Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

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chris319
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Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer. It still prints beautifully and the toner cartridges seem to last forever.

The problem is, it is now having major trouble with paper feeding. I must feed it one sheet of paper at a time. If I give it more than one sheet I get paper jams and must extricate partially-printed and sometimes damaged sheets. This gets a bit tedious when you have to print a 20-page tax return :( I don't use the printer that often so it gets rather light use.

It seems a shame to toss an otherwise well-functioning printer into the landfill. I don't know if it is worth rehabilitating/repairing. I won't give it to charity due to the paper-feed issues. I used some sheets for cleaning the paper path (impregnated with alcohol) but this didn't help.

This is the second HP printer I've had that's developed paper-feed issues. One had a vertical paper-feed arrangement. Gravity was the culprit with this one; the mechanism had trouble taking one sheet at a time. HP even sent me a DIY fix-it kit but the fix didn't last very long.

Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
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mhalley
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by mhalley »

I have a dell color laser that gets EXTREMELY light use that I’ve had since 2004 and still works fine. Oops, never mind as it looks they are out of the biz. As a consolation, link to wire cutter review. Maybe just get the cheapest one and replace it when it breaks in a few years.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... r-printer/
Last edited by mhalley on Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Afty
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Afty »

Brother laser printers are highly recommended. I've been using them for around 5 years with no issues. You can get a nice, basic B&W Brother laser for <$100. At that cost, I wouldn't mess around with trying to repair the old printer.
toast0
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by toast0 »

If you're otherwise happy with the printer, it might worth trying a new feed roller and/or separation pad? These look like they're readily available parts, about $10 each, and could make a big difference in feeding. https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00602228 shows installation instructions. If that's within your technical limits, maybe at least take a look at the current parts and see if they seem worn.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by JoeRetire »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer.

Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
A few years? It's probably about 10-15 years old, right? And it was probably about $100 when new. You've gotten your money's worth.

There are plenty of light-duty inexpensive laser printers. If you are disillusioned with HP, buy a different brand.
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Normchad
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Normchad »

Afty wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:17 pm Brother laser printers are highly recommended. I've been using them for around 5 years with no issues. You can get a nice, basic B&W Brother laser for <$100. At that cost, I wouldn't mess around with trying to repair the old printer.
+1. And the ability to print wirelessly is wonderful!
badger42
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by badger42 »

If you feel like trying to rejuvenate it, grab yourself a can of Martin-Yale Rubber Roller Cleaner and apply it (using a cloth) to any rollers, etc that you can get access to. Make sure you use it in a well ventilated space, and that it all evaporates before you turn the printer on.

https://www.amazon.com/PRE200-Martin-Fo ... op?ie=UTF8
protagonist
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by protagonist »

I had an HP 1102 that has always had connectivity issues.

I replaced it last year with a Brother MFC-L2690DW, which is a model that I think was exclusively developed for Walmart. It has many of the features of more expensive printers (Brother 2700 series I think) at a much better price. It also copies and scans and has an automatic document feeder . I have been extremely happy with it. It's fast, reliable, easy to set up, and the print quality is better than my old HP.

This from Wirecutter:
"Similarly, the Brother MFC-L2690DW and MFC-L2730DW—both available exclusively at Walmart—resemble the MFC-L2750DW but with downgraded specs. The former has a button-driven, non-touch interface and slower print speeds, while the latter generally performs much like our pick but has half the memory and can’t do single-pass duplexing. If the extras the L2750DW offers don’t matter to you, these junior siblings are a cheaper way to get similar print and scan quality." https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... ompetition
jebmke
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by jebmke »

protagonist wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:30 pm I had an HP 1102 that has always had connectivity issues.

I replaced it last year with a Brother MFC-L2690DW, which is a model that I think was exclusively developed for Walmart. It has many of the features of more expensive printers (Brother 2700 series I think) at a much better price. It also copies and scans and has an automatic document feeder . I have been extremely happy with it. It's fast, reliable, easy to set up, and the print quality is better than my old HP.

This from Wirecutter:
"Similarly, the Brother MFC-L2690DW and MFC-L2730DW—both available exclusively at Walmart—resemble the MFC-L2750DW but with downgraded specs. The former has a button-driven, non-touch interface and slower print speeds, while the latter generally performs much like our pick but has half the memory and can’t do single-pass duplexing. If the extras the L2750DW offers don’t matter to you, these junior siblings are a cheaper way to get similar print and scan quality." https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... ompetition
The best way to avoid connectivity issues is to use fixed IP addressing.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
protagonist
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by protagonist »

jebmke wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:32 pm
protagonist wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:30 pm I had an HP 1102 that has always had connectivity issues.

