Lexmark Optra Lx+ life expectancy and duty cycle

[jeromekeating]

Hi,

I have a lexmark optra Lx+ i bought used. If I hold the return button and the ready button together while turning on the power, i can get to the menu that shows me a permanent page count as well as a maintenance count, etc.

Permanent page count shows just over 50,000 pages. The "page count" which i assume is the number of pages printed since last maintenance, is the same number - i dont know if there was ever maintenance before i bought it and perhaps just not reset...

Anyway, i have a few questions.
1. is the permanent page count true? is there a possibility that the number could have been lowered like the odometer on a car?

The technical specs for the printer state a monthly duty cycle of 75,000 pages per month. We have had this much longer than a month and surely it is quite a bit older than that even.
2. How can I find out its overall life expectancy, or the life expectancy of the parts?
3. When is maintenance reccommended? Is it only based on number of pages or is maintenance also recommended after a certain time period?
4. Basically I'm trying to work out how much life is left in this printer and how much money should be spent on parts and stuff before we should buy a new printer (and perhaps sell this one for whatever it's worth).

Right now it's working perfectly - I only started wondering because we ran out of toner and the high-yield toner cartridge is like 400 bucks - we're going to get money for our old cartridge and geta new recycled one so ti will cost us very little but I'm wondering when it will be time to get a new printer, since I can get a decent laser printer for the price of one of these cartridges.

I checked the lexmark website but it's running really slow and i can't find anything. can anyone help me out?

thanks,

Jerome

[mattchall]

The Optra Lxi came out in '95. As long as it's properly maintanined, it should be good for 1,000,000 or so (although It'll be obsolete before then). If the logic board was replaced, then the true page count went with it. It is possible that 50k is the true count. I've seen lots of underutilized workgroup printers with low counts. Yes, you could get a new laser for the price of a cartridge, but it won't stand up to the use your Lxi was designed for; that's why it's cartidges cost what they do. Beware of cheap cartridges too. Some are just refilled, not rebuilt. You get what you pay for.