Postscript still important for laser printers? How much RAM is enough? LexMark?
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From: Andrew Hamilton on 23 Jul 2010 18:50 I need to buy a "small office" laser printer to replace my Samsung ML-2150, which has gotten very erratic lately. This printer has Postscript emulation and 16 MB of RAM. (Years ago, I tried to upgrade the RAM, but could not find a compatible third-party memory stick.) Is Postscript emulation still important. I do mostly text, but also a lot of PowerPoint, including graphics, plus the usual Excel graphics, webpages, etc. How much memory is really needed? I would like to be able to spool off a 5 or 10 MB PowerPoint preso to the printer as soon as I click on PRINT. Right now, my PowerPoint jobs often take several minutes to complete, before PowerPoint is ready to do other tasks. Finally, I have found a LexMark printer for about $200 that does PostScript, has Ethernet support, etc. But I have the impression that LexMark is not a quality brand. Is this correct? Thanks, -AH
From: MD34 on 24 Jul 2010 13:37 On 24 Jul 2010 15:11:56 GMT, Warren Block <wblock(a)wonkity.com> wrote: > >I've been advising people to stay away from Lexmark for a long time. >Their high-end lasers are supposed to be good, but I may never know >because their anti-customer policies of years ago combined with their >terrible disposable low-end printers convinced me that giving money to >Lexmark will just encourage them. I used to service Lexmark laser and color laser printers and hated them. Everything was hard to get to, tech support/parts order sucked big time. Documentation was terrible. Replacement feed units were often refurbed, which is OK, but many had the same problem you were trying to fix, so they probably were never touched in the repair depot. Their inkjets were absolute junk
From: Andrew Hamilton on 24 Jul 2010 14:41 On 24 Jul 2010 15:11:56 GMT, Warren Block <wblock(a)wonkity.com> wrote: >> Is Postscript emulation still important. I do mostly text, but also a >> lot of PowerPoint, including graphics, plus the usual Excel graphics, >> webpages, etc. > >That's a judgement call. I'd say yes. A PCL-only printer is livable, >and some people can use a host-based printer without problems. But a PS >printer gives you more options and is more versatile. Sounds like I really should have a Postscript printer. I am self-employed and can't deal with printer limitation hassles. > >More is usually better, although it depends on the printer and how it >allocates the memory. Adjusting how the computer spools the print job >can also make a big difference. Oh. How can that be done? > >> Finally, I have found a LexMark printer for about $200 that does >> PostScript, has Ethernet support, etc. But I have the impression that >> LexMark is not a quality brand. Is this correct? > >I've been advising people to stay away from Lexmark for a long time. LOL! Especially what MD34 said and he used to service the things! >Their high-end lasers are supposed to be good, but I may never know >because their anti-customer policies of years ago combined with their >terrible disposable low-end printers convinced me that giving money to >Lexmark will just encourage them. What a shame. I'm enough of an old-timer to remember that Lexmark was an IBM spinoff, for printers, keyboards, and other stuff (?). The old IBM keyboards were my all-time favorites, and say what you might about IBM, they usually didn't produce junk or have anti-customer policies. Quite the opposite. Maybe they needed to expel this "foreign organism" from their overall organization. > >You may be able to find a good deal on a used business-class laser which >will not have the problems of a low-end model: > >http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/docs/html/usedlasers.html Thanks, but I'm nervous about buying used stuff like printers. when I used to work for companies, I saw plenty of printers that were simply worn out, like a Hyundai with 200,000 miles!
From: Andrew Hamilton on 24 Jul 2010 14:44 On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:37:51 -0500, MD34 <marty34(a)gmail.com> wrote: >On 24 Jul 2010 15:11:56 GMT, Warren Block <wblock(a)wonkity.com> wrote: > >I used to service Lexmark laser and color laser printers and hated them. >Everything was hard to get to, tech support/parts order sucked big time. >Documentation was terrible. > >Replacement feed units were often refurbed, which is OK, but many had the same >problem you were trying to fix, so they probably were never touched in the >repair depot. > All good reasons to avoid them. In some ways this sounds like the situation with my Samsung ML-2150. That printer has been to the shop twice, because both mainboards failed, costing more money than the money I saved by not buying the equivalent HP unit. And don't get stared on the lousy treatment I got from Samsung when I had some problems with a Samsung cellphone. >Their inkjets were absolute junk
From: Mr John FO Evans on 24 Jul 2010 22:03
In article <to6k469mk31shhhsnok1b9lnlq87uts7nl(a)4ax.com>, Andrew Hamilton <Ahamilton90900(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > I need to buy a "small office" laser printer to replace my Samsung > ML-2150, which has gotten very erratic lately. This printer has > Postscript emulation and 16 MB of RAM. (Years ago, I tried to upgrade > the RAM, but could not find a compatible third-party memory stick.) The important cost factor in a laser printer can be the replacement toner. If you do a large volume of work the cost of the printer itself can be relatively insignificant to the cost of replacing the toner. I bought a Xerox Phaser to replace my old Xerox solid state printer and immediately had an unexpected large volume job which caused me to buy a full set of replacement toners which cost more than the printer!!! (The original toner cartridges were short life versions) Unless you do a small volume of work look first at the cost of toners nd secondly at the cost of the printer!! RAM The RAM you need depends on the work you do. Double-sided printing takes more - multiple collated copies takes even more. You need to check that the printer is capable of doing the type of work you need to do and then check the RAM needed with the printer manufacturer. HARD DISK (expensive!) Printers with a built-in hard disk can often tackle larger and more complex jobs as well as being able to remember routine work. Again consider you requirements and check with the manufacturer. PC/RISCOS If you plan to print from RISCOS check that the available driver will cover all the types of work you intend to do. I often resort to moving work onto a PC to get the more comprehensive drivers. You can cover some of the shortcomings of the RISCOS drivers by using the "front panel" controls of the printer. SOFTWARE Ovation Pro (RISCOS and Windows) is very good. MS Word is difficult to use for some jobs and some printers. MS Publisher is better. I havn't tried Impression recently. John NB Some printers also require other items to be replaced at intervals - this need to be added to the overall projected cost. -- _ _________________________________________ / \._._ |_ _ _ /' Orpheus Internet Services \_/| |_)| |(/_|_|_> / 'Internet for Everyone' _______ | ___________./ http://www.orpheusinternet.co.uk |