I replaced it last year with a Brother MFC-L2690DW, which is a model that I think was exclusively developed for Walmart. It has many of the features of more expensive printers (Brother 2700 series I think) at a much better price. It also copies and scans and has an automatic document feeder . I have been extremely happy with it. It's fast, reliable, easy to set up, and the print quality is better than my old HP.

This from Wirecutter:
"Similarly, the Brother MFC-L2690DW and MFC-L2730DW—both available exclusively at Walmart—resemble the MFC-L2750DW but with downgraded specs. The former has a button-driven, non-touch interface and slower print speeds, while the latter generally performs much like our pick but has half the memory and can’t do single-pass duplexing. If the extras the L2750DW offers don’t matter to you, these junior siblings are a cheaper way to get similar print and scan quality." https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... ompetition
The best way to avoid connectivity issues is to use fixed IP addressing.
Probably. But I am much happier with the Brother printer across the board. It was worth the expense, even though I don't print a lot. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-MFC- ... /404444537
123
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by 123 »

Your problem may just be that sheets of paper are sticking together, possibly either due to humidity or something to do with the manufacturing/packaging of the paper itself. I've always had inexpensive Brother printers and have had this problem from time to time. When I have this problem I generally do as much as I can to ensure that the paper supply in the tray doesn't stick to each other. I manually flip every other sheet in the paper supply end-for-end or side-for-side so they are less likely to adhere to each other. If you use the printer infrequently I think there's more likely to be an issue of the blank paper supply sheets sticking to each other.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by cantabtim »

mhalley wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:12 pm I have a dell color laser that gets EXTREMELY light use that I’ve had since 2004 and still works fine. Oops, never mind as it looks they are out of the biz. As a consolation, link to wire cutter review. Maybe just get the cheapest one and replace it when it breaks in a few years.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... r-printer/
Over the last few years I stopped printing airline reservations/tickets, hotel reservations, Amtrak tickets etc and moved to using the iPhone apps and iPhone wallet. Likewise with important documents such as tax returns I save the pdf both on my local computer and on Google drive.

Since last summer I have needed to print a total of SIX pages (a document for notarization) and I just emailed it to a print store 5 mins walk from my house where they charged the princely sum of 12 cents per sheet. Even then I was likely over-prepared as the bank branch (where the notary works) said they would have been happy to print for me.

Think carefully whether you really need a printer at all. Things have changed a lot in only 5 or 10 years. So much is now online or virtual or contactless etc. I decided it wasn't worth the money or the resources and you may come to the same decision.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by jebmke »

protagonist wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:58 pm Probably. But I am much happier with the Brother printer across the board. It was worth the expense, even though I don't print a lot.
I prefer Brothers as well. The hardware (especially mechanical aspects) is better although on older printers, the configuration process is byzantine. Regardless of manufacturer, using fixed IP addresses is my preferred configuration. It avoids any issues if there is a brief network glitch that causes a DHCP-configured printer to lease a new address.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
Katietsu
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Katietsu »

JoeRetire wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:19 pm
chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer.

Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
A few years? It's probably about 10-15 years old, right? And it was probably about $100 when new. You've gotten your money's worth.

There are plenty of light-duty inexpensive laser printers. If you are disillusioned with HP, buy a different brand.
I have been known to keep things going past their design life. So if OP can get this to work, go for it. But this printer came out in 2005. So, it must be over a decade old.

I have found that avoiding the super cheap super light super dusty paper helps with premature feed issues.
bluegill
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by bluegill »

badger42 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:24 pm If you feel like trying to rejuvenate it, grab yourself a can of Martin-Yale Rubber Roller Cleaner and apply it (using a cloth) to any rollers, etc that you can get access to. Make sure you use it in a well ventilated space, and that it all evaporates before you turn the printer on.

https://www.amazon.com/PRE200-Martin-Fo ... op?ie=UTF8
My IT guy told me to wipe WD-40 on rollers and it worked for me.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by GerryL »

JoeRetire wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:19 pm
chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer.

Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
A few years? It's probably about 10-15 years old, right? And it was probably about $100 when new. You've gotten your money's worth.

There are plenty of light-duty inexpensive laser printers. If you are disillusioned with HP, buy a different brand.
Laser printers used to be a lot more expensive. My first basic Brother was >$500 in the late 1990s. The Brother MFC printer I have been using for ~10 years was ~$300. It still works fine, but I got a new computer and can't get the drivers to install, so I have been contemplating* getting a new Brother laser printer. A comparable MFC model would be ~$200, but with more features.

* Contemplating = when I finally run down the almost new toner cartridge, which would not fit a new model. In the meantime, I have the old printer set up across the room with the old computer and do all my printing via thumb drive and slipper net (I don't wear shoes/sneakers in my house).
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Stinky »

Normchad wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:22 pm
Afty wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:17 pm Brother laser printers are highly recommended. I've been using them for around 5 years with no issues. You can get a nice, basic B&W Brother laser for <$100. At that cost, I wouldn't mess around with trying to repair the old printer.
+1. And the ability to print wirelessly is wonderful!
+2 on the Brother printer. Love mine. A real workhorse.
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Topic Author
chris319
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

On my printer the paper sits in a tray which leaves the paper sitting out in the open where it accumulates a layer of household dust with time. Some printers have a drawer where the paper is not exposed to the dusty atmosphere. With use, the rollers have picked up a lot of this schmutz and that's when my feed problems began.

I tried cleaning the rubber rollers with alcohol and it went from not printing at all to printing one sheet at a time, but at least it prints; it just can't handle multiple-sheet feeds.

It seems terribly wasteful to go through a succession of disposable printers hoping you can get a few years of service out of each one. I do appreciate the consensus surrounding Brother printers. I will look into the replacement parts but if that's too daunting ... we'll see.

The only reason I needed a printer at all in recent times was to print out an amended tax return which I couldn't e-file. I managed to print out the State and Federal returns on page at a time. I like the ability to print out documents when I need to.
Financial decisions based on emotion often turn out to be bad decisions.
Normchad
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Normchad »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:26 pm On my printer the paper sits in a tray which leaves the paper sitting out in the open where it accumulates a layer of household dust with time. Some printers have a drawer where the paper is not exposed to the dusty atmosphere. With use, the rollers have picked up a lot of this schmutz and that's when my feed problems began.

I tried cleaning the rubber rollers with alcohol and it went from not printing at all to printing one sheet at a time, but at least it prints; it just can't handle multiple-sheet feeds.

It seems terribly wasteful to go through a succession of disposable printers hoping you can get a few years of service out of each one. I do appreciate the consensus surrounding Brother printers. I will look into the replacement parts but if that's too daunting ... we'll see.

The only reason I needed a printer at all in recent times was to print out an amended tax return which I couldn't e-file. I managed to print out the State and Federal returns on page at a time. I like the ability to print out documents when I need to.
Take solace.

My Brother printer is sitting in my kitchen. It’s been there for 7 years or so, with no issue. The paper is in a tray that isn’t exposed to dust, etc. so it works great.

I originally bought it, because it was cheaper than buying ink refills for my old printer.

The toner lasts forever. I think I’ve only replaced the cartridge once....
RetiredAL
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by RetiredAL »

All printers and copiers tend to over time, get a glaze on the rubber feed rollers, caused by the paper itself.

A quick fix is to use an emery board on the rollers to lightly roughen them up.
nalor511
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by nalor511 »

cantabtim wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:02 pm
mhalley wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:12 pm I have a dell color laser that gets EXTREMELY light use that I’ve had since 2004 and still works fine. Oops, never mind as it looks they are out of the biz. As a consolation, link to wire cutter review. Maybe just get the cheapest one and replace it when it breaks in a few years.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... r-printer/
Over the last few years I stopped printing airline reservations/tickets, hotel reservations, Amtrak tickets etc and moved to using the iPhone apps and iPhone wallet. Likewise with important documents such as tax returns I save the pdf both on my local computer and on Google drive.

Since last summer I have needed to print a total of SIX pages (a document for notarization) and I just emailed it to a print store 5 mins walk from my house where they charged the princely sum of 12 cents per sheet. Even then I was likely over-prepared as the bank branch (where the notary works) said they would have been happy to print for me.

