Laser All-in-one Suggestions

[ratdude747]

It seems my poor Dell 1600n Laser All-in-one (AIO) may be on it's last leg. While setting up one my workstations the other night, I saw an error that I've run out of network scan users... and as far as I can tell, there is no way to delete unused entries from the unit. Not a huge surprise considering that network scanning was a new patched mess back when this beast was built back in 2004 (heck, reading around, network scanning was a feature added in a firmware update ) Edit- YES, the original CNET review on it mentions the lack of network scanning... must have been one hell of a firmware hack to make that work. Or it was a feature not ready by product launch but finished later.

Unless somebody has a suggestion for resetting the network users list, I'm looking for suggestions on a good model (or series) of laser AIO's to look for. I'm probably going to aim for a used unit, as I don't have a ton of money to blow on this.

Needs:

• Laser unit- inkjets suck.
• networked, wired options preferred. Doesn't need to be gigabit (the 1600n is only 10/100 and does fine).
• rated for medium-heavy duty use. My wife uses the crap out of it printing for work.
• Has fax capability; once in a while I need it for fax
• Toner still available; one thing that sucks about the 1600n is that toner can be tricky to source.
• Network scanning capability- My wife and I both use it, and I don't want to get into the "Honey, where's my ****ing scan at???" game.
• Linux compatiblity- My 1600n is at the low end of this (there is a lexmark driver that works for print only, no network scanning support). Windows 7/8.1/10 compatibility is a must, and Mac OSX PPC support would be a plus (but not needed, the iMac G5 I still have in service may get replaced if I ever come across a newer all-in-one system).

Wants:

• Color Printing-not needed but I wouldn't mind making the jump to color laser printing
• 11x17 capability- I use it a lot at work and for printing schematics and the like. Not needed, but it would be handy
• Duplexer- might save on paper
• Multiple trays- I don't use my second tray, but if I went to 11x17 I'd then have a use.
• Sheet feeder- the one on the 1600n is dicky so I don't use it much, but flipping pages sucks
• Flat bed scan/fax- Sheet feeding receipts wastes paper and/or jams a lot. And every time I'm on the road for work, I have bajillion receipts to scan.

This doesn't need to be a massive copy machine sized unit (although one would work if I happened to score one). No rush as the systems that need network scanning already are in the system (but if I ever reinstall windows on them, I'm screwed).

Thoughts?

[stj]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

force a factory reset.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

force a factory reset.

Haven't found an option to do such yet... but I'll look again.

[stj]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Haven't found an option to do such yet... but I'll look again.

power up with different button combinations held.

[diif]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

There are plenty of printers that fit your requirements although A3 printers aren't cheap.
Do these instructions work to clear the printer ?

https://www.dell.com/community/Print...er/m-p/4427994

[Curious.George]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

It seems my poor Dell 1600n Laser All-in-one (AIO) may be on it's last leg. While setting up one my workstations the other night, I saw an error that I've run out of network scan users... and as far as I can tell, there is no way to delete unused entries from the unit.

How are "used" entries added?

Unless somebody has a suggestion for resetting the network users list, I'm looking for suggestions on a good model (or series) of laser AIO's to look for. I'm probably going to aim for a used unit, as I don't have a ton of money to blow on this.

There's usually some sort of "maintenance/administration" menu that provides a semi-god-mode. Once there, you may have to manually delete individual "users".

networked, wired options preferred. Doesn't need to be gigabit (the 1600n is only 10/100 and does fine).
rated for medium-heavy duty use. My wife uses the crap out of it printing for work.

Are you pressed for space? Perhaps consider separate devices to meet these needs. E.g., a printer that is fast enough/inexpensive enough to meet the wife's needs with a separate scanner for those needs?

Has fax capability; once in a while I need it for fax

Can you afford to "print-to-fax" or do you NEED to "scan-to-fax"? I.e., if the document that you are sending (or receiving!) is already available in electronic form somewhere on the network...

Toner still available; one thing that sucks about the 1600n is that toner can be tricky to source.
Network scanning capability- My wife and I both use it, and I don't want to get into the "Honey, where's my ****ing scan at???" game.
Linux compatiblity- My 1600n is at the low end of this (there is a lexmark driver that works for print only, no network scanning support). Windows 7/8.1/10 compatibility is a must, and Mac OSX PPC support would be a plus (but not needed, the iMac G5 I still have in service may get replaced if I ever come across a newer all-in-one system).

