Yeah, printers fail. Just like most computer equipment. Some manufacturer’s models fail way more than others. Some types of printers (COUGHinkjets!COUGH) are ridiculously bad most of the time, and way too expensive to operate.
If you want a good laserjet printer that’s dead reliable, get a Brother printer. I’ve had my Brother laserjet now for five or six years and it just works. Do not buy a fussy inkjet unless you absolutely need color for some reason, and even then consider a color laserjet first if you can afford it.
The better alternative is a thumb drive and a trip to the local library.
My preferred printer. Bonus: The library is full of interesting books that I can take home for free!
I’ve been in IT for decades and never love printers but man I can’t build enough rage to give a shit to break something like that. It boggles my mind people want to spend money to smash shit.
Hi, former printer service tech here.
Yes, laser printers are a right PITA to really clean out; as a service tech, I used a specialized vacuum cleaner that had a collection bag rated to trap the toner particles (a normal paper filter would not work) with a secondary fiberglass filter to protect the suction motor from getting toner ingested into it. between the paper dust and residual toner, they are messy creatures. Inkjets are just as bad- they have the same paper dust issue, but they also have a ‘wiping’ tank for the print nozzles, and those can overflow, which makes for a giant mess both inside and around the printer.
I have a story about why I ended up buying my own ‘toner safe’ vacuum, involving a unit that I checked out from the place I worked for and having it fart out a cloud of cyan toner when I tried using it at a customer’s site later that morning…
Surely an end-of-life printer could be pressure washed (after removing the reservoirs and cartridges) before smashing, with the particle carrying waste water being put through whatever disposal procedures the vacuumed collection goes through?
Where do rage rooms get their stock?
The road to Silicon Heaven is not easy.
I’ve had an HP Laserjet for at least sixteen years now, and it’s still fine. It’s claimed to be low on toner since I got it, but I’ve never got round to refilling it.
While you probably could, the collection bags went into trash bin, so trying to capture the micro-particles out of a wastewater stream would be a giant pain.
I have no idea where those rooms get their stuff, but I can posit that second hand stores, auction houses, and other such places would be likely.
“Password is incorrect. Try Again. And Again. Wait for 15 minutes. And Again.”
Looks around for smashable object.
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