Think carefully whether you really need a printer at all. Things have changed a lot in only 5 or 10 years. So much is now online or virtual or contactless etc. I decided it wasn't worth the money or the resources and you may come to the same decision.
I was with you until covid-19, when the place I print at was closed and I needed to urgently get some docs out. Bought a laser for $50 and have not looked back. If it barfed would buy another one.
rockstar
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by rockstar »

Afty wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:17 pm Brother laser printers are highly recommended. I've been using them for around 5 years with no issues. You can get a nice, basic B&W Brother laser for <$100. At that cost, I wouldn't mess around with trying to repair the old printer.
Same.

I keep Brother printers until I need to replace the drum, and then I upgrade. My current one has a scanner with a document feed that came in very handy with COVID spreading. I used that scanner a lot last year. And now that it's tax time, I'm using it again for docs, where I don't have a PDF. I got it from Costco. Get one with a touch screen too. They're great.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by rockstar »

cantabtim wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:02 pm
mhalley wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:12 pm I have a dell color laser that gets EXTREMELY light use that I’ve had since 2004 and still works fine. Oops, never mind as it looks they are out of the biz. As a consolation, link to wire cutter review. Maybe just get the cheapest one and replace it when it breaks in a few years.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... r-printer/
Over the last few years I stopped printing airline reservations/tickets, hotel reservations, Amtrak tickets etc and moved to using the iPhone apps and iPhone wallet. Likewise with important documents such as tax returns I save the pdf both on my local computer and on Google drive.

Since last summer I have needed to print a total of SIX pages (a document for notarization) and I just emailed it to a print store 5 mins walk from my house where they charged the princely sum of 12 cents per sheet. Even then I was likely over-prepared as the bank branch (where the notary works) said they would have been happy to print for me.

Think carefully whether you really need a printer at all. Things have changed a lot in only 5 or 10 years. So much is now online or virtual or contactless etc. I decided it wasn't worth the money or the resources and you may come to the same decision.
I scan more than I print, so getting one with a document feeder is worth the money to me.
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chris319
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

I'm going to order a new separation pad and pickup roller from this place:

https://www.quikshiptoner.com/catalog/t ... erjet-1020

Cost is $38.66.

I have had to buy only one new toner cartridge for this printer. The original one seemed to last forever.

In the interest of being "green" I bought a "recycled" toner cartridge. Unfortunately it didn't print worth spit. The recycled cartridge turned out to be a mistake. I bought a brand new toner cartridge and now it makes beautiful printouts, which is why I hate to toss it. No more recycled toner cartridges for me.
Last edited by chris319 on Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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TexasPE
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by TexasPE »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer. It still prints beautifully and the toner cartridges seem to last forever.

The problem is, it is now having major trouble with paper feeding.
I would clean the paper path if you are otherwise happy with the printer

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00381992

most of my printers seem to accumulate paper 'dust' inside the paper path over time.
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Bogle7
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Bogle7 »

GerryL wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:56 pmLaser printers used to be a lot more expensive.
My first home office color laser printer in 1997 was. $2700 Tektronix.
The cartridges were $700 a set.

I have had Brother lasers for over 10 years and at $300 are throwaways.

Buy this
Brother HL-L3270CDW Compact Wireless Digital Color Printer
Last edited by Bogle7 on Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jabberwockOG
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by jabberwockOG »

https://www.adorama.com/brhll2395dw.htm ... l-umbase-p


Excellent printer works flawlessly with our Apple laptops, ipads, and phones. Fully compatible third party toner cartridges are available very inexpensively. Can be tough to find in stock at the big box outlets and Amazon.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by tibbitts »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm It seems a shame to toss an otherwise well-functioning printer into the landfill.
It will go to recycling, not the landfill. So at least you can pretend it will live a new life as a new product with someone else. It was hard for me to let go of my HP that I'd had for decades. I had done some repairs to it - replaced the main motor with a used one - but then it threw a code that would have meant more expensive used parts, and with used you never know what you're getting. So my $2039 (that's almost $4k in 2021 dollars!) printer was off to recycling. The best part of the new printer (other than that it works!) is power saving: with the old one I had to switch it on every time I wanted to use it, or it would heat up the room it was in just sitting there. The new one uses very little power when idle, but it's ready to go when I send it a job.
anoop
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by anoop »

I have this and would highly recommend it, but it seems to be out of stock.
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-la ... pro-m118dw

I've had Brothers in the past and they feel cheaply made & noisy compared to this.
hdcd
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by hdcd »

We have had a Brother laser for years (10+) and no issues AFTER we get it on wireless. When we got a new router, it became too much of a hassle to configure and we sprung for an HP 1202W and it is a dream.