All of my printers sit on the network so I can PRINT anything I want by selecting the appropriate device.

My scanners are attached (SCSI) to small SBC's that I PXE-boot to run a scanner app under NetBSD. Then, I pull the resulting "image" (TIFF) into whichever machine is appropriate. As the SBC's are headless, there is already the requirement that I'm interacting with the scanner from some "remote" machine so just pull the output file onto that remote machine before powering down the SBC hosting the scanner.

The drawback, here, is that it takes ~30 seconds for the SBC to boot over the network BEFORE you can even begin to talk to the scanner.

Wants:

Color Printing-not needed but I wouldn't mind making the jump to color laser printing

I'd seriously reconsider that! I dumped my last two color printers (a solid-ink phaser and a toner-based laser) as it simply wasn't worth my time to keep them running. I can print better color by walking to the local Kinko's and waiting 5 minutes for them to run off whatever I need.

Instead, I concentrate on being able to economically print the sorts of things that see higher demand -- usually quick monochrome prints (via a low temperature laser).

11x17 capability- I use it a lot at work and for printing schematics and the like. Not needed, but it would be handy

I have one "tabloid" scanner. It sees very little use. For output, I find it easier to view a B-size drawing on a large monitor than to actually print it on paper.

Duplexer- might save on paper

The solid-ink phaser had a duplexor. As did the LaserJet 4M+. Both saw very little use -- not enough to justify the space they took up! Again, let someone else maintain a "quality" printer and spend your time/money on more productive things.

Multiple trays- I don't use my second tray, but if I went to 11x17 I'd then have a use.
Sheet feeder- the one on the 1600n is dicky so I don't use it much, but flipping pages sucks

All of my A-size scanners have sheet feeders. But, more often than not, I'm doing a single page and the feeder just adds another obstacle to that.

This doesn't need to be a massive copy machine sized unit (although one would work if I happened to score one). No rush as the systems that need network scanning already are in the system (but if I ever reinstall windows on them, I'm screwed).

Thoughts?

Consider setting up a tiny machine to just service the scanner and let *it* export the scanning service - in much the same way that I've done with my SBC's (I "need" the SBC's because my scanners are SCSI and finding a small PC that has a SCSI HBA is a non-starter; the SBC's allow me to add a HBA and get that functionality. If you're just confined to USB periperals, you'll have far more options!)

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

FYI- users are added when installing the network scan drivers on a computer. One selects a username and PIN at that point, which adds the user to the machine (or in my case, gives a max users error).

The max number isn't in the manual (I couldn't find it)... hell for all I know it just scans devices on the network that have a username and PIN, and the max users is 5 or some tiny number like that.

[diif]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Its 32 users max http://www.dell.com/support/article/...ppears?lang=en

[R_J]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

I found this, maybe it will help? http://www.dell.com/support/article/...inters?lang=en

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Its 32 users max http://www.dell.com/support/article/...ppears?lang=en

Thanks, will try that later.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Reviving, as my wife seems to have killed it while unjamming it. The roller set immediatly after the fuser and it's clips broke free. I was able to put it back together, but it still makes a nasty noise and detects a jam every time the paper hits that point. I must have broke something shoving the roller bar out of the way when re-installing the clips.

So, any brand suggestions (or ones to avoid)?

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Looking around, most of the color laser AIW's are out of budget or lexmark (which means no linux support).

I did see this:

https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/hs...520954101.html

That's (from what I can tell based on picture matching) a Color Laserjet CM1312NFI. Were those any good?

[Topcat]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

I've had wonderful luck with Lexmark laser (color or black)....and their drivers arent as shitpacked with crapware like HP tends to be.

[Curious.George]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

Looking around, most of the color laser AIW's are out of budget or lexmark (which means no linux support).

What is driving your concern for an AIO solution (instead of individual "appliances")? It seems like you will end up reducing the number of potential (and maintainable!) solutions (what happens when the printer/scanner dies? Do you then have an oversized scanner/printer that you keep while buying a replacement printer/scanner?)

