Rant: Why fixing printers is shit

[The Dong]

Dave S wrote:
> Hi all,
> Time for a rant!

All hail the King of the Rant!

You could have spent all the time on this rant attacking the now 
'useless' printer with a bit more vigour. In these cases, pun intended 
most cringingly, I tend to break plastic in order to open things. An 
angry kick usually works wonders ;)
The cracks can usually be mended with either epoxy/super glue or that 
and a clever combination of bended paper clips melted into plastic 
across the gap to strengthen.

These modern casings with no screws can usually be opened by pressing 
concealed tabs somewhere to undo clips. But they are difficult to find.
Sometimes it just needs a little bang on a flexi bit to pop a clip.
Designed by computer means humans are written off from figuring it out 
logically ;)

The most common thing I've seen with inkjet printers that f'ks them up 
is people putting things on top, like a bundle of papers, and the jumbo 
paperclip (insert bullclip or WHY method of holding papers together) 
falls into the top and next print tries to churn it through. 9 times out 
of 10 this is easily fixed and only rips off some guide cogs or 
something else removed by shaking the shit upside down, but the noise it 
makes could convince someone the printer was dead and switch it off 
permanently in a blaze of irrational user-fear. The good designs have a 
flap that closes the paper feed off when not in use, but even so....

Oh look, a greater woodpecker is outside my window! (it is!)
Heh. It loves my homemade fat balls ;)

I'm recommending the other halfs office dump all their cheapo inkjets 
and replace them all with one more expensive network/wireless colour 
laser printer (not that much more expensive these days). Simply because 
it means servicing and replacing toner/cartridges in only one slightly 
less annoying POS instead of 6 very unreliable P'sOS. If I had 10p every 
time I removed a paperclip or tried to unblock a gunked printhead I'd 
have enough to buy a sandwich and a chocolate bar with a choice of soft 
drink..

Spending 100+uk on a 'decent' inkjet is a completely false economy these 
days. They suck out of the box, then they suck lots of money in tiny ink 
cartridges that run out in a week, then they break when you breath wrong.

If I wanted a personal printer, I'd dump colour all together and just 
buy a B&W laser. It's cheap to buy now, cheap to run, fast and good 
quality prints and has other uses (like making PCB's for one)
You can't print CD's though (so what? Lightscribe?)

blea, blah, bleee ;)