How many prints already done by a used printer is probably a safe number?

[franklin]

How many prints is probably okay for a used laser printer to have already printed? By that I mean to ask what number of pages already printed by a used laser printer that a person might buy is probably a safe number in terms of the amount of life remaining in that printer and the health of the printer over that life time? I wonder especially about the motor in a printer which has had everything except its motor refurbished. I'm guessing that there might be some kind of a formula that takes into account things like the brand, the manufacturer's suggested monthly maximum number of prints, etc. I am most interested in black and white HP laser printers that can print 500 pages per month.

[Big Al]

Any part of any machine can fail at any time with or without warning. Lower page count is always good. Very hard to match the early HP printers. I do a lot of printing at home with an old LaserJet 4. It is slow but very reliable and easy to repair. Parts are readily available. The 4+ and 5n are better. The cartridges are inexpensive. When I fix one of these for a friend I check the rollers in the back. They should feel like a new pencil eraser, if not I replace them. The "D" pickup roller is the only other thing I replace.

Al

[franklin]

Thanks Big Al

-Franklin

[MichaelTech]

Well, basically there are about three things that are prone to wear, and addressing these issues is key to printer life, Paper path parts are: pick-up-feed assy., registration, and delivery. Some printers have a pick-up, and then a feed assy. and then a registration. These parts wear quickly, and should be checked and replaced as necessary. Manufacturers want to sell printers, they are not made by Dodge, and will not last forever. Regular maintenence is a responsibility ofthe user, even if you have a maintenance contract, you, have to be proactive. Observation is the key.

[franklin]

Thanks MichaelTech.

-Franklin

[cs_steve]

A couple more things you should keep in mind:

-- page counts are not a very reliable benchmark for judging a printer's condition for one very big reason : page counts can be easily reset on most HP laser printers. We have seen instances where the advertiser rolled back the page count on a used printer, like someone adjusting the mileage on a car . It is a dishonest selling practice , unless the seller has truly completely rebuilt the printer and wants to set the counter back to an even zero.

If you're intent on buying a used printer instead of a refurbished printer or new printer, the best thing to do would become familiar with what you're looking at so you know it's condition based on the wear & tear of the parts that generally wear out (fuser lower & upper rollers, feed rollers, separation pads, transfer rollers, gears, toner drum).

Better yet, get a refurbished one that is "used" but has fuser , pickup rollers, feed rollers, separation pads, gears replaced. If the refurbers do it right (like we do at PrinterTechs) items like exit assemblies, pivot gears, fuser flags, etc. are all addressed and the printers come with warranties so you don't have to worry about it being "used."

[franklin]

Thanks cs_steve.

-franklin