This will be a brief straight to the point article concerning the best ink base printer for your needs.  first, from a repair stand point there is no question to which brand is most repairable and that is  Brother band. Why? Two reasons:  All the parts are available for the  Brother brand printers scanners copiers fax machines .  If you have a Epson , Canon,  or HP printer ink base machine you will find that there are not parts beyond the print heads and encoder stripe. When you call HP they will upgrade you for a fee if your HP printer copier scanner is out of warranty  or swap your printer while under warranty. second: Brother may times will extend your warranty FREE of charge is you call them and complain a it.

HP, Epson, canon and other brands will not.If you are a day over you are out of luck. However, with Brother is you have a image quality problem and you unit is a few months out of warranty they will 80% of the time repair the printer copier scanner mfc it for free! Now on the flip side of the issue may of the inkbased machines are very inexpensive so many people do not care once the warranty is over whether the manufacturer of the printer copier scanner will repair the unit or not.

the image quality of all the inkbased printers scanners copiers have greatly improved over the years. All brands offer good photo quality output.  I suggest that you tests several brands with your won image. Take a USB drive to the office store and have them test print your photo on 3 to 5 machines.  Try Brother, HP, Canon, Kodak and Epson brands and look at the ink costs too. Again remember all printers need repair eventually. If the unit is a low cost one then that may to be a problem. But if you are buying a higher end printer copier then repair maintenance is important. When comparing inks costs the yield is very important.  How many prints will it last? Estimate the per page cost and them make your selection.

There is always a debate whether to obtain a new full size copier printer scanner fax instead of a refurbished one. When you look in the lower end of the marked (Sub $1000 machines) it usually best to obtain a new copier printer or one that has less than 1 month duty cycle of pages. The duty cycle is defined as the maximum number of pages that the manufacturer the user should stay below each month.  Many new HP printers that are in the $1000 and above range have duty cycles of 200,000 pages or more.  The general rule of thumb is not to buy a used recondition HP printer copier scanner fax or any other brand that has more than 1.5 months of duty cycle so it will still have 5..7 years of very useful life.

If a used recondition HP 5035MFP, which is HP’s highest end black/white current model copier printer scanner, has over 340,000 pages then find another one. The HP 5035mfp is useful life designed for 4,000,000 (4 million pages) or more so we are talking about less than 10% of usage. Currently, the new HP 5035mfpxs cost $5,999.99 web pricing. However, you can obtain a quality use on for as little as $1995. That’s a giant savings!  The HP 5035MFPxs comes with the works: copier, printer, scanner, fax, stapler, 4+ drawers and rolling cabinet. Its designed for a small company of 5 to 12 people or a department level machine for large corporations.

Used recondition HP printer copier scanners of this durability will give you years of useful life. You may want to considered a printer maintenance program that includes everything except paper.  Printsolv and other PMS (print management systems) frees up your time by taking care of all supplies, repairs, parts and if you choose your vendor well it doe sit automatically so you do not need to chase for repairs or the supplies. If your are located in Florida  call Advanced Business Computers Inc. in Miami Florida for complete details and how to get the equipment at no cost when you select the Printsolv program. Currently they haev used reconditioned HP 5035mfp and other bands for quick delivery.

Along with the recent release of the Kyocera color FS-C2626MFD and the FS-c2526MFP, Kyocera release a new high end heavy duty lost cost to operate desktop model. The FS-3640MFP and the FS-3540 bridges the gap between the full size floor models Taskalfa series and the desktop printer copier scanners. Its designed to customers that do not need 11 x 17 size pages but require a heavy duty desktop with a floor model option with all the features of the larger machines.

Kyocera has always been the low cost to operate leader in the industry.  Their long life maintenance kits combined with toner cartridges that last 15,000 pages  gives them an edge over HP, Okidata, Lexmark and other brands.  Standard features of the Kyocera printer copier scanner fax include duplex (two sided copy, scan  and printing), true gigabit network connected, 50 page radf , 4.3″ user friendly touch screen control panel, print speed of 42 pages per minute, USB connection, scan to computer, scan to email, scan to network,  network print and much more.

