OT: Old Lexmark Optra 40 Color Printer

I've had this for some time but it's been idle -- haven't printed a color page in years but have some current graphics would like to make some prints of...anyway, brought it back upstairs from storage and started to clean up the dust bunnies and all to put in new cartridges, etc., ...

There are three loose little leaf spring-like pieces that clearly(?) are part of the paper guide that were loose inside; looks like they simply fell from where they belong at some time when it was placed in a non-upright position. For the life of me, it's been so long since used it I don't recall where they were and I can't figure out exactly how they did go. There are three areas obvious, two for handling full 8-1/2 width and the third to handle narrow stock by spacing but just how they went escapes me.

Know it's an extreme outside chance anybody here has one of these or remembers one well enough to help but thought I'd take a chance't...

I did a fair amount of googling and looking on Lexmark site last evening but no joy in finding mention of these puppies, unfortunately, and no pictures nor drawings that could pick 'em out on...

Reply to
dpb
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There's an active printer ng too. comp.periphs.printers

Reply to
micky

IDK know about the springs, but I hope you either have the new cartridges or have checked the prices and can get them cheap. Those things are so expensive that with an old printer it might be better to just buy a new cheap printer.

Reply to
trader_4

Hi,

+1 Long time ago my first ink printer was Lexmark, cartridge price was high compared to other brand. By now the print head might be all caked up and it'll be lot of work to revive it. Printers are always cheap, they make money selling ink cartridges. Our Canon MP990 is WiFi and it's been trouble free for many years, when kids were in school they beat the hell out of it but still prints, scans, copies w/o any problem. Very good photo printer as well. Since day 1 this printer was never turned off. Maybe that is the reason it still works well.
Reply to
Tony Hwang

On 11/15/2014 10:05 AM, trader_4 wrote: ...

I've considered it but don't envision I'll print much color going forward, either so it looks to be roughly the same or a little cheaper w/ the cartridges for the Lexmark.

I've got three various-aged inkjets and they've all suffered the same fate of being relegated to the corner as just never got used enough to keep them working. The Lexmark is the newest and is quite nice actually when it's working...

What I'll likely do if do go newer is the cheaper-end color laser as they're getting to be not that bad entry and the toners, while expensive, don't have such short shelf life as the inks...

Reply to
dpb

I don't know how old that is, but even if you can find drivers for it, it's probably not worth it. A newer printer will do a much better job. My current printer is an Epson printer/scanner/copier. $80. Epson is very sleazy in that they won't allow me to print without what they consider to be full cartridges. There seems to be a timer function. It actually won't allow me to print when it decides I need to spend more money on ink, even though it's still printing fine. On the other hand, my last printer was HP and that ink was more expensive. They're all sleazy in that they sell the printers cheap and the ink high. But that's also why you should just buy a new printer. Buying new, with the limited cartridges that come with the printer, can be almost as cheap as just buying ink. But make sure there are drivers for your PC. Some new ones might not support XP. Your old one might not support XP and later.

"dpb" wrote in message news:m47re9$nup$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me... | I've had this for some time but it's been idle -- haven't printed a | color page in years but have some current graphics would like to make | some prints of...anyway, brought it back upstairs from storage and | started to clean up the dust bunnies and all to put in new cartridges, | etc., ... | | There are three loose little leaf spring-like pieces that clearly(?) are | part of the paper guide that were loose inside; looks like they simply | fell from where they belong at some time when it was placed in a | non-upright position. For the life of me, it's been so long since used | it I don't recall where they were and I can't figure out exactly how | they did go. There are three areas obvious, two for handling full 8-1/2 | width and the third to handle narrow stock by spacing but just how they | went escapes me. | | Know it's an extreme outside chance anybody here has one of these or | remembers one well enough to help but thought I'd take a chance't... | | I did a fair amount of googling and looking on Lexmark site last evening | but no joy in finding mention of these puppies, unfortunately, and no | pictures nor drawings that could pick 'em out on... | | --

Reply to
Mayayana

To keep it from caking up, I've been making a point to print a color page at least every two months. I barely use my Epson Workforce 645, yet I'm already running out of ink. (I have a small old laser printer for black and whilte.) Do you think I could go 3 or 4 months without printing on the Epson, and still not have the ink dry up?

Also, can Epson cartridges still be refilled by me?

Or do I have to buy new cartridges?

Yes, like Gilette razor blades. (Of course now they've suckered people into buying both new blades and new razors.)

Hmmm. I wonder. Mine is wireless too and two floors up. I have to leave it on or climb 2 flights when I want to print. But maybe it's good to stay on.

Reply to
micky

Hi, Yes, stand-by power consumption is fraction of a Watt.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Doesn't laser toner last forever, until it's used up?

I went to the dentist and in the hall in front of his office was a printer. I asked if I could have it and if it worked and someone there said yes and yes.

So far, I've only printed the test page. I think he'd printed 10,000 or more pages already, so I don't think it was very wasteful to get a new printer when this one still works. I think he got a whole new setup. (Yes, that was why they had to hunt to get my old recoords.)

It's bigger than the Samsung ML-4700, but the ink in that won't last forever.

Reply to
micky

The big advantage of ink-jet printers was that they were and are cheaper, but they're not cheaper than laser printers you get for free.

Reply to
micky

To keep it from caking up, I've been making a point to print a color page at least every two months. I barely use my Epson Workforce 645, yet I'm already running out of ink. (I have a small old laser printer for black and whilte.) Do you think I could go 3 or 4 months without printing on the Epson, and still not have the ink dry up?

Also, can Epson cartridges still be refilled by me?

Or do I have to buy new cartridges?

Yes, like Gilette razor blades. (Of course now they've suckered people into buying both new blades and new razors.)

Hmmm. I wonder. Mine is wireless too and two floors up. I have to leave it on or climb 2 flights when I want to print. But maybe it's good to stay on.

Reply to
micky

Not an issue; it was used on this machine previously, just set aside when quit the consulting gig and had no need for the color--use the networked laser for everything else...

Reply to
dpb

On 11/15/2014 9:28 AM, dpb wrote: ...

*UPDATE*

OK, I got the light out and started really digging into the thing -- turns out that apparently it was grossly abused sometime during the time in storage--can only surmise perhaps grandkids at some point decided to mess with it.

I thought it peculiar these would have come loose on their own; the brackets holding these springs are all three broken and the remaining plastic pieces are amongst the missing. Looks like it's dustbin material for sure w/o any further messing around. Fortunately, I hadn't actually bought any new cartridges as yet so not out anything but a little time digging.

Reply to
dpb

Just as well, 98% of printers that have been sitting around unused for several years are clogged beyond repair.

Reply to
philo 

Except for the HPs and others like them that have the printheads integrated inrto the cartridge. They could sit 10 years - pop in new cartridges and away they go,.And the Optra 80 falls into that group. New ink cartridge means new print head in the same unit - so "no problemo"

Reply to
clare

Has drivers for XP but not Win7

Reply to
clare

That seems to be a darn good idea.

Reply to
philo 

And that $400 printer is better and faster now and only cost $59.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

philo  wrote: ...

sometimes i've had good luck unclogging ink cartridges by dunking them in hot water for a while or using a q-tip and alcohol. much faster than trying to let the printer head cleaning routine go through paper and cycles and still not get very far...

songbird

Reply to
songbird

Immaterial--it's now residing (along w/ the even older HP inkjet) at the bottom of the dumpster...

Reply to
dpb

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