Dreaming of a Boxee Printer | Hacker News Reader

Dreaming of a Boxee Printer

plr.is

11 pointsjonsteinberg8 comments

A couple of years ago, I bought a HP 4000-series printer on eBay for less than $200. They're big, but the cost per page is absurdly low, partially due to the availability of good aftermarket toner cartridges. The printer supposedly requires an overhaul (parts exceeding $200 in cost) every 200K pages. However, since I bought it with only 40K prints, it will take me years to wear it out. These things are trouble-free and very well supported by HP -- frequently updated firmware, drivers (including Linux), etc. The Ethernet interface works like a champ.

I associate printer trouble with cheap inkjets -- these have given me grief. So, as long as I'm ok with B&W laser prints, I'll keep using my cheap warhorse.

Now, scanning is another matter altogether...the crapware that comes with scanners sucks, and I include the TWAIN drivers in that definition.

A few criticisms:

"3 or more [of the following 3 things] happens"

huh?

In my experience the flashing lights are indicative of an actual hardware problem, and while power-cycling may allow you to print some more, it can be worse for the printer than actually fixing the problem. Newer printers even have LCD displays that tell you exactly what is wrong instead of something like "3 flashes means you're out of toner, 4 flashes means the British are coming by sea..."

The most common reason for me not being able to print on a large commercial printer is a paper jam, which while it is possible this could be fixed by better firmware, it seems unlikely.

Better solution: Stop printing things.

If we stop printing things, we won't need to scan them either.

Yes, but reading from paper is much nicer.

Of course, printing every little e-mail is nonsense; but I'd rather correct my thesis on paper than on screen, for instance.

If you had a tablet with a Kindle-like screen upon which you could edit via gesture, would you prefer it over paper?

Not unless the input is at least as convenient as scribbling on paper. And I wouldn't be sure even then.

I'm a mathematician: I do a lot of work on paper, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

I still need paper for on the go. I print very little, but certain times I need to print papers for meetings to take notes on etc

With a kindle, how do you keep multiple pages in front of you at the same time?

That's not to mention e-books as sources. Even if we figure out the virtual library issues (lest we bankrupt every grad student -- comprehensives in the social sciences can encompass 200 books!) we still have to look at workflow. Should the grad student have 4 kindles all synced, every e-book markable with programmable gestures both robust and simple enough to compete with paper?

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