At 1:44 -0500 6/13/06, Ethan (hope it's not too
cold down there yet) wrote:
On 6/13/06, Jim Leonard <trixter at
oldskool.org> wrote:
I have an HP 4ML next to me that is a decade old
and prints(*) as well
as the day I bought it.
I bought a 4ML new, back in the day, for about $1100 - still works great.
Our home printer, replacing a Stylewriter that kept blowing one of
its transistors, is a Laserjet 4M+. The printer was free from Freecycle,
a new toner cartridge was around $100 from HP. I suppose eventually I
should hit
http://www.printerworks.com/ or similar and reward the thing
for its loyal service with memory, fresh ozone filters, a service
manual, preventive maintenance kit, etc. but it's hard to justify when
it just keeps working and working in its original configuration.
(OT) I figured out enough of the somewhat obscure front-panel
settings to give it a static IP address which seems not to conflict with
our DSL router-supplied DHCP addresses, so now we can wireless print to
it via our 2-Wire router even though our the router seems to diss
Appletalk. (Contact me Offlist if you want the benefit of my experience
on that.)
I have to add my endorsement.
I'd have to concur. I remember replacing a LJ4+ for Univerdity of
Texas' archaeology lab in '99. They publish reports that amount to
books (300-800 pages) a couple of times a year, and that printer had a
page count in the high 6 figures.
It kept jamming and the HP Service Guy couldn't figure out why. We
finally noticed that the last paper guide in the path is a set of curved
ribs in the lid that direct the paper into the output tray. Where the
paper first contacts the guide ribs, it had worn a notch that was
catching the page's leading edge....
HP didn't want to replace the lid, saying a new printer would be
cheaper and faster. They sent us a LJ 6L, which was never anything but
a steaming pile of dung.
OTOH, I now have a duplexed LJ 4100N in my office which is even nicer
than the LJ4 series. It's extremely fast, very quiet, eats little
power, and toner carts are relatively cheap. I'd recommend them to
anyone whose monthly print load is <5000 pages.
Doc