Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (
More info?)
Consider yourself lucky. The design defects in 5L, 6L, 1100 and maybe a couple
of other models were cause for a class action lawsuit against HP. The
settlement of the lawsuit was agreement by HP to supply a free kit to remedy
paper pickup problems. The kit cost pennies to make and provided a stopgap
solution to the misfeed problems that plagued the printers. The kit is no
longer available from HP.
You must have cared well for the printer, feeding it the best of paper, and
gently doing whatever needed to be done to it so as not to fracture the cheap
and not very sturdy plastic parts.
The aforementioned 5L, 6L, etc. were HP's bottom-of-the-line laser printers
intended for an extremely light duty cycle, even tho they cost $400, a high
price by today's standards.
Today's equivalent bottom-of-the-line laser printers, any brand name, are just
as cheaply made, although they may have improved and more reliable design. Of
course, as with inkjet printers, the laser printer manufacturers are now
designing much smaller toner cartridges capable of printing far fewer pages
before needing replacement. The "justification" for smaller toner cartridges is
a smaller footprint occupied by the printer. Frankly, I'd rather have a larger
printer that consumes long-life toner cartridges. I've installed some of these
el cheapo laser printers for people and the absence of any sturdiness is not
impressive. Same with the ones I see in the mass market stores.
I'm not aware of the 6p having the same paper (mis)feed issues as the 5L, 6L,
etc.
With any of these older printers, one also needs to consider the markedly lower
cost of recycled and refilled toner cartridges, from a reliable source, of
course. The operating costs with refilled cartridges are miniscule.
I've been using a larger old Hewlett-Packard 5M with JetDirect card. Prints
fast enough at 12ppm. Has a PowerSave option, so it can be on 24/7. Full
PostScript capability and maxed out on-board memory, which means no problems
printing Acrobat PDFs or anything else. Ethernet means that it is networked and
shared with other people's computers. Ethernet also means much faster
printing-and-spooling within my computer. The difference here is that the LJ 5M
is built like a small tank, and just keeps pumping out the paper. It helps that
I can take one apart partially (4 Philips head screws) and keep the inside clean
and free of dust and dirt as needed... Ben Myers
On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 11:50:53 -0500, "Ted Zieglar" <teddyz@notmail.com> wrote:
>Thanks for your pov, Christopher.
>
>I'd like to pick up on what you wrote about the build quality of todays
>~$150 monochrome lasers. My 6L ($400 in 1997) is made almost entirely of
>plastic parts held together by screws, yet it's managed to last for more
>than 7 years. What is it about the current crop of printers that causes you
>to feel that the build quality isn't that great? Perhaps I should spend a
>little more on my next printer if I want it to last another 7 years?
>
>Ted Zieglar
>
>"Christopher Muto" <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
>news:bM5Od.17191$s16.9085@trndny02...
>> advantages of a new sub $100 laser printer like the minolta 1350w is that
>> has a usb port, prints very fast, and is new and so under warranty. the
>> down side is that many of the new printers do not have the build quality
>of
>> the older lasers, and that you will probably have to buy a usb cable
>adding
>> a large percentage to the total cost. on the other hand, if you get a new
>> computer you may have to get a adapter (usb to parallel cable) to get your
>> old machine to work as many new computers do not come with parallel ports
>in
>> them. as for the two hp models mentioned above (the 6p and 6l) they are
>> both know for developing paper pick up problems that are not economically
>> fixable... hp does (did?) offer a free repair tool that essentially
>inserted
>> a new foam pick up pad into the printer but that only lasts for a certain
>> period of time before the problem comes back... so, if you have a paper
>> pick up problem, are low on toner, and are expecting to buy a new computer
>> in the foreseeable feature then i say it buy a new printer rather than buy
>a
>> toner for your old one.
>>
>> "Ted Zieglar" <teddyz@notmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:Hw5Od.1$Hd4.408721@news.sisna.com...
>> > I'm sort of in the same boat. I have a 7 year old LaserJet 6L. I know
>it's
>> > just a matter of time before the toner starts running low. (It's been on
>> > the
>> > same toner cartidge for a couple of years.) A new toner cartridge is $60
>> > at
>> > Staples but I can buy a whole new printer for about $100. (Just about
>any
>> > laser printer that normally sells for about $150 can be had for much
>less
>> > if
>> > you watch for sales and rebates.)
>> >
>> > So for about $40 more than it would cost to replace the toner cartridge
>in
>> > my old printer, I can get today's printer technology (faster ppm, better
>> > resolution, etc.), a USB connection to my computer and a driver made for
>> > Windows XP.
>> >
>> > Ted Zieglar
>> >
>> > "bullseye" <bullseye35@deletetheextrastuff@excite.com> wrote in message
>> > news:u%2Od.339$534.319@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> >> I have an HP LaserJet 6p (a little over 5 years old) and ink (shadowy
>> > print)
>> >> is finally beginning to streak when I print. I suspect the cartridge
>may
>> >> finally need replacing. A replacement cartridge costs about $75.
>Would
>> >> I
>> >> be better off buying a new printer in the $150-$200 range? Is that
>> >> realistic?
>> >>
>> >> I appreciate your advice and recommendations. (I am biased towards HP
>> >> printers as this one has worked so well for this long.)
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>