Meindert Sprang wrote:
wrote in message
...

I suspect a BW laser printer is
a good choice because a toner catrridge will print far
more copies than a inkjet with a black cartridge.

Yep...... a LOT more printouts


And a LOT more current consumption. A laser printer can draw quite some
current which is needed for heating the fuser roll.

I qoute from the manual from my laser printer (Laserjet 2200):
Average consumption during printing: 400 Watt.
Minimum supply current for 110V models: 5A (a peak value during the short
period the fuser is heated).

Meindert


Dont forget that Laser printers use a very high voltage to transfer the
toner to the drum and then to the paper. Also the drum is fairly
sensitive to surface contamination. I would be surprised if you got
more than a fraction of the normal operating life from the mechanism and
also from the consumables with a high humidity level and microscopic
salt crystals in the air.

If you were going to use a laser, I'd recomend only using it in harbour
in fine weather, preferably with an offshore breeze, and also to stick
to brands where the drum is in the toner cartridge with the corona wires
so the minimum number of exposed high voltage parts need cleaning when
you replace the cartridge. (You are going to spend a lot of time
cleaning the transfer wire and its insulators though. Better learn how
to replace it and stock a coil of the stuff (very fine tugstan wire
IIRC) as well, they are rather delicate.) You'd need to keep it well
wrapped with a big fresh bag of silica gel in there the rest of the time.

Any inkjet which has a user replacable head is going to be far more
reliable on a boat. My preference has always been for the older models
of HP printers, I am not fond of the newer ones. Black inkjet
cartridges are easy to refill and if you stick to brands that have an
integral head, if you dont get a good enough result it doesn't break the
bank to put a new cartridge in. You need to know where waste ink from
head cleaning cycles goes, and how to clean out the waste tank as I have
seen many printers ruined by ink spillage during office moves. By the
time I got them to repair it was mostly too late. Unless you have
cleaned out the waste ink tank, never store an inkjet printer on its
side or on end and never leave them upsidedown. While you are in there
its worth wiping off the head capping rubber and the rubber head wiping
blade(s) for best print quality and maximum head life. Its also worth
smearing a trace of a good contact cleaner/lubricant on the contacts of
a new head or cartridge to control corrosion.

For anyone who hasn't guessed, part of my job used to be repairing
printers. I dont do many now they are so cheap you can treat them as
throwaway items.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
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