As I said, upthread, we've been steadily shedding "capabilities" that we seldom use (color, > legal size printing, fax, etc.). I only keep our scanning abilities out of convenience (for legal/letter) and "day job" (color-calibrated scanner & monitor to prepare "camera-ready" artwork).

I long ago dumped the pen plotters and B-size printer; if I need to see an entire schematic, I drag it onto one monitor while working on another. And, I no longer create D and E size drawing sets!

The FAX machine was the latest to go. Most folks can accept email attachments. Or, FAX through an internet service. If push comes to shove, I can walk to the store/library and let them FAX dead trees for the spare change in my pocket.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

I've had wonderful luck with Lexmark laser (color or black)....and their drivers arent as shitpacked with crapware like HP tends to be.

Yeah, and their linux support is an April Fool's day joke. Ditto for Mac (as they both use CUPS for printing). HP and Brother have the best support from what I've seen.

What is driving your concern for an AIO solution (instead of individual "appliances")? It seems like you will end up reducing the number of potential (and maintainable!) solutions (what happens when the printer/scanner dies? Do you then have an oversized scanner/printer that you keep while buying a replacement printer/scanner?)

As I said, upthread, we've been steadily shedding "capabilities" that we seldom use (color, > legal size printing, fax, etc.). I only keep our scanning abilities out of convenience (for legal/letter) and "day job" (color-calibrated scanner & monitor to prepare "camera-ready" artwork).

I long ago dumped the pen plotters and B-size printer; if I need to see an entire schematic, I drag it onto one monitor while working on another. And, I no longer create D and E size drawing sets!

The FAX machine was the latest to go. Most folks can accept email attachments. Or, FAX through an internet service. If push comes to shove, I can walk to the store/library and let them FAX dead trees for the spare change in my pocket.

My wife and I still need FAX once in a while (mainly for her work). Network scanning is nice as that means no dependency on finding flash drives or moving files between computers. Also, my office at home is a bit cramped, so unless I nuked my printer cart and built some shelf contraption, I'd run out of space. And I don't want to have to run someplace during "business hours" just to print or FAX something...

I don't need a pen plotter or the like... heck, 11x17 (as a really low priority "want") is only because it works better for printing schematics and the like (if I'm crawling in something, a monitor on a desk doesn't really help me. I do more than just stuff on the bench). But network scanning, printing (preferably color), and faxing are things that I really will use.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

I can vouche from Brother, at least the one I have, the MFC-L8850CDW. Excellent Linux support. Wireless, wired, etc. Even supports WPA2-Enterprise, if you're worried about someone hacking your wireless network.

I'm going to write a how-to and post it here on how to setup a WPA2-Enterprise (aka, RADIUS server) with instructions on how to set it up in Linux or Windows (depending on which way I go), and how to add users, connect via Linux and Windows.

To my knowledge, Enterprise is the only secure type of WPA2 that has no known attack methods.

My brother supports (in Linux), remote faxing capabilities, scan to PC (just scan at the scanner, my Linux PCs are "registered" on the machine during setup, the ability to manage the interface from a web browser, the ability to add a self-signed or a legitimate SSL certificate, etc, etc.

It's colour, and laser. Very nice if you ask me. I believe they have newer versions now, can't say I have any experience with any brothers minus the one I have. But if I had to do it all over again, I would.

I have a 25$ off Staples code if you need it. NewEggBusiness has an up to 50% off special, that seems to include certain AIO's, if you're interested. Let me know.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

^No for WPA2 if the printer is connected by Cat5E. That's the other thing, I'd much prefer wired over wireless, since I already have LAN (and a 24 port gigabit switch) on the printer cart.

Also, I'm mainly looking at used units, as most of the new ones "in budget" are throwaway garbage as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to push my budget just to buy a brand new shiny turd. Just my opinion.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

^No for WPA2 if the printer is connected by Cat5E. That's the other thing, I'd much prefer wired over wireless, since I already have LAN (and a 24 port gigabit switch) on the printer cart.

Also, I'm mainly looking at used units, as most of the new ones "in budget" are throwaway garbage as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to push my budget just to buy a brand new shiny turd. Just my opinion.

It supports WPA2, even enterprise, but does not mean you need to use WPA2, you can simply use the ethernet port, or USB cable, depending on what model and make you go for. With us, it's because of location that we use wireless. One of these days, I might hard wire it, but I like where it is right now, so it comes in handy. Once we setup the RADIUS server, I'll connect to that, so it should be secure.

