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Date:      Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:28:55 +0200
From:      Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To:        "Matt Emmerton" <matt@gsicomp.on.ca>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Printer recommendation please
Message-ID:  <20120331062855.259ecfed.freebsd@edvax.de>
In-Reply-To: <002b01cd0ef4$702cdd90$508698b0$@on.ca>
References:  <4F75D37C.2020203@lovetemple.net> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1203301244390.58700@wonkity.com> <20120330161420.017f32f7@europa> <20120330233241.6f89eb89@gumby.homeunix.com> <002b01cd0ef4$702cdd90$508698b0$@on.ca>

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On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:12:07 -0400, Matt Emmerton wrote:
> Toner really doesn't go bad, and good laser printers are built to last.  My
> first laser printer was an HP LaserJet 5P that my local bank branch was
> throwing away in 2003. It ran on its existing toner cartridge for 5 or 6
> years under light use - maybe 500 pages per year.

Ha, that's nothing!

I _still_ have a fully functional HP Laserjet 4. I got it
in a heavily used state in 1996, and I've never treated it
in a polite way: always quite heavy use. The printer is
still working today, after more than 15 years. It has
been "on pause" for some years, and right after plugging
it in again, it produced regular quality results. Just
try _that_ with typical home consumer inkpee stuff. :-)

I can't tell you how many pages the printer has done in
its life. The page counter must have encountered an overrun
and now says some 4 digit number which doesn't increase
anymore. So now I can sell it as "only few pages printed,
like new"... :-)

If durability is interesting, buying a laser printer will
be the right choice. Today's inkpee printers seem to be
the same price as a full ink cartridge refill (or even
lower), creating cheaper devices on one hand (good), but
creating more electronic waste at the other hand (bad).
So if you want to reduce garbage, get a printer that will
serve you for a long time.

When I was at university, there was a student, a rich one
as one could assume: When he had emptied a printer, he
bought a new one, dropping the "old" one into the garbage
can. He even bought a new printer when he failed to plug
in the one he just bought, and he also bought a new one
when he didn't get the drivers installed of another new
printer. He threw away two (maybe more?) fully functional
printers.

You see, money can compensate stupidity. His educational
result? He got a degree in computer science. :-)



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...



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