Re: [opensuse] An observation about printers. - An OPINION piece.

On 07/16/2015 12:38 PM, Greg Freemyer wrote:

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:45 AM, Stevens wrote:

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On 07/16/2015 07:22 AM, Billie Walsh wrote:

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But the bloody thing just keeps working. If I put in the new cartridges it would print just like when it was new.

As in the subject line, this is my observations on printers. The issues with printers on the list(s) just reinforces my opinion to never own anything but HP printers. You are welcome to have differing opinions. That's your right.

No flame, just another observation. I, too, have used HP for quite a while for somewhat the same reason but after my old HP died I decided to try something else. You see, it seems that plastics, by their nature, degrade over time. The printer ran out of ink so I ordered a refill kit, refilled the cartridge and then found that the paper feed mechanism didn't work. A gear had failed. That went along with the broken hinge and the bad paper feed mechanism on the scanner that had failed at other times. Then I thought about how long that printer had been in service... first in my mom's office then here. A very long time. I don't expect that from any brand, not any more. If I get 3 years from a $100 printer I'm satisfied. Not ecstatic but satisfied.

It all comes down to print volume. If you're doing 1,000+ pages a month then you don't need it to last anywhere near 3 years to be a good deal.

==== my recent experience ===

The Xerox Phaser I've posted about before just needed a drum replacement (still under warranty).

Warranty: One-year on-site, Xerox Total Satisfaction Guarantee

That's my second service call (free) in the 4 months I've now owned it.

Ignoring maintenance it's a great printer for $165 or so, but as soon as the warranty ends, I imagine I will have to replace it. (Replacing the drum probably costs more than replacing the entire printer.)

fyi: I've printed about 6,000 pages in those 4 months, so if I do 16,500 pages in a year, that will be a $0.01 / page for the printer even if it has to be replaced annually.

Here's a reasonable cost breakdown based on what I see:

$0.01/page depreciation of the printer based on 16,500 pages/year $0.02/page toner ($100 worth so far) $0.01/page paper

I don't think any ink jet can match that cost structure, even if I do my own ink refills with generic ink.

=== Now I've got to decide what to replace the Phaser with next spring. I might just decide to get another one and treat it as a disposable printer.

Greg

If your a business you probably depreciate it out over three or four years. The bottom line is, it costs you nothing in the long run. Just up front. It makes sense to buy the top of the line. -- A cat is a puzzle with no solution. Cats are tiny little women in fur coats. When you get all full of yourself try giving orders to a cat. _ _... ..._ _ _._ ._ ..... ._.. ... .._ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org