The Kyocera copier printer scanner fax FS-3640 and FS-3540 only difference is the fax abilities. If you need a fax then choose the FS-3540 model.  It’s designed for people who have scan and distribute mission critical information to process and it is HyPAS ready for a company wide solution which use to be only available on the larger more expensive machines.

Security is a big issues when due to government regulations and client legal concerns. The Kyocera printer copier scanner fax comes with network used authentication integrated with a user-authentication adding more layers of functionality to improve security and accountability needs.  Ad than with the green approach of longer life maintenance kits and less intrusive toner supplies makes Kyocera the world leader in Eco friendly equipment.

Kyocera keeps winning awards topping just about all other manufacturers for their line of MFD (multi function devices). There newest models printer copier scanner fax  color units has edged into the high machine slots with one exception 11 x17 pages. If you are looking for a medium duty color printer copier scanner fax and you print up to legal size then this is a major contender.

Kyocera has long been recognized for the best medium to heavy duty desktop printer copier fax scanners due to their low cost to operate and maintain while producing great quality documents.  No other company in the industry even comes close to their warranty on there regular maintenance item. they are the only company in the industry that warranties tier maintenance kits for 300 to 5000 pages depending upon the model. HP, Lexmark, Okidata, Canon, Sharp, and other manufactures either offer a 30 day warranty or NO warranty on their printer copier fax scanner repair maintenance kits. Why is this important? Because beyond the toner the cost then next biggest expense and cause of copier printer scanner failures are the maintenance kit items: fuser, drum, and developer parts.  traditional copier manufacturer companies such as Ricoh, Sharp, Canon, Toshiba, Minolta and other do not warranty their maintenance items beyond the initial installation. They expect you to have a maintenance program with your repair service provider otherwise you are out of luck if the maintenance items fails once placed in your copier printer scanner fax.

The difference between the  Kyocera FS-C2526 and FS-c2526 is that the FS-C2626 comes standard withe a fax option.  All are designed with a touch screen control panel for ease of use, long life low costs supplies, duplex (two sided) printing, 50 sheet RADF for two sided copying/faxing, gigabyte network speed connection, and HyPas plus many options when you need to expand. Plus, most important an optional security package gives you what you need for sensitive document protection.

Many companies feel you need a floor model unit fro the copier printer fax scanner to last many years.  Or they look at the page speed to determine the durability of the unit. These are both big mis-conceptions.  Speed has no bearing on durability if it did then a sports car would win a collision withe a utility truck! Get the right fit for your business by getting the best printer copier scanner based on your needs. Bypass the hype and get a true solution that takes into account the equipment costs, maintenance and daily usage.

The high end HP printer scanner copiers designed for work groups, such as the HP 4345mfp and the current model  5035MFP are designed heavy usage. The HP printer scanner copier based unit is designed around the very reliable HP printer line. Basically they are the printers with the addition of the copier scanner fax  feeders and control boards. The use the all in one cartridge that contains the drum, toner, and pcr rollers so overtime you change the HP toner cartridge it’s like getting a new print engine. The repair of the HP 4345 MFP and the 5035 MFD copier printer scanners are quick and can be accomplished by any certified HP service center.

The repair costs and frequency for the HP 4345MFD and the 5035MFD are similar to the HP 4250 and HP 4350 models. They are work horses and when maintained properly with a mean repair period of 80,000 pages or more.  The ADF kit should last 80,000 to 120,000 pages and the internal maintenance kit 200,000 pages depending upon the paper used and who often you pm the machine.  The machine should be cleaned., lubricated and adjust approximately every 60,000 to 80,000 pages.  If you are in a dirty shop type of environment then the HP repair maintenance should be more frequent.

The HP 4345MFD and the HP 5035MFP are designed for a department size office of 5..10 staff members who produce  10,000 t0 20,000 pages per month.  New HP 5035MFD xs cost $599.99 and refurbished low page count copier printer scanner fax units average $2100.  The HP 4345MFD are discontinued at this time and refurbished copier printer scanner of this model range $1800 to $2000 with 90 day warranty.

