HP Laserjet printers

[KASPhoto]

After my Dad retired I got his laser printer
HP Laserjet PRO MFP M125A, and
HP Laserjet Color 200 M251nw
I don't care for the laser printers in general because of the restriction on using certain photographic paper. The question I hope to get answered is does anyone have any practical experience in how many pages these printers should print before failure or serious problems? Example of what I am talking about: I had 2 inkjet printers that started to fail around the 14,000 to 16,000 page mark....

 

[ex_bubblehead]

LaserJet Pro MFP M125A specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04086790

LaserJet Color 200 M251nw specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03315004

Most any laser printer will have a much higher duty cycle and far fewer problems than any inkjet printer. They can sit for days, weeks, months, even years without printing a single page, whereas an inkjet requires at least daily head maintenance to stave off clogs and such. The only place an inkjet outperforms a laser is when you want the highest quality photo prints (especially glossy).

 

[smorizio]

those printer should last a long time. normal usage over time you might need to replace the paper pickup roller when it wears out. as long as you dont use the wrong lables or put a staple through the printer and damage the fuser. most times it the power supply or logic board on an hp printer that failed before it stop printing.

 

[KASPhoto]

LaserJet Pro MFP M125A specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04086790

LaserJet Color 200 M251nw specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03315004

Most any laser printer will have a much higher duty cycle and far fewer problems than any inkjet printer. They can sit for days, weeks, months, even years without printing a single page, whereas an inkjet requires at least daily head maintenance to stave off clogs and such. The only place an inkjet outperforms a laser is when you want the highest quality photo prints (especially glossy).

I already read the specs before posting. The specs only tells me the Duty cycle not how many l pages the printers will actually print before it completely fails. I was trying to get an idea from the forum to see how long a laser printer last from practical experience. One website that sells a replacement fuser for the color Laser printer has an estimated life expectancy of about 150,000 pages. My concern is the color printer is starting to give me problems and has roughly 9600 pages to date. The printer was purchased new 5 years ago.
The problems I am having range from:
-Out of memory when printing a 10 page report with a handful of photos or graphics ( the printer says it only has only 60MB out 128MB of memory available) Printing a couple of pages at a time doesn't Guarantee it will actually complete the job.
-When having to print a multiple reports with 10 pages or more, with no graphics or photos the printer speed comes to a crawl after the first report
-A long delay from the time you hit print to the time it actually prints. (This happens while hooked to the computer by a USB cable or wifi)
-Constantly needs to be calibrated yes I cleaned the drums
-I hear a knocking noise every time I turn the printer back on
The list goes on
I am NOT having problems with paper jams.

I reflashed the firmware it helped at first but the problems started to come back
I also reset the settings back to factory default didn't help
This is why I am asking how many pages a laser printer should last.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

....This is why I am asking how many pages a laser printer should last....

That's like asking "how high is up?". There is no definitive answer to the question as printers are electromechanical devices in which any part may fail at any time. However, when kept in reasonable condition, using quality supplies, a laser printer should last a good many years. I have an original LaserJet 4 that's closing in on 25 years old, and other than occasional replacement of rubber rollers and such still prints as good as the day it was purchased. I've also encountered laser printers that didn't make it past the initial warranty period. The key to longevity is proper care and maintenance, just like an automobile. The fact that you are having issues (mechanically) is something I'd attribute to poor maintenance in a previous life.

-Out of memory when printing a 10 page report with a handful of photos or graphics ( the printer says it only has only 60MB out 128MB of memory available) Printing a couple of pages at a time doesn't Guarantee it will actually complete the job.
-When having to print a multiple reports with 10 pages or more, with no graphics or photos the printer speed comes to a crawl after the first report

Both of these problems point to either the driver or a problem within the document. Same for long print times. All rasterization takes place on the host, not in the printer.

 

[KASPhoto]

The laserjet 4 was a tank that went on forever, that's not a fair comparison to the new stuff. I don't agree with the poor maintenance statement. The printer only used HP toners, the firmware and software where updated when they became available. Cleaned at least twice a year. Quality of paper and how it was used I can't account for.
The minimal amount of memory doesn't help with dealing with moderate to large sized files. My concern is what is consuming almost 55% of the memory. It can't all be the Postscripts. I am wonder if there is issue with the memory itself?