time for a new printer
Aug. 2nd, 2007 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioIt's a new millenium; I can upgrade hardware.
My mostly-trusty HP LaserJet 5L has fussed at me one too many times. (It's ok; it's a senior citizen. I think I bought it in 1993.) Every now and then it decides it doesn't want to correctly feed paper; sometimes it just wants different paper or a dusting-out, and sometimes it wants a more thorough cleaning. I've done all the usual things this time short of breaking out the screwdrivers. It's been a good printer, but new ones are $100 and there's a lot to be said for lower hassle levels. I wonder if I know anyone who places the time/money balance-point in a different place, or who likes playing with hardware. It's not dead, just cranky.
I took today off to deal with assorted errands before leaving for Pennsic tomorrow morning. One of those errands was printing some stuff to take to Pennsic -- hence this post. So since I was home anyway, I ran over to Best Buy to pick up a new one. For old-times' sake, I got a modern HP LaserJet. Time to first print (from when I left the house) was just over an hour, which is pretty good.
(Reminder to self: I didn't have a spare USB cable after all, so right now the printer is hijacking the scanner cable. I should fix that after Pennsic.)
My mostly-trusty HP LaserJet 5L has fussed at me one too many times. (It's ok; it's a senior citizen. I think I bought it in 1993.) Every now and then it decides it doesn't want to correctly feed paper; sometimes it just wants different paper or a dusting-out, and sometimes it wants a more thorough cleaning. I've done all the usual things this time short of breaking out the screwdrivers. It's been a good printer, but new ones are $100 and there's a lot to be said for lower hassle levels. I wonder if I know anyone who places the time/money balance-point in a different place, or who likes playing with hardware. It's not dead, just cranky.
I took today off to deal with assorted errands before leaving for Pennsic tomorrow morning. One of those errands was printing some stuff to take to Pennsic -- hence this post. So since I was home anyway, I ran over to Best Buy to pick up a new one. For old-times' sake, I got a modern HP LaserJet. Time to first print (from when I left the house) was just over an hour, which is pretty good.
(Reminder to self: I didn't have a spare USB cable after all, so right now the printer is hijacking the scanner cable. I should fix that after Pennsic.)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-08-02 09:19 pm (UTC)One feature it has is that the output tray is normally covered by a door, which opens when the printer starts. This is particularly interesting when it happens without obvious human intervention (i.e. printing something from the laptop in another room via the wireless LAN). Satin (the elderly white cat) doesn't notice, because the world is generally incomprehensible to her anyway. Heidi (the middle-aged Maine Coon tortie) seems to notice, but doesn't much care. Vir (the young Siamese mix, pictured) is absolutely fascinated.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-08-02 10:07 pm (UTC)One thing that the new printer does better than the old is that both the paper tray and the output slot are reasonably protected from dust. On my old printer the paper stood straight up and the printed page came out in a vertical slot -- which makes them dust magnets. (Yes, I am too lazy to apply a cover when not in use. Or rather, I'd slide a plastic door shut, but I'm not into fussing with the nylon/cloth/whatever fitted covers, and anything not fitted is also not cat-proof.)