Laserjet 4 or 5?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alan
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A

Alan

I'm considering buying either an HP LaserJet 4 or 5.
I can get an HP4 very cheap, or an HP5 for about twice that, but still
affordable.

I know the specs say the 5 is a little faster, which isn't a real
concern for me.
I do print 100+ pages on occasion, but 8ppm is fine.
The only real feature difference I see is power-saving, which the 4
doesn't have.

Is the HP5 noticeably better than the HP4 in any way? More (or less)
reliable?
 
Alan said:
I'm considering buying either an HP LaserJet 4 or 5.
I can get an HP4 very cheap, or an HP5 for about twice that, but still
affordable.

I know the specs say the 5 is a little faster, which isn't a real
concern for me.
I do print 100+ pages on occasion, but 8ppm is fine.
The only real feature difference I see is power-saving, which the 4
doesn't have.

Is the HP5 noticeably better than the HP4 in any way? More (or less)
reliable?
Click to expand...


You've missed out from your considerations the L/J 4 Plus, which
prints at the same speed as the L/J5.
Both the L/J 4 and L/J 4+ can be had for peanuts these days, and the
L/J5 for little more. Don't consider the L/J4 - your choice must be
between the L/J4+ and L/J5, which seem to differ little technically.
But the L/J4+ (almost identical to the L/J4 in appearance) has rather an
"old fashioned" look: the L/J 5 looks thoroughly modern, and almost for
that reason alone I'd be prepared to pay the very little extra for that
model.
The build-quality of all these printers is first-class, and many
hundreds of thousands of copies can be expected. You may (or may not)
know that a "P" after the model number signifies that has (or had
originally) a Postscript SIMM inside, and "N" a network card. Network
cards for these can be picked up very cheaply.
 
The build-quality of all these printers is first-class, and many
hundreds of thousands of copies can be expected. You may (or may not)
know that a "P" after the model number signifies that has (or had
originally) a Postscript SIMM inside, and "N" a network card. Network
cards for these can be picked up very cheaply.
Click to expand...

It's worth noting that a Laserjet 4M, or 4M+, is the same as a 4, or 4+,
but it has (a) a PostScript SIMM and (b) a network card. These may well
still be installed. A test print page will show the configuration.

(the M was because they were intended for Macintosh systems that needed
PostScript, and AppleTalk (included on the network card along with
Ethernet)).
 
Alan said:
I'm considering buying either an HP LaserJet 4 or 5.
I can get an HP4 very cheap, or an HP5 for about twice that, but still
affordable.

I know the specs say the 5 is a little faster, which isn't a real
concern for me.
I do print 100+ pages on occasion, but 8ppm is fine.
The only real feature difference I see is power-saving, which the 4
doesn't have.

Is the HP5 noticeably better than the HP4 in any way? More (or less)
reliable?
Click to expand...

As the other responder said the LJ4+ is a better buy than the LJ4, although the
engines in all three printers look identical there are in fact some differences
but they are all built to the same high standards. If you are looking at
specific printers see if you can get a page count (configuration page), lower
the better of course.
Tony
 
Bob said:
It's worth noting that a Laserjet 4M, or 4M+, is the same as a 4, or
4+, but it has (a) a PostScript SIMM and (b) a network card. These
may well still be installed. A test print page will show the
configuration.

(the M was because they were intended for Macintosh systems that
needed PostScript, and AppleTalk (included on the network card along
with Ethernet)).
Click to expand...


Thanks for the correction, Bob. Of course it's "M" that tells of
the presence of a Postscript SIMM within these machines: a L/J4P is
quite different, uses a totally different print engine, and is better
avoided.
 
Thanks for the correction, Bob. Of course it's "M" that tells of
the presence of a Postscript SIMM within these machines: a L/J4P is
quite different, uses a totally different print engine, and is better
avoided.
Click to expand...

Actually, I wasn't correcting you (I thought you were referring to the
HP part number, e.g. C1234). But since you mention it...!
 
Thanks for the correction, Bob. Of course it's "M" that tells of
the presence of a Postscript SIMM within these machines: a L/J4P is
quite different, uses a totally different print engine, and is better
avoided.
Click to expand...

Thanks to both Bob & DB.
Actually, I know about the M, P, L, N codes. I now have a 4M, but it
appears to have a dying power supply, which would cost more to fix or
replace than upgrading the whole printer. I want to keep with the EX
cart, as I can get these very cheap, so I don't want a 4P or 5P. The
SIMM RAM and network cards are compatible with 4, 4+ or 5, though the
PS SIMM isn't, but I can get a new one.

I've looked up all the features, it's reliability that's key for me,
which is why I was canvassing for opinions. It takes me all day to go
to town and bring back a printer, whether it's buying or repair, and
these are not fun to drag around without a car.
 
Actually, I know about the M, P, L, N codes. I now have a 4M, but it
appears to have a dying power supply, which would cost more to fix or
replace than upgrading the whole printer. I want to keep with the EX
cart, as I can get these very cheap, so I don't want a 4P or 5P. The
SIMM RAM and network cards are compatible with 4, 4+ or 5, though the
PS SIMM isn't, but I can get a new one.
Click to expand...

Look around for a used 4M! One that works but perhaps noisy or whatever.
Use the PSU and then keep whatever other bits are worth it for the
future.

Last two 4+ machines cost me (in your money) about $10 the pair...!
Local pickup, from eBay!
 
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