Darcy,
I shared your reluctance to buy a used unit, but last Friday was the first anniversary of
my buying an HP 5siMX from a local volume dealer here in Indianapolis. I also
"prematurely retired" a Ricoh.
I paid $375 for the 5si and it's still going strong. It has the duplexer in it,
and it seems to be working fine on heavier paper up to 11x17, but I don't think
it will do 12x18. I let the dealer keep the network card to save a couple
bucks, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have paid the extra $.
If you need 1200 dpi, the 5si only does 600, but with the RET I have received
no complaints about its output.
Even if the thing does require maintenance or fry a part, it is common enough
that parts are readily available--I've scored a few on eBay, just in case, for
next to nothing. Additionally, if you re-use cartridges, toner is standard
(can't say that for Ricoh) and abundantly available.
I would assume that one of these volume dealers must exist in NYC...I left NYC
before the first TRS-80 appeared, but they must exist in NYC. The place here
buys used gear from companies with planned replacement programs.
So if the 5si doesn't fit the bill because of the 600-dot thing or the no
12x18, I would not fear buying a used HP that does fit the bill. They seem to
be soundly constructed workhorses (unlike my Ricoh, which was a
high-maintenance diva shabbily constructed)...just my experience...
Jim
From: Darcy James Argue
Sent: Tue 28-Nov-06 1:34
To: finale@shsu.edu
Subject: [Finale] TAN: Large-format laser
Hi all,
I'm basically fed up with my Ricoh AP2610 and I'm looking for a
possible replacement.
The major problem is that on my heavyweight parts paper (100# offset
-- the equivalent of 40 lb. bond), the duplexer jams at least 50% of
the time, rendering it all but useless. Frustratingly, it seems to go
in spurts -- sometimes, I'll be able to print almost an entire run of
parts without a jam, but then once it starts jamming, it tends to jam
every time after that.
So, just print two single-sided runs, you say. Ah, but when loading
paper that has already been printed on one side into the bypass tray,
the bypass try also jams or misfeeds at least 50% of the time. So I
always end up running through vastly more paper than I need to, and
printing takes vastly longer since I need to supervise every farking
page.
I've tried cleaning the pads and rollers and whatnot with rubbing
alcohol, but nothing helps.
The duplexer works okay for lighter paper (like 24 lb. bond), but the
other big problem is that when printing multiple double-sided
documents (or parts), if the first document ends in an odd-numbered
page, the printer will print the first page of the *next* document on
the back of that page -- which makes Fin2007's "print all parts at
once" feature completely useless unless I'm printing single-sided
pages, which I rarely do.
So -- I'm rapidly approaching the point where I'm ready to throw the
damn thing out the window and look for a replacement. I know everyone
always recommends the HP 5100, but that's (still) absurdly expensive.
Does anyone have an alternative they would recommend? I need a
printer capable of at least 11x17 (and 12x18 would be gravy), with a
duplex unit built-in (or the possibility of adding one). And ideally
the duplex unit will be able to handle 100# paper. USB or (even
better) WiFi connection preferred. Cheaper is better, of course, but
ideally this printer will be not as completely crappy as the Ricoh
AP2610, which has been easily the worst printer I have ever owned.
Cheers,
- Darcy
-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Brooklyn, NY
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