[conspire] (forw) Re: [Lug-nuts] New laser printer recommendations?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Ruben Safir (ruben at mrbrklyn.com):

> I don't trust the page counts by the manufactorers, and certainly I
> wanted PS capability.

_Definitely_ do not trust the page counts by the manufacturers.  The
distort and lie about that and also about such things as pages per
minute.  

If you read the independent review of, for example, the upthread
mentioned HP Color LaserJet 2605DN, the reviewers point out that it's
dog-slow, about 4ppm or a bit more.  The official specs rely on the
weasel word phrase 'up to':  Up to 12 ppm B&W, up to 10 pm colour.  

Yeah, I suppose 4 is looking up towards 10 and 12, leaping with great
hope and squealing with frustration.  (The best way to lie:  Tell a
truth that misleads.)



> We used a small subset of PS as a language for my compiler class... that
> is implementing PS.  Baring some disaster, I doubt I will ever buy
> another laserjet.

I'll bet (speculation) the 'LaserJet' brand has been balkanised.  That's
what usually happens over time.  People get lulled into thinking that a
'LaserJet' is a sign of quality, and the the manufacturer quietly
segments the market into the cruddy models for the suckers, and the
enterprise models for people who know what they're doing.  (Disclaimer: 
I have not paid attention to HP's printers since the 5 series.

You cannot rely on a product-line brand name like that.  You have to
understand what you're buying.  See Moen's Law of Bicycles for why.

Ah, see?  Note on the Wikipedia page,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_LaserJet :

   In September 2001, HP entered the low-end laser printer market with
   the introduction of the LaserJet 1000....

Well, there you go.  They have been balkanising the well-recognised 
brand name for 17 years.  Thus my point.



> Price fixing alone makes me think that page counts won't vary that
> greatly.

I wouldn't assume.  I'd study it.

Ignorant customers create market space and incentive for crappy product
(Moen's Law of Bicycles).  Thus, there is often a huge benefit to
studying the market, and making an informed choice.