TJ said:
My HP Deskjet D1430 always switches itself on whenever I turn on AC
power to the whole computer system. This is a waste of electricity and
an annoyance.
The Windows software for my Deskjet 5650 contains a power-saver option
that will shut down the printer as if the switch had been used, after
the printer sits idle for a time. When I power back up, the printer is
still acting as if it is switched off.
[...snip]
Why not simply plug it into an outlet that has its own switch, like
If it is like my 5650, when it's in the "off" state, whether by printer
switch or by software, it can still be awakened by the computer without
using the switch. (yes, it's actually in a semi-off state, like a TV
that has a remote control.) If one uses the switched outlet solution,
one has to switch it manually.
My previous inkjet (Canon i550) was the same way, so I know exactly what
you mean.
If it's like my Officejet, the printer switch is a true "off" switch,
and the switched outlet would be superfluous.
This is a cheap printer (Deskjet D1430) and there's no software override
for the power switch. That would be okay with me except that whenever AC
power goes up, it starts up in "on".
What I think I'll do (unless someone has a better idea) is get something
like
http://cleantechnica.com/files/2008/11/8651zooma.jpg which is a
switch for one (ungrounded) outlet, to go between my UPS and this printer.
Thanks again, everybody, for your suggestions, and what they've inspired
me to research and discover!
Adam
"Cheap" probably has little to do with it. My Officejet was designed for
small-office duty. It's largish, rugged, and hardly cheap in its day.
The "cheap" version at the time was the PSC 2110 that I mentioned. Yet
neither of them had the same shutoff feature as the 5650. Instead, they
had a sort of sleep mode, which was as you describe. Personal
speculation is that the lack of it had something to do with the scanner
bulb, but I have nothing to really base that on.
However, I can tell you that for a while I ran the PSC without turning
the printer's switch off, but by switching everything off with a power
strip. Bad idea. Every time I powered up, the printer and scanner would
initialize. It is my belief that the practice led to the early failure
of the scanner bulb, due to the many start-up cycles, and that meant the
printer was gone, too. I now keep the Officejet switched off with the
printer switch unless I am going to use it, and I use it for "special"
jobs. For everyday, knocking around, throwaway stuff, I use the 5650.
In my case, the 5650 was the "cheap" printer. I picked it up at a
rummage sale for $1. It needed a power supply brick, which I found on
Ebay for $15. The Officejet was about $70 used, also on Ebay. Both
happened to based on the same print engine and cartridges as my
then-failing PSC, one of the reasons I selected them.
TJ
