I'd like to revive a thread from a few months back.
With increasing interest in ways to use index cards has come a focus on templated cards, grids, miniature copies of lists and calendars, etc. But unless you want to buy costly perforated sheets or the like, this can be a bitch on many printers. My Epson 880, for example, is not very good at this at all.
I'd love to do a post on, say, the top three cheap printers that handle index cards particularly well. If you've had a particularly good and repeatable experience over time printing directly onto standard cheapie index cards, please post about your printer here. Please also share your impressions on ink/toner usage/value, and any other info you think might be useful to people in making a buying decision. If there's enough response I'll do a post on the mothership and credit the best comments.
-----Original Message-----
From: 43Folders@googlegroups.com [mailto:43Folders@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of Merlin Mann
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 4:50 PM
To: 43Folders@googlegroups.com
Subject: [43F Group] Research for a Post: Printers that handle index cards
well
I'd like to revive a thread from a few months back.
With increasing interest in ways to use index cards has come a focus on
templated cards, grids, miniature copies of lists and calendars, etc.
But unless you want to buy costly perforated sheets or the like, this can be
a bitch on many printers. My Epson 880, for example, is not very good at
this at all.
I'd love to do a post on, say, the top three cheap printers that handle
index cards particularly well. If you've had a particularly good and
repeatable experience over time printing directly onto standard cheapie
index cards, please post about your printer here. Please also share your
impressions on ink/toner usage/value, and any other info you think might be
useful to people in making a buying decision. If there's enough response
I'll do a post on the mothership and credit the best comments.
I would love to see a post on this. I currently have an HP LaserJet 4L and it will NOT work for 3x5 index cards. Cards aren't long enough to make it through. Would love to replace it with some of your advice.
I just got a Samsung ML-1740 B&W laser printer. Prints 3x5 cards pretty well.
Havent tried to go full size (no margins) yet with it. I just tell it
the card size of 3x5, 1/4" margins, and manual feed and it happily prints it
out. Samsung's software allows you to setup "Favorites" for printer
configs too so you dont have to manually change it all every time.
You can usually find them for around $100-$120. The starter toner is
supposed to print about 1000 pages (8x11), refills will do 3000.
-Chris
On 5/31/05, Chris Hasenpflug <chris.hasenpf...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I would love to see a post on this. I currently have an HP LaserJet 4L
> and it will NOT work for 3x5 index cards. Cards aren't long enough to
> make it through. Would love to replace it with some of your advice.
I have been thrilled to be able to run my TiddlyWiki 3 X 5 print jobs through my HP 2100 laser printer. Now I can keep my HPDA looking smart!
After years of paying ever increasing prices for ink jet cartridges for my "throw-away" ink jet printers, I bit the big one and splurged for a LaserJet Printer.
There is a reason(s) why the InkJet/BubbleJet printers are so low priced - they are cheaply made of cheap materials and the companies make their money selling replacement cartridges.
Anyone remember that the 'original' Gillette razors were given away to sell you blades for a lifetime? The problem here being the Ink/BubbleJet printers wont last more than a year. Printer manufacturers have missed the point of good old King Gillette's marketing genius.
My LaserJet is 3 years old and still acts like a young pup. When I first purchased it I also picked up a spare toner cartridge. The printer is still printing with the original cartridge.
Chris H. .... have you tried the envelope feed with running the 3x5 in portrait mode? Also, try the drop down feed trough tray - more of a straight through path.
If you envelope feed is like mine, centers the card in the feed tray, use a 2.75 inch left hand margin for you set-up.
I have a hp laserjet 1300 and it prints 3x5 cards very well and pretty much anything else I throw at it. In my opinion a laser printer is the way to go. I also have an epson R320 which I cannot get it to print 3x5.
I can put the cards in the manual feed there, but the cards are not long enough to be pushed through the printer. They get printed on, but don't make it to the finisher so it causes a "jam" and the toner literally dusts right off the card.
Its not a huge ordeal right now, I got the printer for free. But I'd like to get a new one sometime soon that will print on cards and preferably color laser ;)
My dad got a new Dell color laser, I'll try a 3x5 on it next time I am home. Its a beastly printer though.
lyndonk wrote: > Chris H. .... have you tried the envelope feed with running the 3x5 in > portrait mode? Also, try the drop down feed trough tray - more of a > straight through path.
> If you envelope feed is like mine, centers the card in the feed tray, > use a 2.75 inch left hand margin for you set-up.
My old Lexmark Z32 inkjet prints 3 x 5s easily. I have to send them through portrait but I can print in either direction, and I can put a stack of them in the printer - no need to feed one at a time. (An old Z22 would probably work just as well; it's the same model but the 22 can print with only a black cartridge installed while the 32 needs to have a color cartridge as well.)
The printer is the ultimate cheapie: it was free years and years ago with a computer I'd purchased. Works with both Win and OS X (Panther, at least; I haven't had the courage to use that Tiger DVD sitting next to my powerbook). Since I use Word on both machines, that's primarily the program I've used to print. I set it up so the page is 3 x 5 (landscape), even use headers and footers (yeah, excessive, I know).
