Steve Firth wrote:

Then sit back and admire the muddy colour, inability to produce a smooth
Plenty are capable of decent colour.

Umm no, they're not. None of them can do a decent black and they
certainly can't print a colour ramp.

Well black printed with black toner in a colour laser is as good as
black printed with black toner in a mono printer. Good ones can produce
pretty decent blacks.

Colour ramp performance varies from nothing special to ok. However in
many cases that is not important. It all comes down to the type of
printing you are doing.

You won't get the glossy photo quality results of the good inkjets, but if
all you need is business style colour then its not really a problem.
Results are also light fast, which is not usually the case if you have an
inkjet that used dye based inks.

Ink jets are not the only printers.

No, true, but for the market we are discussing dye sub or wax transfer
are not common choices. Obviously if you are proofing colour repro work
then your needs are different.

the paper crawl. Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.
You get what you pay for. Most higher spec lasers are single pass these
days. An Oki C8600CDTN A3 colour laser will knock out full colour A4 at
26ppm and A3 at 15ppm.

Only in the middle of a run of single sided prints of the same image,
you can't get anywhere near 26/15ppm on a typical document. That's

The CL7000 seems to get remarkably close when fed on a 100Mb lan. Some
of our clients are estate agents, and they routinely do print runs that
will consist of a set of property details for a client. Multiple sheets,
with half page photograph and text details etc. The Ricohs can knock
those out at full print engine speed without any difficulty. Duplex is
pretty close to half single sided speed per page.

partly because no matter what you pay the printers are essentially four
pass, whether this is done explicitly as in the case of the cheaper HP
laser printers or is achieved by four passes onto the drum before
printing.

or single pass on four drums...


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clint Sharp wrote:

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.
Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

Not on any decent laser printer for the past five years anyway, do try
to keep up dear.

It's exactly how lasers still work, if I were you I'd learn about the
technology I use rather than spout ********.
Oh ffs, HP LJ2600, LJ3550, LJ2500, LJ4550, LJ3600, OKI C3200, Ricoh
CL7000, Dell 5100CN (and the Lexmark equivalent), Brother HL4040CN and
too many others to name are all single pass so please try to keep up
dear.

Care to retract the '********' you hung out or would swallowing them be
too difficult for you?
--
Clint Sharp

Clint Sharp wrote:

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clint Sharp wrote:

In message , Steve Firth
writes
Clive George wrote:

Not an inkjet - get a laser printer.
Crawl crawl paper slowly on the way to be printed, four
time times through the print engine.

Not on any decent laser printer for the past five years anyway, do try
to keep up dear.

It's exactly how lasers still work, if I were you I'd learn about the
technology I use rather than spout ********.
Oh ffs, HP LJ2600, LJ3550, LJ2500, LJ4550, LJ3600, OKI C3200, Ricoh
CL7000, Dell 5100CN (and the Lexmark equivalent), Brother HL4040CN and
too many others to name are all single pass

No, they have multiple drums and are four pass but in series.

so please try to keep up dear.

I'd learn about the technology I use rather than spout ********.

Care to retract the '********' you hung out or would swallowing them be
too difficult for you?

Maybe you'd like to learn how things work before trying to be the office
expert?