After my 7-year-old Lexmark printer stopped feeding paper and jamming, I used a spare Brother laser printer. But it was too slow and its 300dpi resolution was terrible for images.
I spent some time looking for a monochrome laser printer capable of:
- at least 20 pages-per-minute
- USB 2.0
- duplex printing (both sides)
- input tray that's larger than 200 sheets
- 1200dpi resolution
Optional were PostScript support, network interface, a decent amount of internal memory, and color.
It is so hard to find a pure monochrome laser printer! Stores stock color inkjets and multifunction printers (with scanner, fax, and copier). I checked FutureShop, BestBuy, Staples, and -- on a whim -- Office Depot. Imagine my shock when I found the ideal unit at Office Depot, a place I find too despressing to enter, except in emergency cases, like this one.
I bought the HP 1320, which has most of the specs listed above:
- 22 pages-per-minute
- USB 2.0 and parallel
- duplex printing
- 300-sheet input tray
- 1200dpi resolution
- PostScript support
- 16MB RAM
I bought it. lugged it home, and set it up.
Update
Wouldn't you know it: Staples had the printer for nearly half-the-price, but it was already past the 14-day limit for getting price matching at Office Depot. Oh well, at least I have a printer that I like -- mostly.
+ I like that it has a small footprint on my desk. It is smaller than my HP PhotoSmart color inkjet printer.
+ I like that it does duplex printing for saving paper.
+ I really like how fast it is: the first page emerges just as I think it's warming up. That's 7.5-second claim is no exageration.
+ The USB 2 connection is fast enough that I don't need to add a network function; USB 2 is faster than the common 100mbit/sec ethernet, anyhow.
+ I haven't felt the need to add more memory.
On the negative side:
- When only a single page needs to be printed, it still uses the duplex function, running the sheet through a second time. Just when I want to grab the page from the printer, it eludes me, and I have to wait a few more seconds for the page to re-remerge. Seems to me the driver should be smart enough to avoid duplexing of single pages.
- It jammed once when a sheet of cardstock somehow got into the paper stack. It took quite a while to find the sheet. Because the unit is so small, there are lots of cover doors and levers to open before getting at the innards.
- I wish the paper tray held 500 sheets, instead of 300. Seems to me it would just make the unit an inch taller.
- It took a while for the printer driver's support software to work correctly. I am not sure why; I just know that about two weeks after installing the support software, it suddenly began working -- it tells you the state of the printer, provides help in fixing problems, etc.
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