For example, the one I listed, the one we have, the Brother MFC-L8850CDW is more for business use. It's a colour laser. It's a bit higher quality and maybe not what you need. I don't know about their cheaper models, but I know this one is nice. We got it for sale during some special (maybe Black Friday?)

It supports wired ethernet, wireless (even RADIUS server), fax from PC, fax to PC, contacts, USB, Linux, MacOS, Windows, scan to PC, scan from PC, etc, etc. The one thing I really like about this printer is the Cloud Print feature. It supports a few different programs, but Google Cloud Print we like the best. We have to configure it once, and we can print from our cell phones, tablets, etc. That's actually been a nice feature, especially at night, when I'm in bed, reading something on the cell, and want to print something for the morning.

It supports SNMP, and if there's a problem, it sends us a text message. I personally like the Linux support. I went through a lot of HP inkjet's (wireless ones) hoping to find a good Linux one, but the only thing we could ever do was print wirelessly. We bought wireless print servers, that supposedly supported our model printer, and worked with Linux, but after opening it, only print support.

Not sure how much these run for now-a-days or what your budget was. I think we paid around 500$ and it came with full toner, not the trial sized ones. It's treated us real well and we do what I'd consider a fairly large number of print jobs. We print I'd say at least once a day, and we still haven't had a need to replace the toner. We're about half way through the black though.

It doesn't do the best quality with pictures, but I don't think laser's are really meant for pictures. I think something like an inkjet would be better suited if you're looking for high quality photo prints.

Kodak still use print heads on their inkjets, but they give them to you free of charge. We had a few Kodak's that were given to us and needed to replace the print heads. Called them up, they fedex'd them right out, without us paying a penny. Over night too, which was nice. But I wasn't impressed at all with the two Kodak ones we had.

Let us know how you make out and what you decide to go with. As always, it's never a bad idea to search for 3rd party reviews on the net before you make your final purchase.

Staples has a 50% off sale on certain Lexmark's right now:
http://spotlight.staples.com/lexmarkprinters

Haven't used one, but maybe you could find a deal there. It seems ebay want's a hell of a lot for the MFC-L8850CDW, even used! They want used, what we paid new from staples, for it!

[ratdude747]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

^ No inkjets. Also, no lexmark (as mentioned previously) as when they went away from using postscript drivers in the early 2000's, linux and mac compatibilty (same thing) ceased to exist. AFAIK that hasn't changed in recent years, but I stand to be corrected. They make a good product, but it's not for me.

That said, I did buy a Brother HL-2270dw for $6 at goodwill today... but that's for the garage, not for the office. Needs toner too.

[Curious.George]

Re: Laser All-in-one Suggestions

My wife and I still need FAX once in a while (mainly for her work).

But, is she faxing "paper" or paper-that-she-just-printed (from her computer)? In the latter case, there are many "internet fax services" -- including some that will fax "for free". Or, a FAXmodem that can connect to your PSTN in some out-of-the-way room/closet/basement and you then "print-to-FAX".

I just got tired of having to fiddle with the damn thing as I used it so infrequently (instead, I'd just email attachments -- which allowed me to also include data files, encrypt the binaries, etc.)

Network scanning is nice as that means no dependency on finding flash drives or moving files between computers.

Yes, but it also means finding a scanner (and drivers!) that supports that functionality -- in addition to the FAX and print capabilities.

I have some small diskless computers (1GHz x86's) with a single PCI slot that I've stuffed with a SCSI HBA (my scanners are all SCSI/USB). I PXE boot a NetBSD image to them. Then, run a scanner app on the (headless) box to do little more than capture the scan to a disk drive "local" to that DISKLESS computer (i.e., the scan gets saved on the disk of whatever computer I happen to NFS/CIFS-map to /MyScans). In this way, I can run damn near any OS on my "host" and still have access to the scanner output -- because the code that controls the scanner is NOT running on the host that I am likely using.

Granted, its a bit more hi-tech than a turn-key solution but I find it far more "portable". I don't have to worry that Windows N+1 will no longer support my scanners (I have 2 legal w/ADF, 1 ledger and 1 "film" scanner).

Also, my office at home is a bit cramped, so unless I nuked my printer cart and built some shelf contraption, I'd run out of space.

