Printers

[jean]

It doesn't, I'm afraid - the last step is always to print a Printer Status Report and if you can do that, everything is OK.

But I can do that, and it isn't.

[Stanfordian]

There should be a Government enquiry into the price of printer ink. It's downright scandal!

[Globaltruth]

This initiative from HP (not sure who else is doing it yet) seems to be a good way forward re reducing that cost as long as you know roughly how much you print per month...

http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/ads/instant-ink/eligible-printers.html

[jean]

That is no help whatsoever to me.

[Bryn]

That is no help whatsoever to me.

Is this printer still under guarantee? If so, you might need to do as several others seem to have done with HP products, and return it for a refund.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Bryn's link seems very comprehensive (sorry not read it in detail). If its not included, three steps I take is always to ensure I have the complete A4 sheets removed (if necessary matching up the pieces) otherwise I need to keep looking for stray paper scraps. (From bitter experience in the days of the office photocopier).

And to remove the plug at the mains, and while I'm at it at the printer, and then 3 minutes later power it up and see if the "fault" is cleared. Before I would think of returning it I would also wait until I had powered down the PC/laptop at the same time as powering down / then up the printer.
Thirdly (sorry no help to you at the moment) I always fan the stack of new paper to loosen the sheets - again from office days, I'm not sure if its misguided, but the belief being it averts jams from sheets that are slightly attached together and not being a single sheet, cause a jam.
Sorry if these steps are already part of what you have done, and best of luck with your printing.

[jean]

...you might need to do as several others seem to have done with HP products, and return it for a refund.

The number of false paperjam messages reported online by HP owners doesn't inspire confidence, it's true.

I know I haven't got a real paperjam, because I can print anything generated by the printer itself. But the computer won't believe it.

[jean]

I use an Epson EPL-6200 laser printer for black and white work, and a Hewlett Packard Photosmart 8250 for colour work. Previously I had a colour laser (HP) printer, but it was a disaster from the day it went out of guarantee.

Someone has just advised me to have nothing to do with HP but to go for Epson instead - yet Alpie's is the only mention of Epson on thins thread.

Does anyone have experience of this one?

http://www.staples.co.uk/inkjet-printers/cbs/428291.html?promoCode=300300666&Effort_Code=WW&Find_Number=428291&cm_sp=W15_02_105_12UK-_-u_ad_02_link_url

[Cockney Sparrow]

We have a workforce pro 3530, which looks similar to the one you cite - ours is reasonably trouble free. Some jams, and annoying "buy more ink messages" but not much more. If you do a lot of printing I saw advertised their "Eco Tank" model (you top up the cartridge/tank from a bottle of ink - I'm sure it all comes at a price).

But I speculate a lot of printers have maddening aspects like these messages and have paper jams. I read the Amazon and the like reviews and if a high proportion identify one particular deal braking problem, move on and look at others.

For non-photo, non A3 printing, Computeractive recommend the Canon Pixma MG4250. Printing and scans look good and not expensive to run - low print cost (although doesn't have separate ink cartridges). Not the fastest, so not suitable for heavy print runs, though.

(Hope this is of some help. Have to end now, as I have to go out......)

[Don Petter]

Printer threads come round every so often, and I usually add this observation in case it may be of help.

One advantage of HP printers over some (most?) other makes is that the print head is integral to each cartridge. So every replacement (except for a refill) gives you a new print head, rather than have this item wearing over the life of the printer.

I have always been happy with HP units, though have little experience of other makes.

[Dave2002]

Someone has just advised me to have nothing to do with HP but to go for Epson instead - yet Alpie's is the only mention of Epson on thins thread.

Does anyone have experience of this one?

http://www.staples.co.uk/inkjet-prin...ad_02_link_url

I don't know about that particular model, but I have had experience of Epson, Canon and HP. All have their idiosyncracies and problems, and those may also vary depending on what the printers are connected to and how they are connected. Is yours wireless or wired - perhaps both? For wired models sometimes just turning everything off, unplugging all the wires and then plugging them all back in and turning on works. Sometimes just turning them off then on works. Do you leave the computer on, or does that get turned off as well between attempts? It does sound to me as though a flag has been set, and not unset, hence you keep getting the reports about printer jams.

If all vaguely sensible things fail, then if you've only recently bought the printer, as I suspect, then take it back to the shop and say it's not fit for purpose - Sales of Goods Act stuff etc. Don't accept a replacement, get a refund and then take your time to choose another model. Actually I may be being a bit harsh about possible replacements - some suppliers will be good, and swap for a new one or a different model which works, but if in doubt I'd say getting your money back is the first step.

If bought on line, then distance selling regulations would allow you to send the item back at the supplier's expense within 7 or perhaps 14 days. Amazon are actually quite good about replacements and refunds on most occasions - but we don't know where you got your HP from so that might not be relevant.

[jean]

The printer is wired. I have unplugged everything I could, turned off the computer, deleted the printer, but I cannot fool it.

It is going back to Amazon tomorrow.

As for its replacement:

One advantage of HP printers over some (most?) other makes is that the print head is integral to each cartridge. So every replacement (except for a refill) gives you a new print head, rather than have this item wearing over the life of the printer.

I didnt realise that - but is it worth the enormous expense for each cartridge?

[Beef Oven!]

It doesn't, I'm afraid - the last step is always to print a Printer Status Report and if you can do that, everything is OK.

But I can do that, and it isn't.

https://nealpoole.com/blog/2011/03/clearing-a-fake-paper-jam-in-an-hp-printer/

[jean]

I found that - but the assumption is that there IS some paper in there, and I know there isn't in mine because the thing will print - just not from the computer. So I can't see how it would help!

[ahinton]

This probably won't help but I used a Xerox Phaser A4 colour printer faultlessly for years until a power surge took it out completely. "Should have had a UPS", I can hear someone saying. I did - and, ironically and embarrassingly, the power surge took that out as well! In addition I used a Konica A3 monochrome multifunction decide as I need to print out scores on A3 duplex; this was under a service contract (so no additional price for consumables) and was nothing but trouble. Since the deminse of my Xerox, I've substituted the Konica with a Xerox A3 monochrome multifunction printer and sacrificed the colour printing facility altogether as I wasn't using it much and this, too, has run almost flawlessly (it;'s also under a service contract, so no extra cos for consumables).