For HP Color laserjet, what do we need to replace over time?

[modeonoff]

Hello, I have this HP Color Laserjet printer. I am planning to do a lot of printing using it. I am trying to calculate the cost of ownership.

Besides the toners, what else do I need to replace over time? Are there other parts that I need to replace after making lots of printing.

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-m477fdw

 

[canadianvice]

Hello, I have this HP Color Laserjet printer. I am planning to do a lot of printing using it. I am trying to calculate the cost of ownership.

Besides the toners, what else do I need to replace over time? Are there other parts that I need to replace after making lots of printing.

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-m477fdw

If the drum is not integrated into the units (does your toner have a shiny film-like stripe built in on it somewhere?) then you're basically looking at replacing that at long intervals (see a site like Staples.com/ca for information on how long it lasts) and the general wear and tear on the unit.

The only common replaceables in a laser are the toner and the drum; some makes sell with the drum integrated into the toner so both are replaced at the same time. This is fairly common on colour offerings.

 

[BFG-9000]

That particular model seems to have the drums integrated into each of the four toner cartridges, which is why they are so expensive. Generally the less expensive the printer, the more expensive the consumables are.

A used color laser would have far lower consumables costs, provided you chose one that originally sold for much more than this one new. The main other consumables are rollers and pad separators which are not technically supposed to be user-replaceable, but replacing them as needed is usually easy enough, and better than replacing the printer! Keep in mind though that such parts are only available for around 15 years after HP discontinues the printer.

HP's PCL driver language is probably the main reason for its remarkable longevity. I have HP laser printers that originally came with Windows For Workgroups 3.11 driver floppies 25 years ago and they even have drivers built-into Windows 10 64-bit so are still usable now!

 

[modeonoff]

Only the toners and an additional high capacity paper tray are listed as available parts.

At about $150 per 6500 pages, I calculated that to print books between 300-500 pages in black and white, the cost is much cheaper than buying the books. However, if the book is over 1000 pages, it depends. So, if I only need to replace the toners, maybe it is better to print the books myself?

 

[BFG-9000]

They do sell many parts that aren't listed on the product page, just like car manufacturers sell many car parts that aren't listed in the sales brochure. There are also some workarounds to avoid replacing parts--for example I like to smear some rubbery glue on the pad separators when they start to get hard and slippery to no longer grab paper, as that saves a lot of disassembly time. For high-volume printing though, odd things like plastic gears and stepper motors start failing.

I actually prefer to keep books as .pdf files because those are easily searchable. By the time I get around to wanting a hard copy, the books are usually available on the used market for much less. And this is despite having old enough laser printers that they can be inexpensively refilled with bulk toners with no issues from "chipped" cartridges, so the cost is much, much lower.

How did you intend to handle the bookbinding?

 

[modeonoff]

Yes, bookbinding is another question I have. I used to use 3-hole binder but I found reading interfered because of the big rings. It was not a very smooth experience flipping the pages throughout the rings. Any suggestions? They are usually about 400-600 pages.

 

[BFG-9000]

Binders are terrible unless pages need to be able to be swapped out. Low-volume books are often punched and threaded with those annoying plastic combs which are also terrible but less likely to result in ripped out pages.

As paying a bookbinder would eat up any savings from printing things yourself, I would suggest clamping the pages tightly and dipping the edge into glue. Commercial gluing equipment fans the pages when applying glue--but paperbacks appear to be held together with glue that doesn't reach far into the paper at all, which is why old ones start to lose pages. If you need the glue to reach further in, you could try soaking for longer, diluting the glue, or clamping further away from the edge.

After that's done you could glue on a fabric ribbon like that found inside the spine of hardcover books, to serve as the flexible backing. Or a thick paper cover to make a paperback.

 

[modeonoff]

Thanks. What kind of papers do you recommend? I use HP Office Ultrawrite (92 brightness, 20lb). I found that when I read the color laser printed books and manuals under a desk lamp, the reflection is so strong that it interferes with reading. I don't know the reason but it looks like places like staples and walmart like to sell papers at 92 brightness. Somewhere I read that books typically use brightness 50-60. 50 if only text and the brighter the paper is, the more vivid the photos are. In this case, I care more about clear letters with less reflection than vivid color.

 

[BFG-9000]

None of the large manufacturers (Hammermill, HP. Boise-Cascade and Georgia-Pacific) seem to make common printer papers in less than 92 brightness anymore, even in recycled. Worse, they usually just add optical brighteners to reach this number, resulting in a noticeably blueish hue to cause eyestrain. Domtar makes one in 75 brightness but special-ordering paper can be expensive.

I would suggest any type of cheap paper your printer likes, that is opaque enough to not show-through print on the other side. Book papers (often used for bibles and dictionaries) and magazine papers tend to be thin but very dense, but your printer may prefer heavier-weight papers to minimize jamming.

 

[modeonoff]

Thanks. Why the large manufacturers are making common printer papers of at least 92 brightness? They only care about making nice looking graphs and photos?

Just curious, why book publishers tend to use papers that can see through the other side? Are thinner papers cheaper? Sometimes the papers are so thin that I can see the highlighter inks and pencil markings from the opposite page. In this case, it may be better to print the book myself one-sided.

Another thing is engineering and physics textbooks tend to use highly glossy papers. It is hard to read due to reflection. Any good way to deal with it?

 

[BFG-9000]

Because that's what sells. When there's only one performance spec number on the package, people will naturally opt for the larger number whether it's what they need or not. Wasn't long ago when most cheap copy paper was 84-88 and only the premium ones were 92-94. You'll just have to compensate by adjusting the lighting.

Book publishers go for thin papers in order to use less material for lower cost, including for shipping. They have to be consistently thin too or there will be problems with hardcover binding or fitting them into boxes. To make paper consistent in thickness and to make it denser (so there is less show-through for how thin it is) it's often rolled under tons of pressure which both gives a glossy finish and makes it tougher to rip despite the thinness. It makes diagrams and pictures look good too, which is why such paper is also used in magazines.

When buying in small retail quantities though, often you will find nice 24lb paper is the same price as 16-20lb. You'll cut the cover to fit anyway so shouldn't care how thick your book ends up. Sure it'll be heavier to lug around but even cheap 24lb paper has little show-through. And unlike inkjet, laser text looks good on just about any paper.

Depending on your printer, friction modifiers may be needed to reduce jamming though when printing very high volumes, plus some thick papers are known to stay rolled after heating, so read reviews or buy a test ream before ordering entire cases.

 

[modeonoff]

Thanks.

I am satisfied with my HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdw. Have used it for over a year. Never have paper jam issue. I just use the HP Office Ultra White paper (20lb, 92 brightness, 155 whiteness, HP Everyday Papers Any Printer Guaranteed). It has a ColorLok Technology mark with Faster Drying, Bolder Blacks and Vivid Colors on it.

Last week, I found a cheaper one (about $1 less). It is called HP Everyday Copy & Print paper. The specs are the same and it also has that ColorLok Technology mark on it.

When I compared the papers side by side, they look very similar but one is a bit whiter than the other. However, when I used my pencil to write notes on the papers, I found that even with very light brush from my finger, the cheaper paper got smeared and dirty. As for the one I usually use, it also smeared but not as bad as the cheaper one. So, there is no way of telling until I experience with different types of papers? I use 0.5 mm pencil leads of HB grade.