Tossing HP *grr*
Discussion
Having brought my last ever HP printer (was a die hard HP fan), I'm in a pickle. I need to find a printer manufacturer who is just as good but doens't bloody insist I install 500Mb of software just to bloody print!.
Just brought a Multifunction LJ2840 which I was under the impression was able to cope with Scanning to email and network folders - something you'd expect for something worth £550.
But oh no, you can get it to network print, but it buggers the Scanning which insists that you have to have a dedicated pc on all the time for this to work!
What a wanky design.
Anyhow, HP has been getting worse over the last couple of years, what with their in-built year life (and then mysteriously stops working) and their wanky software (oh I pine for the days of LJ4Ns);
I need someone to recommend a manufacturer who:
1. Produces rugged and long lasting kit
2. Decent simple driver support
3. Doesn't cost the earth
Anyone care to help?
Just brought a Multifunction LJ2840 which I was under the impression was able to cope with Scanning to email and network folders - something you'd expect for something worth £550.
But oh no, you can get it to network print, but it buggers the Scanning which insists that you have to have a dedicated pc on all the time for this to work!
What a wanky design.
Anyhow, HP has been getting worse over the last couple of years, what with their in-built year life (and then mysteriously stops working) and their wanky software (oh I pine for the days of LJ4Ns);
I need someone to recommend a manufacturer who:
1. Produces rugged and long lasting kit
2. Decent simple driver support
3. Doesn't cost the earth
Anyone care to help?
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:34
BliarOut said:
Use one of the smaller drivers
I did (using the generic PCL6 and PS drivers) - I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Stupidly there is a configuration onboard to set SMTP server for error emails !@£"("*£!!!
Bloody thing is going back - Advertised as a workgroup multifunction device but is anything but...
pdV6 said:
AIUI, low-end printers are relatively cheap these days precisely because most of the nifty functions are offloaded to Windows, which kinda requires a PC in the loop.
I feel for you, though.
I feel for you, though.
And the 4's were quality bits of kit
I don't see £550 as cheap for a low-speed LJ printer - having purchased their 4730 multi-functions I was assuming they'd be a cut down version...
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
pdV6 said:
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
Yep, but you shouldn't have to (you'd have to leave a user logged in all the time as it uses the clients email application) - how hard is it to write the embedded controller to handle this - all the other manufacturers do this at this price point.
No go using the Web Page or Telnet (no native Telnet as it's not even a real JetDirect)
Edited to add:
I spent an hour trawling through the support forums and it seems many others have been caught out...
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:48
neil_cardiff said:
pdV6 said:
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
Yep, but you shouldn't have to (you'd have to leave a user logged in all the time as it uses the clients email application) - how hard is it to write the embedded controller to handle this - all the other manufacturers do this at this price point.
No go using the Web Page or Telnet (no native Telnet as it's not even a real JetDirect)
Edited to add:
I spent an hour trawling through the support forums and it seems many others have been caught out...
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:48
neil_cardiff said:
FourWheelDrift said:
Always used Kyocera printers for work, never had any problems.
Thats what I was hoping for
- Driver Support good?Well the one's we used came in a box, the driver was installed, it worked. Can't remember ever installing or needing to install any updates. Must do I suppose but they always worked.
BliarOut said:
neil_cardiff said:
pdV6 said:
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
Yep, but you shouldn't have to (you'd have to leave a user logged in all the time as it uses the clients email application) - how hard is it to write the embedded controller to handle this - all the other manufacturers do this at this price point.
No go using the Web Page or Telnet (no native Telnet as it's not even a real JetDirect)
Edited to add:
I spent an hour trawling through the support forums and it seems many others have been caught out...
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:48
Haven't a problem with that in hindsight, however, I wish the bloody advertising was clearer...
:grr:neil_cardiff said:
BliarOut said:
neil_cardiff said:
pdV6 said:
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
Yep, but you shouldn't have to (you'd have to leave a user logged in all the time as it uses the clients email application) - how hard is it to write the embedded controller to handle this - all the other manufacturers do this at this price point.
No go using the Web Page or Telnet (no native Telnet as it's not even a real JetDirect)
Edited to add:
I spent an hour trawling through the support forums and it seems many others have been caught out...
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:48
Haven't a problem with that in hindsight, however, I wish the bloody advertising was clearer...
Any chance of hanging it off a rarely used server somehow?
_dobbo_ said:
neil_cardiff said:
LJ4Ns
now that was piece of kit. Ours only died a while back after something like 8 years and countless pages printed. It was the duplexer that died as well, for single sided it was still going strong.
*sigh* No wonder HP stopped making them - never made any moeny I bet...
BliarOut said:
neil_cardiff said:
BliarOut said:
neil_cardiff said:
pdV6 said:
neil_cardiff said:
I'd got the printer share all ready and it worked straight away - however the printer itself does not have an onboard configuration so that you can set SMTP server and Network Share for scanning - it's all done through the attached pc - thus making it NOT a networked printer...
Isn't it a case of attaching a PC, altering the configuration and then leaving it go on its own?
Alternatively, can't you configure it via its network port rather than having to physically connect a PC?
Yep, but you shouldn't have to (you'd have to leave a user logged in all the time as it uses the clients email application) - how hard is it to write the embedded controller to handle this - all the other manufacturers do this at this price point.
No go using the Web Page or Telnet (no native Telnet as it's not even a real JetDirect)
Edited to add:
I spent an hour trawling through the support forums and it seems many others have been caught out...
Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 15:48
Haven't a problem with that in hindsight, however, I wish the bloody advertising was clearer...
Any chance of hanging it off a rarely used server somehow?
If I can't return it then thats my last option - but it means I either have to have Outlook running on a DC (SBS2k3 environment - so a security no no) and all the crap software installed (and we know how *that* can
a server up), or build a basic workstation to sit in the corner - which I don't want to do. Edited by neil_cardiff on Thursday 15th June 16:03
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