Re: Help buying Economic Printer
On Jul 9, 2007, at 8:12 PM, terryc wrote:
If you want a cheap cents per page laser, then you really need to
go back to something based on the Canon SX engine, like a HP
Laserjet II, Gestetner, etc, etc. with so many machine using the
same toner cartridge, the cost of tower per page was the lowest
ever. Still is.
You might have to consider the value of your time, though. Those
printers are S-L-O-W. ;) Postscript rendering performance is
especially glacial thanks to the slow processors in printers of that
era. Raw text isn't too bad. The LaserJet III is a little more
sophisticated than the II and uses the same print engine and the same
cheap toner cartridges, BTW.
They're extremely sturdy compared to modern units, and you can still
get parts, but be prepared to do some fix-up work. They're getting
long in the tooth and a lot of them have sticky solenoids, glazed
feed tires, and bad fusers. If you get the chance to test one you're
thinking of buying, wipe your finger across a finished page and make
sure no toner comes off. A replacement fuser can cost several times
what the printer itself is worth.
You're right that they have the cheapest toner cost per page you're
likely to find, though, and the printers themselves (and the
cartridges!) can often be picked up for peanuts at university surplus
stores. I think the last LaserJet III I bought cost $3, and needed
$10 worth of parts to get working.
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