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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21815 05/06/12 07:25 PM
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You might reread that article a bit more closely. If you truly do only an infinitesimal amount of printing, as the article indicated, there is a high probability the ink in an inkjet may have dried up. That can be very annoying as well as very expensive. I once had a seldom used Epson printer and almost every time I tried to use it, I spent ten or fifteen minutes running and re-running the head cleaning cycle. In the long run not only was that time consuming, but it did make the per page ink cost significant. shocked

I have not had that problem with the Canon I replaced it with.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
joemikeb #21818 05/06/12 08:16 PM
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I already digested that, but thanks for reinforcing it.

I'm ready to buy, but I haven't found anything that both meets my specs and gets good reviews, so I've given up looking for the time being. (That, and I hate shopping!)

My per-page ink cost, even if it's exorbitant, just plain doesn't translate into enough bucks to call an economic emergency.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21822 05/07/12 08:45 AM
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Every time I turn around I find a place like Staples selling superb B&W laser printers for under a hundred bucks.
If you're only using a printer occasionally, you certainly don't require color. And a laser printer doesn't complain (ie, have ink jets which clog up) if you don't use it frequently.
Even though you can't find a Lexmark E120n, I'll just note (again, I think) that the small toner cartridge it came with (ostensibly up to 200 copies) lasted for over 600 copies over a period of 2 years. I'm just barely into my 2000-copy toner cartridge (which only cost $65 or so).

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #21823 05/07/12 12:25 PM
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FWIW my experience has been much the same as Grelber's. The only difference is I have a Brother laser. I have a preference for Brother because unlike some manufacturers they stick with the standard CUPS and TWAIN systems rather than their own proprietary drivers.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
joemikeb #21826 05/07/12 04:22 PM
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Jawohl!
Brother and Lexmark run neck and neck in the laser printer market — pretty much identical (and positive) reviews, pricing, etc.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
joemikeb #21827 05/07/12 04:40 PM
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Thanks to both you and grelber for your insights, but the laser printers I've looked at so far either haven't got as small a footprint as I'd like (*), draw nasty reviews, or both.

(*) The Lexmark I'd like to replace measures 5" x 16" x 8" deep, and I value that tiny footprint enough to both spend a few extra bucks on ink cartridges and boot into Leopard on occasion to perpetuate it. As I said, though, I'm still looking, but I'm not on a mission.

Aside: I've never run into an issue with a clogged inkjet, but I have run into dried or drying cartridges, which I now know (thanks to the nice people at YoYoInk! ) can be rejuvenated, for a while at least, by soaking their print-head in warm water.

Last edited by artie505; 05/07/12 04:45 PM. Reason: Add link

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21830 05/07/12 05:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Aside: I've never run into an issue with a clogged inkjet, but I have run into dried or drying cartridges....

I've never experienced either condition. I get my cartridges refilled by a local vendor, Island InkJet, and the refilled cartridges are in small sealed bags (the same kind of seal as sandwich bags). They go into a drawer, ready to pop into the printer when one is used up, and it will sometimes be several months before I have to take one out. Never had a problem.


ryck

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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #21832 05/07/12 05:44 PM
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> Never had a problem.

Maybe you're just lucky, but more than likely you're using your printer often enough to head the drying problems off at the pass.

I've never have issues with Lexmark or remanufactured cartridges out of the packaging, only after they've sat idle in my printer for weeks or months.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21833 05/07/12 06:07 PM
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Perhaps you're right. Although I don't print much, it's not likely to be more than a few days before I print something....even if it's a single page....and the printer would never be idle as long as weeks or months.

Last edited by ryck; 05/07/12 06:08 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21834 05/07/12 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
(*) The Lexmark I'd like to replace measures 5" x 16" x 8" deep, and I value that tiny footprint enough to both spend a few extra bucks on ink cartridges and boot into Leopard on occasion to perpetuate it. As I said, though, I'm still looking, but I'm not on a mission.

Too bad you can't find an E120n. Mine measures 15"W x 8"H x 9"D.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #21836 05/07/12 06:45 PM
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Here's the bad news.

This, though:

> Mine measures 15"W x 8"H x 9"D.

Lexmark: Size (in. - H x W x D) 9.8 x 15.3 x 14.6 in.

I guess yours is an older model, and it is bigger than I'd prefer, but the difference is a deal-breaker.

Lexmark: Recommended Monthly Page Volume 250 - 2,000 pages

Is that for real? I don't think I've printed 250 pages in as many years as I've been running my printer.

Lexmark: Noise Level, Idle 26 dBA
Print Noise Level, Operating 49 dBA

Is that as loud as it sounds? And must the machine be left powered up at all times, making the "Idle" noise level all the more important?

I've consistently run into all those issues during the course of my shopping.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21837 05/07/12 08:36 PM
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The E120n is pretty quiet; I don't have a decibel meter, so I can't help you out there.

It's rated at 10,000 copies per month.

I only turn it on when I need to make a copy. It runs through its set-up and diagnostics in ca 30 sec and then it's ready to roll.

I bought mine at the end of October 2008 (2.5 years after reading the review of it), 3 years earlier to the day of my acquiring my new iMac.
I ran it on OS 9 and when I updated my iMac's software, Apple immediately installed an updated driver version for Lion.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21838 05/07/12 08:59 PM
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Jon

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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #21839 05/07/12 10:03 PM
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> It's rated at 10,000 copies per month.

