Finding a Reliable Laser Printer?

SpottedKuh asks: "Perhaps the days of sturdy laser printers are over, or perhaps it is just my bad luck. I've recently been the proud owner of two paperweights: First, an HP LaserJet 1100, which continually misfed papers and smeared toner. After selling that printer, I foolishly purchased a LaserJet 1012, not realizing just how poorly it played with my BSD systems. Naturally, I've learned my lesson about checking LinuxPrinting.org; but, more than that, I'm gun-shy about purchasing yet another printer to replace my current LaserJet. I look at one of my friends who has had a LaserJet 4P for probably around ten years, and it's still going strong. Are the days of such quality gone, or am I just looking in the wrong places?" "Though compatibility with *nix is a must, it is not all that I want. I want a printer that will be sturdy and reliable, with few toner smears and jams. Also, if I'm going to be dropping all this money again, a duplexing printer is a must! I've heard that there are a lot of design problems with the LaserJet 1320, mainly regarding the manual feed mechanism. Maybe the LaserJet 1*** printers just aren't well-built? So I'm thinking of purchasing a LaserJet 2420d; but, I haven't been able to find many reviews of that printer.

Can the Slashdot community provide me with feedback regarding the printers I have mentioned, or any other reliable duplexing laser for in my home office?"

Comments

OId HP for me

[Ridgelift]

I bought a LaserJet 5m and duplexer off eBay for less than $200. The older LaserJet's are built like tanks, and with the design of the toner cartridges, they really don't wear out.

600dpi, Postscript, built-in network adapter, compatible with Linux. Just because newer printers print at higher resolutions with more pages per minute doesn't necessarily make them better in my view.

Check out local computer shows

[Aero]

Don't look on eBay for old LaserJet 4's -- the shipping cost will kill you. But if you live in or near a major city (or even a medium one), chances are there's a regularly-scheduled computer show, where the mom-and-pop shops and the used-gear dealers all show up.

I picked up a LaserJet 4M plus a newly-refurbished toner cartridge at a MarketPro computer show for $150 about a year and a half ago. Probably the last time I'll ever buy a printer.

consumer reports

[legLess]

For a while now the Brother HL-1440 has been Consumer Report's higest-rated laser printer. My business partner has one, and had no trouble setting it up with CUPS under Red Hat. It's fast, not too loud, good quality, and less than $200.

Re:This is reality in the Walmart Age

[Anonymous Coward]

Before you second and third the "sad" sentiment about what HP used to be, realize something first: Realize that you are to blame. Why? Because you (i.e. the consumer) demands cheaper products each year. HP would love to build "old school" products of the same quality upon which its reputation was built back in the days of the LaserJet Series II... but unfortuantely the consumer public won't let HP do that. If consumers were willing to pay a fair price for a well built product, then there wouldn't be a problem. But unfortunately the new "Walmart Economy" in which we all now live has single-handedly made it virtually impossible for companies (like HP) to survive by making the "best" products. Consumers no longer demand the "best" products - they demand the cheapest possible product that will accomplish the task for which the product is designed. Many people complain about HP's products not being as good as they once were... But HP doesn't just randomly choose to squeeze every possible penny of cost out of a printer just because they want to sabatoge their once-loyal customer base... They do it becuase that once-loyal customer base demands it. If Lexmark didn't exist, and Dell didn't exist, then it might be possible for HP to continue building "LaserJet Series II"-quality printers because consumers wouldn't have a lower cost alternative for these devices. But because consumers demand low cost, and Dell & Lexmark are there to answer those demands, HP has unforunately been pulled down to lower & lower pricepoints. It's a fascinating study in economics, and believe me it is one that I wish could be changed... but unfortunately consumers have proven that those who win in the marketplace are those that provide the cheapest goods. It's that simple formula that has made Walmart the largest company in the world (yearly revenue of over $250B, larger than IBM, DELL, HP, and SUN combined). This isn't just about 2-gallon jars of pickles and $40 DVD players. This is about ever item you buy, including laser printers for your office. Welcome to the Walmart Age.