Power it up and it just worked in about 5 minutes.

Print directly from your phone to the printer. No apps required. PDFs, news articles, you name it. Printed all my 1099s/w2 direct. It just works. And the best part is everyone in the family can print with confidence or assistance.

It's also a copier and scanner.

I've been in IT for many years and this printer has been one of the best investments in years.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by lazydavid »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:43 pm I'm going to order a new separation pad and pickup roller from this place:

https://www.quikshiptoner.com/catalog

Cost is $38.66.

I have had to buy only one new toner cartridge for this printer. The original one seemed to last forever.

In the interest of being "green" I bought a "recycled" toner cartridge. Unfortunately it didn't print worth spit. The recycled cartridge turned out to be a mistake. I bought a brand new toner cartridge and now it makes beautiful printouts, which is why I hate to toss it. No more recycled toner cartridges for me.
This will fix your problem. Your separation pad is worn out. When you take it out, you will find it smooth and glassy. It's supposed to be tacky, and hold all but one sheet back in the input tray.

Good on you for fixing it. The 1020 is actually a pretty decent printer for a low-end model. With light use and occasional maintenance like you're doing now, it will last pretty much indefinitely.
hudson
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by hudson »

Afty wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:17 pm Brother laser printers are highly recommended. I've been using them for around 5 years with no issues. You can get a nice, basic B&W Brother laser for <$100. At that cost, I wouldn't mess around with trying to repair the old printer.
I agree!
20 years ago somebody gave me a commercial HP4050N laser printer discard; it wouldn't work. I replaced the fuser and it worked fine. I put in a few feed parts through the years. Recently I gave up trying to make the drivers work. I was using several work arounds. It served me well; I disposed of it properly. It must have weighed 50 lbs.
Now my future is a Brother color laser. I've run Brothers printers at work and at home. If I had to buy today, I'd buy one from Amazon that's sold by Amazon.
musicmom
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by musicmom »

LOVE my new HP LaserJet Pro M29w Wireless All-in-One Laser Printer.

Its TINY, inexpensive, prints, scans, copies wirelessly from my Kindle Fire, samsung phone, Surface.
Makes my life so much easier almost every day. Dont print much anymore but the scanning featire is great for sharing docs with family and also for the neverending fights with doctors/insurance people over claims.

It lives on our main level so now I dont need to travel downstairs to our office to use our shared desktop.
Its black and white, all I need.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Sandtrap »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer. It still prints beautifully and the toner cartridges seem to last forever.

The problem is, it is now having major trouble with paper feeding. I must feed it one sheet of paper at a time. If I give it more than one sheet I get paper jams and must extricate partially-printed and sometimes damaged sheets. This gets a bit tedious when you have to print a 20-page tax return :( I don't use the printer that often so it gets rather light use.

It seems a shame to toss an otherwise well-functioning printer into the landfill. I don't know if it is worth rehabilitating/repairing. I won't give it to charity due to the paper-feed issues. I used some sheets for cleaning the paper path (impregnated with alcohol) but this didn't help.

This is the second HP printer I've had that's developed paper-feed issues. One had a vertical paper-feed arrangement. Gravity was the culprit with this one; the mechanism had trouble taking one sheet at a time. HP even sent me a DIY fix-it kit but the fix didn't last very long.

Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
Our offices have had 2 of the same HP LJ 1020 printers. They are workhorses and last forever. Several years ago 1 did the same thing. I think the feed roller surface is worn and no longer grabs the paper reliably. Nothing to do about it.

Options:
1 drop off printer to Goodwill who will either recycle it or repair it.
2 Look for another HP 1020 on the used market.
3 Buy a New HP laser jet printer. (the new wireless one's come in handy) (though I really like the reliability and simplicity of my still working 1020.

j :D
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chris319
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

Our offices have had 2 of the same HP LJ 1020 printers. They are workhorses and last forever. Several years ago 1 did the same thing. I think the feed roller surface is worn and no longer grabs the paper reliably. Nothing to do about it.
Ah, but there is. A few posts back I posted my order for replacement parts.
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lthenderson
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by lthenderson »

chris319 wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:02 pm Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use?
I have an HP laser printer and about a year ago I was having similar issues with the paper feed, in my case, it was trying but wouldn't pick up any paper at all. After looking into it, there was a strand of debris that got wedged back into the feeding mechanism. I had been doing some drywall work nearby and I think a little strand of drywall fell onto the stack of paper and got fed into the machine. It took some work but I was finally able to fish the debris out and it has worked perfectly ever since. I don't remember exactly, but I think I had to remove a back panel to access the feeding mechanism which allowed me to get the debris out. I would look back there and see if you have a similar object gumming up the works.

