Having same problem with new HP printer of feeding too many sheets at one
time and "hanging" up. This is the first time I have had any problem with
HP. I worked as computer tech/repair as side job for last 28 years. Also,
just found out that HP now says to use sponge tip and water to clean print
head. NO SOLVENT so they say. I have decided that you can get good and bad
with any brand these days. John
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Nasta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "The Chevelle Mailing List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 5:59 PM
Subject: [Chevelle-list] OT: printer notes - hope this is useful
Some of you know that I have been having printer problems. Here are a few
things I've learned. I hope this is useful to somebody out there.
1) At epson.com you can buy factory-refurbished printers for about half
the
retail price with free delivery and a 1yr mfr warranty, and they do come
with the ink cartridges and cables.
2) The HP printers where the paper loads from the front and also comes out
the front are not good for certain forms like perforated business cards.
The
180-degree turn makes the cards break apart and the paper jams, and you
have
a hell of a time getting it out (in pieces). I also had several other
paper
feeding problems with the one I bought, picking up several sheets at a
time
(my personal record was 13) and not always picking it up in the same
place,
causing forms like checks and shipping labels not to line up properly.
3) The HP "Vivera" inks are not as saturated in color as Epson's
"DuraBrite"
inks, and the printing on mine was also not as sharp as the Epson.
4) The HP printer did not come with a USB cable and only came with
"starter
cartridges" that ran out in less than a week. Obviously the plan here is
to
get you to buy more ink right away since the markup on the ink is what
they
make most of their money on. The Epson printers come with the cable and
also
with full ink cartridges.
5) There are several web pages that show how to clean the Epson printer
head
if it clogs, and you can even buy a cleaning cartridge that is supposedly
the same thing they use at Epson to clear a clogged print head. This looks
like an ink cartridge but it has some sort of solvent in it instead of
ink.
Unfortunately I took mine apart and really screwed it up before I knew
this.
Otherwise I could have probably fixed it.
6) Another bad thing about Epson printers is that some models are known
for
having a problem with the "ink purge tube" disconnecting itself over time,
which will make it stop printing. There are also web pages that show how
to
reconnect it if that happens. Hopefully that has been solved on newer
models. This did not happen on mine.
7) Epson's help site worked great and I got an immediate reply. Sending a
support message through the HP site resulted in an error message and I
never
got a reply.
I have to say that despite the head clogging problem I am going to buy
another Epson (refurbished) and just be more diligent about cleaning the
head once in a while "whether it needs it or not".
Again, I apologize for the OT post and I am not really trying to start a
big
discussion on this, but hopefully some of you can benefit from what I
learned the hard way.
John Nasta