The HP printer scanner maintenance repair kits for the ADF (automatic document feeder) and the 250,000 page maintenance kit are practically user installable. If you have good mechanic skill with a screw driver then you can repair or install the HP maintenance kits parts your self. However, when installing the HP 4345 and 5035 maintenance kits you should do a complete PM of the machine (lubrication and cleaning with a true toner vacuum) at the same time it ensure that parts last there expect life.

The current economic environment has lead to companies rethinking their desire to always have  new business class copier printer scanners. Leasing a new copier printer scanner is just like owning a new car, once its out of the show room it looses 30% of ti value but you are still liable for the full price! The trend to obtain recent model dealer select used printer copiers network equipment has driven the some brands of used copiers higher. Why?  Simple: dealers know which brands are durable and will provide trouble free usage for their clients.

What models and manufacturer are most in demand?  Currently, the number on based on review of three major off lease equipment companies (companies with an inventory of 3,000+ machines) are the Kyocera KM3035, 4035 and the 5035.  When they are received in from off lease they do not least more than a couple hours in inventory before a dealers grabs them. Kyocera copier printer scanner are know for their very high reliability and very long lasting maintenance kit. The Kyocera maintenance kit ha an estimated like of 400,000 pages.  The far superior than Canon, Ricoh, Minolta, Toshiba, Sharp and other brands.

Beyond the Kyocera the next brand are Ricoh and then Sharp brands.  Be very careful when purchasing a used refurbished copier printer  from a company going out of business.  We get calls all day long form people who said hey got a great dealer only to learn the machine is 7 to 12 years old and it needs maintenance. Copier printer scanner maintenance can run into the hundreds of dollars.  the company is going out of business so do you think they maintained their copier printers?

Before you buy a machine get the meter count, supply/maintenance status page and the then call to get the true value of the used copier printer before you buy. Or post a question here. for a quick reply.  The used refurbished printer copier resource is updated everyday and a simple questions will tell you if you are getting a deal or not.

What the the normal cases of lines on printer copier fax machines?  Resolving lines on pages is as easy as cleaning the glass in the adf area and as difficult to repair rebuild copier printer fuser assembly.  First, lines are caused usually caused by one of the three following printer copier repair problems: dirty glass in the scanner area, bad drum/blade,  or fuser assembly maintenance needed.  depending upon your printer copier scanner follow the following steps to determine the cause of your printer repair maintenance needs.

First, does the line show up when you are printing, copying or both? If the copier printer fax multi-function equipment is producing lines only when you fax out then the problem is the scanner glass. You will need to open the ADF (automatic document feeder) which is the part you feed the pager you are trying to copy or fax out.  Fine the scanner glass which is usually 1 inch in length and 11 to 17″ long. Cleaning the scanner glass is a regular Copier printer maintenance that does not require a technician. Remember, I am not talking about the large glass on the flat bed of your copier printer scanner.  The automatic feeder has a separate scan glass in the ADF area usually designed for easy access.

If you are getting lines if when printing or if the scanner glass is not the cause then you need to check the fuser and/or drum/developer unit of your printer copier fax multi-function device.  Depending upon you equipment this may require a copier printer repair technician to perform the task. If the line are horizontal across the page they the get a bit lighter after a few pages (you need to print several pages at one time) then its the drum unit causing the problem. If the lines are pencil thin then it is usually the drum unit too.

The fuser assembly on your copier printer may need a complete maintenance kit or replacement depending upon you model if your printer copier repair problem consist of thick lines or lines that are not solid all the way down the page.  Put out the fuser assembly and see if the upper heat roller coating is wearing away.  when repairing copier printers the technicians can determine the problem if less than 30 minutes. Remember to get certified printer copier repair maintenance service technicians. Be careful of one man operations or companies that can not explain over the phone print copier repair costs.

Here is the next batch of copier repair codes for Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier printer copier scanner MFD machines.  These copier repair maintenance error codes are actual codes to report printer copier repair problems to service technicians.