[Edited to add that my mind hasn't woken up yet. I have a Canon and not an HP but I'm guessing the feeding mechanisms could still suffer similar problems.]
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chazas »

Most of y’all don’t seem to print or scan much. I’ve worked from home a couple days a week for a few years and now obviously full time. I can’t review long legal documents very precisely on screen, I have to print them. I also tend to hand mark comments for associates, which probably drives them to distraction, but our computer marking tools for PDFs are not so hot.

I have a separate HP Scanjet 3000 S3 scanner - the ones combined with printers are fine for single pages but I need a workhorse feeder. These cost a few hundred dollars. It replaced a Fujitsu 3 years ago and though it works fine still a little nonreplaceable piece of the output tray broke and HP told me to just buy a new one. Annoying.

On the other hand I have the world’s cheapest Brother laser printer, an L2320D. It replaced a similar model a few years who whose drum wore out and the new one was cheaper than a replacement drum. Nowadays at home I go thorough one of the high capacity toner cartridges every couple of weeks, and have had to replace the drum twice since the pandemic started, but it’s all expensed so I don’t care. It does everything I need including multiple page and multisided printing and shows no sings of quitting.
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chris319
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

I read a review of a Brother laser printer on amazon and here is the gist of it.

According to this reviewer, there is a page counter in the printer. After a certain number of pages it won't let you print because it thinks it's out of toner or the drum is worn out. There is an elaborate sequence of button pushing which will reset this counter and you can continue printing as it's not really out of toner nor the drum worn out.

All printers have mechanical parts which are going to wear out sooner or later. If I can give my printer a new lease on life with $40 worth of parts, I'm going to do it. That HP shows you how to troubleshoot and remedy these problems impresses me, so I'm not swearing off HP printers by any means.
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d18lover
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by d18lover »

Can't hardly find a color laser printer in stock. Very limited supplies, chip shortage or what?
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by wander »

We bought an HP multi-function color laser print with 25% discount. We scan every documents to our network server. It's the best printer we have ever had. It is easy to setup, configure to a dedicated network folder, fax, scan, wifi-direct print from computer, portable devices.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by nalor511 »

d18lover wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:40 pm Can't hardly find a color laser printer in stock. Very limited supplies, chip shortage or what?
There was this pandemic and everyone bought printers...
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by d18lover »

nalor511 wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:54 pm
d18lover wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:40 pm Can't hardly find a color laser printer in stock. Very limited supplies, chip shortage or what?
There was this pandemic and everyone bought printers...
Not to belittle the pandemic, but seems like that would have caught up a bit by now. Most WFH have been sent back or already bought a printer by now, I would think. I went to Best Buy today and the entire shelf was bare of lasers. Tons of inkjet printers (yuck).
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Brother works for me

Post by Bogle7 »

chris319 wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:38 pmAccording to this reviewer, there is a page counter in the printer. After a certain number of pages it won't let you print...
I just checked the details on my Brother HL-3170CDW printer. Which I paid $180 for.
The life page count for the belt is 45,004 pages. The fuser unit and paper handler have higher numbers.
I have printed 2701 pages in the last 7 years.
So, in theory, I will have to replace the belt in 60+ years.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by lazydavid »

d18lover wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:36 pm Not to belittle the pandemic, but seems like that would have caught up a bit by now. Most WFH have been sent back or already bought a printer by now, I would think. I went to Best Buy today and the entire shelf was bare of lasers. Tons of inkjet printers (yuck).
The supply chain is in absolute shambles right now, even before the Suez Canal was blocked for a week. HP seems to be more impacted than most. I ordered 20 HP Mobile Thin Clients (basically laptops) in December, that were originally scheduled to be delivered in February. They got delayed to March, then April, then September. The channel has been completely empty of this entire class of devices (not just the model I ordered) since the start of the year.

