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i have an all in one HP d135.
i have an HP Scanjet 4570c scanner.
they both have yet to receive Tiger updates.
i'll never buy another HP peripheral again.
suck.

We had an HP printer, and whenever we tried to print from Quark, it would print about 4% too small, though not exactly 4%, so we couldn't just set it to print at 104%. This made it impossible to print perfect CD labels. At MacWorld Expo, they assured us that the problem was fixed, so we bought an all-in-one, and guess what? Yup! Same problem! Then things got even better when we upgraded to OS X. We hadn't yet upgraded MS Word, so we used the classic version, but it couldn't print to OS X! It seems that when we installed the OS X printer drivers, it deleted the OS 9 ones, so we couldn't print from either booting in 9 or using classic. The instant scanning button has never worked. It's supposed to let you set what program you want to open the scan in and then scan and do it right from the printer, without starting it from the computer, but I guess it's a windows-only feature, 'cause it doesn't work and has never worked, so we have to use their lackluster scanning software which only recognizes the printer about half the time. Not to mention the drivers. It opens two copies of the program HP Director whenever you log in. One of them instantly vanishes, but one of them remains, and if you try to quit it, it unexpectedly quits and launches again about 5 minutes later.

In conclusion: HP Printers are the suck.

I have had bad luck with every brand. So far I think if it is a printer, it will suck.

I have a HP psc 1209, the first thing I did after installing the drivers was go into my start up items and remove all the HP stuff.

Mostly I just print with it and don't need to scan much.

I have an old HP DeskJet 935C and it is still a solid performer.

I think that your problem is more that you got one of those all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax/whatever systems. They seem like they should be a good deal (cheaper than buying each of the units separately plus taking up less desk space), but I've seen several of them just be awful trouble trying to get them to work properly (out-of-date drivers on the CD, updated drivers unavailable at the web site, incompatiblity with other parts of the computer, etc). My brother-in-law had one (a Cannon, I believe) which wouldn't work at all unless ALL of the drivers were installed properly, so when he gave up on getting the fax to work he still couldn't print.

I still like the idea of the all-in-ones, but I think I'll buy my (possible) problems one unit at a time.

I;ve always found HP to give good quality results when it comes to printers, copiers, etc.  Their ink cartridges are very expensive though, and drain quickly.

Lately I've been using Canon stuff, and not only are they, fast, quiet, give great results, the ink is not expensive, and lasts quite awhile.

I've been using the i960 and the i9900.  Each has separate cartridges for each color.  That way you only replace the ink you use, rather than those tri-color jobs that have to be replaced regardless.

The Canon's also use 2 picoliter droplets.  This makes for great detail, and low ink consumption.  I highly recommend you check them out.

Not saying the HPs are terrible, but they are louder, slower, and more expensive than the Canons, in my experience.

I have been using a HP6127 for a few years now, connected to a Mac 7300 that has a PCI USB card installed. It has been the most reliable printer I have ever used. This year I purchased an iMac G5, and connected the printer to it without installing drivers nor anything like that. It worked flawlessly as ever. What I did next was to access the printer software that came installed on the iMac, and performed a "Software Update" check. There was an update, so I installed it.

My son and I move the printer from one computer to the next, and haven't had a single problem.

All-in-one printers tend to suck, regardless of who makes them. I have several HP printers and they all work great.

And I concur with the advice that you shouldn't install "drivers" if you don't have to.

the printers are solid, but sometimes the drivers are lacking.

Deleted double post.

Last edited by Ra (2005-11-23 12:54 am)

big_red wrote:

I bought an HP all in one to replace an Epson inkjet that died. Hated it from day one. Had trouble getting it to recognize the scanner, it was loud doing everything, the colours were always off regardless of the program I printed from. I tried to sell it but no one wanted it. Now it sits in a box in the basement.
I've always had great results with Epson so I went out and bought the RX500 all in one. No problems with it at all. Worked perfect from the day I plugged it in. I still run an Epson Stylus Colour 740 that I got in 98 and I don't have any problems with it either.
Screw HP, buy Epson if you use a Mac

if you like clogged printheads, buy an epson.

I've been through all three of the major brands... Epson, HP, and Canon.

Epson:
My dad bought a Stylus 600 back in the day of 1996 or so. At the time, it was one of the best color inkjets on the market that could be had for a reasonable price. He ended up breaking it on his own when he moved the ink tank holders with his hands because it wouldn't move them (for a reason... the ink was full).

We replaced the SC 600 with a SC 900. Big beige thing from 1999ish. It kicks out the black and whites, let me tell you. I still use that one downstairs on my network. The thing is so big and pro-minded it has its own fan on the back. The ink tanks are huge. Drivers haven't been updated in forever but it works in both XP and Tiger, so I don't complain.

I also received an Epson SC 740i (the blue and white one) for Christmas one year when I had my Quadra 610. The parents bought it for me. I loved that printer. People have said they're unreliable and break a lot, but this one's been fine since I took it out of the box. Mom now uses it on her eMac to print hundreds of flyers for school functions (they pay for ink...), and it's a little slow but sturdy as can be, just keeps kicking 'em out.

HP:
My first printer was a DeskWriter. The original DeskWriter. It printed. That's about it. I could type things on my IIsi and it would print them in black and white. I was able to find a newer driver that upgraded me to grayscale

I've been through a few HP inkjets. It seems like their more professional models are the ones that last and work well. My school gave away all their DeskJet 950 and 960s. I took three 950s and two 960s to give to people with computers, and kept a 960 for a while. The 960 kicks 'em out. HP's pro ink tanks are teh huge-zors (have you ever seen an HP 45?) and last forever. The pro LaserJets are great too. My school has probably 40 LJ 4200s that replaced 4100s which were still alive and well.

I can't say the same about their home products however. My dad uses a DeskJet 5740, which came free with my iBook G4. It works nicely, but lately the thing prints with streaks. We've cleaned the heads, changed the ink, and it's not helping. He also has an OfficeJet 5510 that does the MFP thing well. It scans a little slowly, and prints a little slowly, but it works. HP Director is slow and buggy, and runs under Tiger (usuallly anyway). Now, though, the Officejet needs a new black tank. Dad bought the right one, we replaced it, and it tells us to please remove the cartridge and try again. So we'll see.

HPs are generally slower at printing than the others. Epsons take a bit every so often to clean the nozzles (once every 2 or 3 weeks, or if it's been unplugged), but then they go rather nicely.

Canon:
My only experience with Canon is my iP4000 Pixma photo printer. It's a five-color inkjet (regular 4 plus photo black) that is just great. It has two paper feed trays, so i keep one stocked with 8.5x11 and the other with 4x6 photo paper. There's a bult in duplexer to print on both sides of the page. Photos look amazing... people can't even tell I printed them on a computer. It's fast, and incredibly economical with ink. I bought it say, 6 months ago, and just replaced the ink in it. Each tank is individual, and I haven't had to replace the black ones yet. This is after printing around 100 photos plus other documents and posters/banners/etc.