HP 4050TN Reliability??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Kos
  • Start date Start date
B

Bob Kos

Hi All:

I have come into a free-to-me HP 4050TN Printer. It is a salvaged unit. I
have no history on it other than the following:

- A test page that was jammed in the unit shows 700000 page count.
- The same test page shows history errors 13.20.30 & 13.5.30.
- The same test page shows maintenace is now due.
- The toner is completely missing so functional testing cannot be done by me
at this time.
- The unit does seem to power on but halts due to the MIA Toner Cartridge.

My question - are these printers a good sturdy design? Is it even worth a
$40 gamble on a cartridge to see what happens? If it were an older HP, I'd
probably go the gamble. I don't know about the newer models. Any advice
appreciated.
 
Bob Kos said:
I have come into a free-to-me HP 4050TN Printer. It is a salvaged unit. I
have no history on it other than the following:

- A test page that was jammed in the unit shows 700000 page count.
- The same test page shows history errors 13.20.30 & 13.5.30.
- The same test page shows maintenace is now due.
- The toner is completely missing so functional testing cannot be done by me
at this time.
- The unit does seem to power on but halts due to the MIA Toner Cartridge.

My question - are these printers a good sturdy design?
Click to expand...

Yes! If the print quality is okay, you can clear the maintenance
warning and keep printing. Maintenance kits consist of a new fuser and
rollers, and cost around $200. Easy to install.
Is it even worth a $40 gamble on a cartridge to see what happens?
Click to expand...

The low-capacity toner may be that cheap. C4127X high-capacity (10,000
pages) goes for around $130 for genuine HP.

Yes, it's worth the gamble. These printers are substantially nicer than
the old LaserJet 4/5 models: instant-on fusers, fast PostScript (clone),
and the "TN" indicates that printer should have two 250-sheet trays and
a network card. A 600N EIO network card is worth maybe $100 by itself.
If it were an older HP, I'd probably go the gamble. I don't know
about the newer models. Any advice appreciated.
Click to expand...

Find a toner recycling place and ask to borrow an "empty" C4127X
cartridge for testing. An empty cartridge will still have plenty of
toner for a few test prints.

If the printer works at all, it's worth keeping. Even if it doesn't
work, it could probably be repaired inexpensively.

Quick story: LaserJet 4050 was dropped upside-down from a height of four
feet onto a concrete floor. Crunch! Broken plastic case parts, smashed
top, scratched LCD, things did not look good. Just for fun, had one of
the minions plug it in and try a test page--which printed. Spent about
$100 for plastic case parts, and it now looks okay. Still waiting for
one backordered piece, but things are printed on it every day in the
meantime.
 
Warren Block said:
Yes! If the print quality is okay, you can clear the maintenance
warning and keep printing. Maintenance kits consist of a new fuser and
rollers, and cost around $200. Easy to install.


The low-capacity toner may be that cheap. C4127X high-capacity (10,000
pages) goes for around $130 for genuine HP.

Yes, it's worth the gamble. These printers are substantially nicer than
the old LaserJet 4/5 models: instant-on fusers, fast PostScript (clone),
and the "TN" indicates that printer should have two 250-sheet trays and
a network card. A 600N EIO network card is worth maybe $100 by itself.


Find a toner recycling place and ask to borrow an "empty" C4127X
cartridge for testing. An empty cartridge will still have plenty of
toner for a few test prints.

If the printer works at all, it's worth keeping. Even if it doesn't
work, it could probably be repaired inexpensively.

Quick story: LaserJet 4050 was dropped upside-down from a height of four
feet onto a concrete floor. Crunch! Broken plastic case parts, smashed
top, scratched LCD, things did not look good. Just for fun, had one of
the minions plug it in and try a test page--which printed. Spent about
$100 for plastic case parts, and it now looks okay. Still waiting for
one backordered piece, but things are printed on it every day in the
meantime.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll get a cartridge and see how it works.
 
Back
Top