keenmaster486 wrote on 2023-03-30, 05:28:ARE there any good inkjets? Were there any at some point? Are they all that bad?
Yes, if you understand some limitations. The most important one is that injectors will fail if unused for a time, so any inkjet will fail if left unused for a few months. I recommend to print a colour page every week to keep the printhead in a good mood. HP printers usually have the injectors in the cartridge, Epson and Canon on a printhead, so they are easily (but not cheaply) fixable. Also, they have a waste container that is fixed to the printer (except on business printers and plotters) and once it's full, it's game over.
My favourites are HP Deskjet 5xx (very big ink cartridges, PCL, very reliable) and HP Deskjet 8xx/9xx (also PCL, usually parallel+USB). Avoid Epson and Canon (expensive printheads).
keenmaster486 wrote on 2023-03-30, 05:28:What were the best laser printers you've used and what would you recommend to someone looking to get into retro laser printers?
Everything HP built until Laserjet 5M/6M. I mean HP Laserjet II, III, 4 and I also recommend 4000, 4200 and 2000 series. Rugged, reliable... but big. Every one of those run PCL (and some are PS also), so it's easy to get them working in every OS / program even if you don't have drivers.
Lately I've been working with a bunch of Lexmark printers... they're also very reliable (but more modern and they don't have the same retro feeling), and most of them run PCL and PS. I'm thinking of keeping a E360d or E460dn as daily printer.
keenmaster486 wrote on 2023-03-30, 05:28:Are there any dot matrix printers that should definitely be avoided, and which ones stand out from the pack?
I guess that anything made by Epson or Star will have that "retro" feeling... better if you get a tractor and continuos paper.
Avoid like the plague any financial printer (any version of Olivetti PR2 / MB2 or those Wincor 4950). Although they're (somewhat) reliable, people sell them when are almost unusable. So you'll find pretty beaten printers that deserve to be retired.
keenmaster486 wrote on 2023-03-30, 05:28:Is there a "holy grail" retro printer of each type, in your opinion?
I guess not (they're pretty common), but the most retro things (by the looks) to have should be:
- HP Deskjet 500.
- HP Laserjet II, III, 4 (I like the 4 the most).
- IBM branded ones (or the first batch of Lexmark printers, when they were rebranded IBM ones).
- Any 80's Epson.
- Any 80's Star.
- Amstrad ones (if any has survived).
keenmaster486 wrote on 2023-03-30, 05:28:I also have an HP Deskjet 842c. There is no way to say it other than: it is bad. It jams constantly and the print quality is terrible. The original HP ink cartridges are discontinued, and the cheap Chinese replacements are very crappy. I do not recommend it except as a curiosity.
It's a shame that HP cartridges are discontinued, they're the key to get best printings. Also, I'd say that cleaning the rollers of the printer (with some specialized liquid) will get you out of those jams.
I have traveled across the universe and through the years to find Her.
Sometimes going all the way is just a start...
I'm selling some stuff!