Printers are probably in mostly the same boat (figuratively and literally).
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Dan-in-Virginia »

I buy Brother when buying for others. I buy HP when I buy for me.

The one I recommend is this one. I have an earlier version of this product line from 2014 and it’s going strong. I love the scan to network, the free outgoing fax feature, and the printing is very clear. The configuration options are full featured. I buy the high capacity toner carts because they are competitive on a per page cost and they last forever.

HP periodically updates the firmware and application software, and it’s great to see the ongoing support 7 years later.

HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw Wireless Laser Printer with One-Year, Next-Business Day, Onsite Warranty, Works with Alexa (W1A80A)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQB5WJW/re ... 3GSVF7Z6V2
d18lover
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by d18lover »

Gray wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:30 pm I buy Brother when buying for others. I buy HP when I buy for me.

The one I recommend is this one. I have an earlier version of this product line from 2014 and it’s going strong. I love the scan to network, the free outgoing fax feature, and the printing is very clear. The configuration options are full featured. I buy the high capacity toner carts because they are competitive on a per page cost and they last forever.

HP periodically updates the firmware and application software, and it’s great to see the ongoing support 7 years later.

HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw Wireless Laser Printer with One-Year, Next-Business Day, Onsite Warranty, Works with Alexa (W1A80A)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQB5WJW/re ... 3GSVF7Z6V2
That's great but I will say for $600 that's more than most need for home printing. I buy Brother for myself, got a $250 Brother and it's rock solid. I don't need the "all in one" stuff as I have separate devices.
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chris319
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by chris319 »

The replacement parts for my LaserJet 1020 arrived and were installed without tragedy.

For $38.66 worth of parts it now prints like new! No need to go through a succession of printers to find one that doesn't suck. The toner cartridge is fairly new and has plenty of mileage left in it.

Don't let printer paper sit out in the open, even if in a printer tray, where it will accumulate dust and schmutz. The rubber rollers pick this up and then you've got problems.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by Flora »

I have an HP LaserJet 4 Plus that I purchased new in 1994 for about $1500 that is still in relatively good working order.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by lazydavid »

Flora wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:32 am I have an HP LaserJet 4 Plus that I purchased new in 1994 for about $1500 that is still in relatively good working order.
That whole series (4/4 Plus, 5/5+, 4000/4050, 4100/4150, 4200/4250, 4300/4350) were all beasts. I got a 4100 for free when it was being retired from a bank after 10 years and 120k pages. Used it for another 10+ years with only roller and toner replacements. The 42xx and 43xx printers had one weak point in the fuser drive gear that liked to strip out. But after a $65 aftermarket metal replacement, they would run literally forever. I've seen many with over a million pages.
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Re: Laser Printer: Buy a New One?

Post by tibbitts »

lazydavid wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:14 am
Flora wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:32 am I have an HP LaserJet 4 Plus that I purchased new in 1994 for about $1500 that is still in relatively good working order.
That whole series (4/4 Plus, 5/5+, 4000/4050, 4100/4150, 4200/4250, 4300/4350) were all beasts. I got a 4100 for free when it was being retired from a bank after 10 years and 120k pages. Used it for another 10+ years with only roller and toner replacements. The 42xx and 43xx printers had one weak point in the fuser drive gear that liked to strip out. But after a $65 aftermarket metal replacement, they would run literally forever. I've seen many with over a million pages.
I disagree: not a beast, unless you enjoy diagnosing and replacing parts that are not considered consumables. As I mentioned you have the nuisance of having to buy used parts (motors, etc.) and hoping they're better than the ones you spent an hour digging out of the chassis to remove. Yes, for the first decade or so, no issues. Mine was bought new and was done after less than 15k pages. I can see if you printed several thousand pages per month it could be worth the time and effort required to keep them running, but so far my replacement has been much more practical: much faster, built-in networking (I had had to buy a used ethernet card for the 4), built-in duplexing (again not standard on the 4-series), built-in Postscript (I bought mine with Postscript but it was really an add-on that was factory installed), and automatic-power-saving. Also as time went on some larger documents wouldn't print with the default memory so I had to buy more (again, used, and yes, some of it developed intermittent errors that were hard to diagnose) memory. For a home user the cartridges would normally die from age rather than run out of capacity. So as with classic cars or similar things, these can be fine for a hobby, but not practical for most home users.
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