cbecker001
asked on
Company is considering changing printer brands
I work at a company that has about 60 networked laser printers. They are all Lexmark and have been for years. We have electronic forms design software and it is more convenient to have all the same brand printer. HP and Lexmark use different PCL codes for their input trays and I have to create different definitions for them if I mix the printer manufacturers. We generally use two sizes of printer--one that is an enterprise class--about 40 pages a minutes with at least 2 drawers--and one that is a smaller model. Currently we are buying Optra T640tn for the enterprise class model, and Optra E342 for the smaller one. The E342s, however, are proving to be very problematic. On top of that, our printing repairman has told us that there are almost no spare parts for the E342 printers. Lexmark expects you to send it in for service when it is under warranty. After the warranty runs out--youi're in trouble because of the lack of spare parts. Sending it in is a problem because we either have to have spare printers sitting around or have the user go without until the printer comes back. On top of that, we have to keep packing materials around to package the printer up to be returned.
So, I am considering changing our printers to HP. The change will be painful, but when it is complete, things will be simple again. My problem is that on HPs website their warranty terms don't seem any better than Lexmark's. They have statements like, "One-year return-to-bench limited warranty", and "One-year, return to HP authorized service center warranty". So, that doesn't sound any better than Lexmark. However, if spare parts are available to fix HPs printers on-site without sending them off somewhere, that would be a plus.
I am interested in anyone's experience with corporate printing and Lexmark and HP printers. I will split points between multiple answers because I want to hear from multiple people.
So, I am considering changing our printers to HP. The change will be painful, but when it is complete, things will be simple again. My problem is that on HPs website their warranty terms don't seem any better than Lexmark's. They have statements like, "One-year return-to-bench limited warranty", and "One-year, return to HP authorized service center warranty". So, that doesn't sound any better than Lexmark. However, if spare parts are available to fix HPs printers on-site without sending them off somewhere, that would be a plus.
I am interested in anyone's experience with corporate printing and Lexmark and HP printers. I will split points between multiple answers because I want to hear from multiple people.
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For the most part I have not had any major problem obtaining repair parts over the almost 7 years I have been doing this. Exceptions have existed. If you are a Self Maintainer with all the required certifications any required support can be obtained from HP with fewer challenges.
I'm certified in all of HP and Lexmark stuff but due to the Corporations I have supported Lexmark is almost never used. What contact I have with Lexmark has been non-warranty and that seemed to be okay. HP however I have on occasions made claims for some type of part daily with almost perfect results. My biggest issue with HP has been that sometimes they can be a bit difficult to work with and you will need to be a bit forceful. A LARGE Account can be VERY Helpful in these situations.
Warranty Parts should run very smooth with normally next day delivery.
Sales parts can vary but multiple third part venders are available if problems arise. (I believe HP States 5 working days but I have almost always recieved parts in 1 to 3 days.)
Hope this Helps!!!
I'm certified in all of HP and Lexmark stuff but due to the Corporations I have supported Lexmark is almost never used. What contact I have with Lexmark has been non-warranty and that seemed to be okay. HP however I have on occasions made claims for some type of part daily with almost perfect results. My biggest issue with HP has been that sometimes they can be a bit difficult to work with and you will need to be a bit forceful. A LARGE Account can be VERY Helpful in these situations.
Warranty Parts should run very smooth with normally next day delivery.
Sales parts can vary but multiple third part venders are available if problems arise. (I believe HP States 5 working days but I have almost always recieved parts in 1 to 3 days.)
Hope this Helps!!!
ASKER
Thanks, David523, it does help.
I am still hoping to hear from a few other people, though, before I close this case.
I am still hoping to hear from a few other people, though, before I close this case.
Great and others experiences may not be like mine. HP is by far the company I would go with for normal printer business needs. As with any product, lemons do exist and evaluating your product prior to purchase is critical. In fact if you talk to an HP Sales Rep you might be able to obtain a demo printer or several models you are interested in for say 30 days prior to purchase. One last Item, HP supports their printers for 7 years following the end of production and as a general rule, production seems to be about 2 years on most models.
Again, Hope this Helps and others provide a view!!! :-)
Again, Hope this Helps and others provide a view!!! :-)
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SOLUTION
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FYI:
While Parts can be obtained from HP one source which appears to be a bit of a Pain for HP at times by providing competition is:
www.depot-america.com
A couple of years ago an apparent battle was going on between HP and Depot America with refurbished fusers which seems to have won Depot America some concessions and recognition from HP. GREAT LOL
Refurbished Toner Cartridges can provide some cost savings but I have experienced some nasty problems with their use. Of significant interest is if toner spills and is not addressed quickly, the toner can travel to and collect in the fuser destroying the fuser. As printerguy indicates above be careful of your source.
Hope this Helps!!!
While Parts can be obtained from HP one source which appears to be a bit of a Pain for HP at times by providing competition is:
www.depot-america.com
A couple of years ago an apparent battle was going on between HP and Depot America with refurbished fusers which seems to have won Depot America some concessions and recognition from HP. GREAT LOL
Refurbished Toner Cartridges can provide some cost savings but I have experienced some nasty problems with their use. Of significant interest is if toner spills and is not addressed quickly, the toner can travel to and collect in the fuser destroying the fuser. As printerguy indicates above be careful of your source.
Hope this Helps!!!
Thank You :-)
ASKER
I want to continue to have a local person work on our printers--be they HP or Lexmark--however, these service people can't work on printers whose manufacturers don't make spare parts available.
So, part of my dilemma is finding out whether HP has an adequate supply of spare parts. And I don't mean whether they have enough spare parts in stock--I mean whether they make parts available to fix most of the things that will wear out on a printer.