But does "Lexmark: Recommended Monthly Page Volume 250 - 2,000 pages" leave me at some sort of risk if I print no more than one page most months?

The sound level and on/off aspects are important because the printer and my bed are not far apart.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
jchuzi #21840 05/07/12 10:04 PM
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Thanks, Jon.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21841 05/07/12 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
But does "Lexmark: Recommended Monthly Page Volume 250 - 2,000 pages" leave me at some sort of risk if I print no more than one page most months?

I can't imagine how it might. Non-use doesn't equal misuse or abuse. Sometimes I don't use mine more than once a week.

Re: Another printer recommendation, please
grelber #21846 05/07/12 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
Originally Posted By: artie505
But does "Lexmark: Recommended Monthly Page Volume 250 - 2,000 pages" leave me at some sort of risk if I print no more than one page most months?

I can't imagine how it might. Non-use doesn't equal misuse or abuse. Sometimes I don't use mine more than once a week.

What comes to mind is my Dust Buster's battery that was designed to be discharged and recharged frequently and died from disuse atrophy...not necessarily analogous, but in the realm thereof.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21847 05/08/12 12:28 AM
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The most likely harm a printer might suffer from so little use would be stopped up ink nozzles. Depending on the printer manufacturer those might be on the ink cartridge (HP) which may result in needing a new cartridge, built into the printer itself (Epson) which may result in having to replace the printer, or a separate user installable part (Canon) which may result in having to replace the print head. In any of the three cases it might be cheaper and/or easier to replace the entire printer given the price of low end inject printers these days.

Ten or more years ago I would have suggested a thermal printer as your cheapest and best option for no more than you use a printer, but I don't even know if anyone makes anything other than a label or receipt thermal printer these days. For one page a month or less, you might consider burning a CD and taking it to the nearest copy center to print it. It might be cheaper in the long run, would take zero space on your desktop, and present no possibility of any noise issues. confused


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21856 05/08/12 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
The sound level and on/off aspects are important because the printer and my bed are not far apart.


My Brother printer makes no sound at all when it's not being used, so unless you're printing while you sleep... wink

but I guess this is all a moot (mute!) point, eh? laugh


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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
joemikeb #21867 05/08/12 08:01 PM
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Sorry, but I'm confused... The Lexmark printer that specifies "Recommended Monthly Page Volume 250 - 2,000 pages" is a laser printer, not an inkjet printer, so stopped up ink nozzles wouldn't be a potential problem...I think?

A thermal printer has never even crossed my mind because of the low quality and high cost of paper, and the nearest copy center obstinately insists on keeping its own hours, not mine ( tongue ), and, at any rate, I'm a bit too disorganized to be able to count on having everything up to snuff even if I do manage to get there during store hours.

Thanks for the thoughts, though.

Bottom line still looks like booting into Leopard to run my Lexmark is my best option, but I'll keep on shopping for a laser printer...presumably my best option.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
roger #21868 05/08/12 08:04 PM
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Thanks for adding to my info arsenal, roger.

As I said, I'm still in the market.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
artie505 #21870 05/08/12 08:27 PM
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I had a thermal printing word processor / typewriter in highschool and it worked pretty well for for time. Yes, paper was expensive. The special cartridges you could put in it to print on normal paper were very expensive. Eventually elements in the head started going out and I got horizontal blank lines in my printing so I had to scrap it. Nothing is foolproof. But at the time, (1984-1989) it was awesome to be able to type up papers with that, my hand cramped quickly with pen.

I think a lot of the "problems" with refilled cartridges is simple FUD stirred up by the ink cart manufacturers. Ink in those carts is incredibly high per ounce. They sell their printers at very low margin (some say at below cost) and expect to make it up by selling overpriced ink. I'm surprised wikipedia doesn't have an article on The Razor Blade Game .

I've also heard someone quip that "you get more ink when you buy a ballpoint pen" when referring to the small amount of ink that can come in a $25 ink cartridge.

I've also seen laser printers doing the same thing recently They'll sell their laser printer without any toner, or with "sample" size toner carts. The last one I looked up, a full reload of toner (for FULL toner carts) cost more than they were selling the printer for, and that one didn't come with ANY toner. Suckers. I bet there were a LOT of them with sticker shock to realize that their printer arrived with NO toner, and it was going to cost more than they paid for the printer, to buy toner before they could even use it. heh. Always read the fine print, and ALWAYS re-read the fine print when the price appears too good to be true.


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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
Virtual1 #21873 05/08/12 08:48 PM
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> I've also heard someone quip that "you get more ink when you buy a ballpoint pen" when referring to the small amount of ink that can come in a $25 ink cartridge.

Maybe not that far off the mark. shocked

My Lexmark cartridges used to specify 205 pages when printing on 20% of the page (which I've never figured out how to measure), but now specify "Regular Yield" whatever that may be.

And your comments about toner cost and inclusion echo many complaints I've read about many different printers.

Thanks for kicking in.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Another printer recommendation, please
Virtual1 #21874 05/08/12 09:09 PM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
I've also heard someone quip that "you get more ink when you buy a ballpoint pen" when referring to the small amount of ink that can come in a $25 ink cartridge.

I'd be interesting to know how many cartridges it would take to make a gallon. The cost per gallon would sure make gas look like a bargain.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
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Re: Another printer recommendation, please
ryck #21875 05/08/12 09:15 PM
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It would make liquor look like a bargain!


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
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