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

[Ross Bernheim]

I guess the old one about good, cheap, fast applies to printers quite well.

I haven’t used a color laser printer in a couple of years. We had a big super
duper color laserprinter, coallator, scanner network printer, etc, etc, unit. Quite
nice, quite complex, needed training to operate beyond the most basic functions.
For a reasonably high volume, the price per page was quite reasonable. Not
cost effective for home use.

For an occasional color print, I’ll go to one of the copy or print shops in the 
area. Most of the color stuff I do is now posted to the web.

Black and white laser printers are another story. They’ve gotten below 
$100. But as you’ve noted, most of the lower end units are neither well 
built and durable, nor dependable and the replacement cartridges are a
good portion of the cost of a new printer.

The next step up will have PostScript and duplex printing and the availability
of a larger paper tray or the ability to have multiple paper trays. For the lighter
duty of home use I find that these units can be more than good enough.

Duplex printing saves a lot of paper when printing longer documents. This 
is something to consider in your TCO considerations. The use of PostScript
to prevent obsolescence due to OS updates and lack of development by
the printer manufacturers to support older printers in the new OS is avoided.
This contributes to a longer printer life and lower TCO.

I note that many of the newer printers have in addition to ethernet, WiFi and
Bluetooth connectivity. I’m not sure they are worth the additional security 
risks versus the ‘rewards’. 

Ross


> On Feb 3, 2017, at 3:54 PM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> 
> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> conspire mailing list
> conspire at linuxmafia.com
> http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/conspire