Need Advice - I need a new color printer

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

I just read my last post. That was supposed to be a "tongue in cheek" post. It doesn't read quite that way. Every situation and business is different and you should only do what is most efficient for you particular situation.

 

[David Mullen]

I have an HP 2200 and it is a nice printer.

One very annoying thing is that HP has started putting expiration dates on the cartridges and on that date, it will no longer work. I think that this is a very sleazy ploy to keep people from refilling.

I have little interest in refilling but cartridges last a long time for me and I do not want to have to replace partially used cartridges just because they "expire" and HP is greedy.

A friend has an Epson and it does a great job. Cartridges do not expire either.

If I was going shopping for another printer today, it would not be an HP for this reason. There are plenty of alternatives without having to play games that enrich the greedy.

 

[Farm Gal]

HP has started putting expiration dates on the cartridges and on that date, it will no longer work. I think that this is a very sleazy ploy to keep people from refilling.

Ted (office equipment specialist) says that the insert in the HP tells you how to get around this 'feature'...

He can't remember exactly what the fix is but it's there...This will let you use an aged cartridge...

He thinks you had to reset the date on your computer then after the cartridge starts up reset the date back to normal...

Ben V is the master of the IV line ink fix and other interesting HP workarounds...

You can buy used cartriges on e*Bay for around $2.00...

There is always room for a stainless steel rat! :twisted:

 

[Judy Whitehead (Florida)]

The worst thing which I didn't mention (in case anyone thinks I've been drinking my lunch) is that my computer "loses" connection with the current inkjet 932. It is connected to one of the networked computers and it "forgets" where the printer is!!!!

If I reset (this injet printer is set as my default printer) then it remembers it for a while. Then it loses it. My laser then becomes my default. The laser is connected to my computer (the host computer) On some programs I can specify the printer and it will print on it then.

It is kind of like....dooo, dooo, dooo, dooo...spooky, you know? Perhaps other people have the same problem. I have just gotten used to the computer taking on a life of its own. I do fell like I'm in "control" I just have to monitor everything!

The bottom line is that all of my programs fight each other and sometimes I am the winner and sometimes I am the loser........

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Judy,

What operating system do you have on each machine? Mine used to do that with Windows 98 but stopped that with Windows 2000 on all machines. Just a guess from a novice.

 

[Bemis Pownall]

go laser youll save 1,000's in ink costs

 

[Judy Whitehead (Florida)]

Pam, I am still using 98SE. I am thinking of upgrading my computer - it is 1 1/2 years old now (an old guy) and will probably upgrade to XP when I do that. Perhaps I will ask Santa for a new one. The other two networked computers in the office both have 98SE as well, so I will either have to upgrade them or hope they work with XP. Most of the techs say that XP seems to be a better operating system than 2000, but who knows? I know that the "recovery" factor would have been great when after several reports I typed in WinTotal became corrupted and there was no "recovery" feature that I could use. I believe XP and 2000 both have a feature that allows you to "back date" the computer to "before" the problem and recover files. Instead I had to type the #*!>? things over again.

 

[Judy Whitehead (Florida)]

Bemis, I have a black and white HP LaserJet 2100 which I love. When I bought it about 2 1/2 years ago, however, I could not afford the color laser (I thought) at the time. In retrospect, I have spent far more than the cost in ink for these darn ink jets. Not to mention buying InkJet printers (3 so far).

However, with the continuing demand for EDI I hope to never buy another printer. We love EDI and wish everything could be transmitted that way. With the WinTotal program, it makes sending very easy and since I have cable it is a snap.

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

I definitely am not a computer/printer expert but after going through several printers, I think I have finally discovered the feature to look for! I made my latest choices about two years ago based on the number of copies the printer was capable of producing per month. Working on the theory that if the printer is manufactured to being capable of 10,000 to 25,000 copies per month, there will be a better chance of it handing less than 5,000 copies per month for a longer total length of service. So far that seems to be working. I bought a reconditioned used HP 4plus laser printer for black and white for $400. Had to spend a $100 last month to replace a roller, but it is back to working beatifully again. My previous laser printer costs over $500 and lasted a year, so I think I am ahead.

 

[xmrdfghap]

<span style='color:brown'>I use an Epson 80C....four cartridges for the four colors, I get photo shop quality on the right paper (I never use the right paper on reports), and replacement OEM cartridges are about $10.00 each....so far. Refill kits allow refills at about $2.00 per cart. Printer cost was $150.

If I replaced the printer once a year, I would be able to run for 10 years before I paid for one of those higher end printers........and toner carts at $100+ does not excite me either.......and what do you bet, printers in two years are going to make this years printer look bad.

I would sincerely consider printers as a consumable/disposable product and expense it at purchase rather than depreciate it. Technology is so aggressive that what you have on your desk today will be archaic in 12 months. Like the computer saleman said, "If it is on the shelf in a box, it is obsolete. It is never a question of if you are obsolete, it is a question of how obsolete are you willing to be."</span>