That's always a concern. You can't imagine the amount of shit^H^H^H good stuff I've got crammed into my office! But, I make judicious use of the floor space under the 17 x 3 ft work surface.

E.g., there are four towers crammed under there along with 5 1500VA UPS's, 2 scanners, 4 15-disk shelfs, 2 DSO's (and my bootleg vinyl collection ). Oh, and the 24 port switch that services them.

This leaves the work surface free for the 8 24" monitors, 2 SFF workstations, 6 keyboards (3 in "drawers" under the surface), digitizing tablet (CAD/EDA), space ball, B-size plotter, one of the logic analyzers, stereo microscope, film scanner, the tiny one-slot PC's mentioned above and my Unisite. And, a pair of "LCD TV speakers" (on either side of the central 2x2 monitor array) -- gotta have my tunes!

[You don't want to know how many power cords I have plugged in, there! And, running new network cabling -- secured to the underside of the benches -- is a royal nightmare without moving all of that kit!]

Yeah, if I want to use one of the legal size flatbed scanners, its a PITA (I'm getting too old to be bent over trying to line things up on the scanner glass). So, for small jobs, I have a sheet-fed scanner next to "this" computer (and a laser printer under its table -- poor man's photocopier!)

My point is, you can usually adjust your equipment placement to reflect your usage priorities. For example, the 24/7/365 box that runs my DNS, TFTP, font, print, etc. services sits under one of my dressers in the bedroom. The 30 inch monitor for my multimedia authoring workstation sits atop it -- so I can use it to watch movies in bed if its not being used to author a presentation. I.e., it is one of the lesser used workstations so doesn't deserve "prime real estate". Yet, I want to be able to power it up and be using it at a moments notice (even if I have to access it remotely from a machine in the office).

OTOH, the Phaser and LJ 4m+ saw such sporadic use that I discarded them and used the space freed up for a file server and attendant UPS. My "local" color printing capabilities are now constrained to color photographs.

And I don't want to have to run someplace during "business hours" just to print or FAX something...

The fax I addressed above. And, most service bureaus have long hours so you print/FAX after "normal" business hours. (I think most close around 9P, here).

I don't need a pen plotter or the like...

I used to make large drawings -- D & E size sheets. So, having a pen plotter was a blessing (trying to print it on A/B size meant you needed a MICROSCOPE to read the signal names and component values!). But, I progressively moved to smaller and smaller sheet sizes (first C, then B... now I try for A in many cases). This is a lot more practical, now, because there are much higher levels of integration available in components (16KB of EPROM would have filled a C size sheet!). As a result, you don't have to chase down as many off-page signals to have a complete understanding of a subsystem ("Hmmm... where does RAS0n originate?")

heck, 11x17 (as a really low priority "want") is only because it works better for printing schematics and the like (if I'm crawling in something, a monitor on a desk doesn't really help me. I do more than just stuff on the bench).

Good point. I'm usually assembling/debugging a prototype of something I've designed. So, I only need space for the actual PCB on my work surface. With the schematic on one monitor and the PCB artwork on another, I can select signals on the schematic and they are highlighted on the PCB layout, nearby. Another monitor lets me view a particular data sheets while the fourth lets me type notes to myself (or to the folks who will eventually be building the things). If I find a mistake in the design, I can just enter the schematic editor on a new copy of the original file and make those changes while I work -- no notes to transcribe from printed schematics.

By contrast, when I'm troubleshooting someone else's product (e.g., a TV), I rely on print schematics and red felt tip markers to keep track of what I'm "discovering" -- even if I have the schematics available on disk!

If I'm preparing printed documentation and including a B-size (fold-out) drawing, I have a local printshop/service bureau produce the final copy, along with the rest of the material as they can print higher quality photos (on regular paper) than I ever could!

But network scanning, printing (preferably color), and faxing are things that I really will use.

I guess I'd still suggest reexamining what you need, where, and if there might be a way you can fudge some constraints to give yourself more leeway in the product offerings available. I've tried hard to cut the cord to Microsoft -- at least in terms of support for peripherals -- as I'm tired of having to wonder how to make device X work with Windows N+1. The older HP lasers were a win in that regard... no "fancy" drivers needed! And, easily supported under the *BSD's!