SC380 – Data transmission time out

SC381 – Charge potential abnormal

SC-382 Data transmission time out video

SC-383 VL adjustmnet error

SC-383 Data transmission time out connect copy

SC-385 ID sensor VSG adjustment error

SC-386 Data transmission time out

SC-387 Development gamma error

SC-388 Data transmission time out

SC-389 Development gamma calculation error

SC-390 CRC error/TD sensor adjustment error

SC-392 TD Sensor initial error

SC-395 Development output adnormal

SC-400 Transfer roller leak error

SC-401 Transfer output abnormal

SC-401-1 Transfer roller leak detected

SC-401-2 Transfer roller lease open

SC–402 – transfer roller leak

SC-403 Transfer belt position sensor

SC-405 – Transfer Belt position abnormal

SC-406 – Transfer roller position abnormal

May of the copier printer repair maintenance service codes are not very explanatory.  You will need the Ricoh, Savin, Lanier and Gestetner repair maintenance service manuals to determine the correct course of copier repair procedures.   The copier repair maintenance service manuals details the meaning of the codes and gives the the step by step procures to repair the copier printers.

First, let make a general statement that none of the above copier printer scanner fax machine manufacturer say: they all make a bad model once an a while and some of them make many bad models. However,  looking at the past 3 years history on actual service calls and by actual technician as that are NOT committed only one particular brand there are some clear winners.  many copier printer scanner companies only offer one brand due to the fact they have to invest large sums of money to become FACTORY AUTHORIZED.  IN fact, many manufactures of copier priers force dealers to be only related to one brand of they will not get authorization. What does this mean to you?

Simply put, if you talk to a Sharp dealer then Sharp is best, if you talk to a Xerox dealer then Xerox is best, if you talk to a Canon dealer then Canon is best.  So how do you know which one is actually the best copier printer scanner? Talk to independent dealers, check the copier printer Bertl reports,  Best Buy reports, consumer reports and finally the resell value. However, when you check the resell value on a used copier printer do not ASK the dealer! Why because their book value is usually way, way higher than actual value.

Ok in the resell market the HOTTEST printers (the hardest ones to get by dealers) are Kyocera 3035, 4035 and 5035 in the black/white models and for color copier printers Ricoh colors MPC series.  How is this know?  This is determined by how long a particular model of copier printer stays in inventory of major wholesale distributors of used copier printers. These distributors supply copier printer dealers with used machines to resell or export.  Presently, of the three largest dealers the Kyocera 3035, 4035, and 5035 do not last even one day!

Why are Kyocera so good? Because they are very clean operating, extremely reliable and very long duty cycle (time between replacing the copier printer scanner maintenance kits).

What is the biggest name used copier printer machines? Canon and Ricoh however, they are not the best.  Which ones do independent resellers stay away from due to problems, excessive repair costs and poor quality? Toshiba, Xerox  and Minolta.  Beyond the model what else should you consider when selecting a used or reconditioned copier printer fax? duty cycle, number of current pages on unit, warranty, age (this is a big one) and reliability of the dealer (is it a one man show or a company with several repair technicians?).

Just like many other companies HP is making policies that reflect hard economic times. recently HP has discontinued many parts and maintenance kits for various plotters and printers .the hardest hit area we notice is the HP plotter repair and maintenance parts. If you need your HP plotter repaired take notice: parts are getting more expensive and harder to find on models 2 years or older.

Case in point HP T100 and T1100 series plotters. This machine is just about 2 years old and HP has no or very limited parts for repairs.  It’s an expensive machine ($2,00 and up) but HP in there cost cutting measure has stopped selling greatly needed parts for the machine.  One of their representatives on the phone stated they have cut less profitable parts from their inventory. I otherwords BE VERY VERY CAREFUL when you purchase an HP plotter now.

HP passes you to a reseller who sells the part for more than retail.  Basically the reseller has a special deal with HP and it leaves customers out in the cold!  This reminds me of a recent email I received about a HP printer repair.  In Iraq a soldier called HP fro technician support on a printer just over 1 year old.  They referred the soldier in IRAQ to see an HP repair center or HP will charge him $50 for a the phone call. The solution to the problem was the soldier taking the HP printer and he made a video of  him shooting it with an automatic gun. The video and reason for he video had over 2,000,000 views the last time I show it! How is that for a response to poor HP repair support?

If you need help choosing the right plotter or printer for your organization without bias towards any particular brand see Advanced Business Computers. If you need HP printer repair help or assistance with other maintenance for copiers, fax or printer repairs please  do a post here.

Happy holidays!!