The (now remaindered) Canon i560 prints them well from WordPerfect and OpenOffice; (I've had problems though trying to print from pdf for some reason). I've printed off the various checklists and things I use for class as well as my kids' speeches when they were rehearsing. Just put a stack of cards in as if you were printing off photos and you can print away (landscape or portrait as you prefer). Perfectly readable in draft mode.
One that definitely doesn't work is the hp 4000 series ps (with duplex unit) ... jam city.
I have a HP LJ 1200 and I'm using OSX and I'm having problems with the 3x5 printing. What settings are you using? I want to try them out and see if they work for me. Thanks in advance.
gangl...@gmail.com wrote: > I have a hp laserjet 1300 and it prints 3x5 cards very well and pretty > much anything else I throw at it. In my opinion a laser printer is the > way to go. I also have an epson R320 which I cannot get it to print 3x5.
I've had great luck printing cheapie 3x5 cards on my HP Deskjet 5500. I got it for $50 several years ago when I got my Powerbook through some promo at the Apple Store. I know inkjets are not al that popular because of the cost of printing, but after replacing my color cartridge with the photo one, I have yet to replace anything else. I've used the printer for the occasional photo, but since I have access to an old laser printer, the Deskjet is pretty much devoted to index card printing alone.
I've heard many complaints about HP's drivers, but I've been quite happy with the settings for 3x5 cards so far. In contrast, I've had nothing but trouble trying to print index cards on my HP Laserjet 4000. it almost seems like the cards are too small to get printed on.
BTW, I just use the cheapo blank white index cards from OfficeDepot, then print my own late grey grids on both sides with some orange accents. I also print my business card info at the bottom in blue, which is always a great conversation piece. Kudos to the person who posted that suggestion a few months back!
I'm now determined to buy a small laser printer. I've been looking at
reviews of the following machines:
Samsung ML-1740
Brother HL-2040
Konica Minolta PagePro 1350W
HP 1020
Can we get anymore opinions on laser printers for index card printing?
BTW: I'm not even remotely interested in anything with the Lexmark
name on it. Their attempts to use the DMCA to shutdown cartridge
refillers gets them to number 1 on my "special" list.
Thanks!
Harvey
On 6/5/05, Lyen Huang <lyen.hu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've had great luck printing cheapie 3x5 cards on my HP Deskjet 5500. I
> got it for $50 several years ago when I got my Powerbook through some
> promo at the Apple Store. I know inkjets are not al that popular
> because of the cost of printing, but after replacing my color cartridge
> with the photo one, I have yet to replace anything else. I've used the
> printer for the occasional photo, but since I have access to an old
> laser printer, the Deskjet is pretty much devoted to index card
> printing alone.
> I've heard many complaints about HP's drivers, but I've been quite
> happy with the settings for 3x5 cards so far. In contrast, I've had
> nothing but trouble trying to print index cards on my HP Laserjet 4000.
> it almost seems like the cards are too small to get printed on.
> BTW, I just use the cheapo blank white index cards from OfficeDepot,
> then print my own late grey grids on both sides with some orange
> accents. I also print my business card info at the bottom in blue,
> which is always a great conversation piece. Kudos to the person who
> posted that suggestion a few months back!
> Can we get anymore opinions on laser printers for index card printing?
> BTW: I'm not even remotely interested in anything with the Lexmark
> name on it. Their attempts to use the DMCA to shutdown cartridge
> refillers gets them to number 1 on my "special" list.
> Thanks!
> Harvey
> On 6/5/05, Lyen Huang <lyen.hu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've had great luck printing cheapie 3x5 cards on my HP Deskjet 5500. I
> > got it for $50 several years ago when I got my Powerbook through some
> > promo at the Apple Store. I know inkjets are not al that popular
> > because of the cost of printing, but after replacing my color cartridge
> > with the photo one, I have yet to replace anything else. I've used the
> > printer for the occasional photo, but since I have access to an old
> > laser printer, the Deskjet is pretty much devoted to index card
> > printing alone.
> > I've heard many complaints about HP's drivers, but I've been quite
> > happy with the settings for 3x5 cards so far. In contrast, I've had
> > nothing but trouble trying to print index cards on my HP Laserjet 4000.
> > it almost seems like the cards are too small to get printed on.
> > BTW, I just use the cheapo blank white index cards from OfficeDepot,
> > then print my own late grey grids on both sides with some orange
> > accents. I also print my business card info at the bottom in blue,
> > which is always a great conversation piece. Kudos to the person who
> > posted that suggestion a few months back!
My Canon PIXMA iP3000 works great with index cards. I haven't owned a printer since 2000, and that was an Apple Stylewriter. Printers have progressed quite a bit since then. This thing is fast and quiet, and the output looks good. 3x5 index cards work well as a custom paper size. Credit Card is one of the paper size presets, which makes 3x5 seem like a strange omission in comparison, but it took all of 1 minute to figure out how to add the custom size.
This printer is on sale at lots of places. I paid $69 at a local OfficeMax with no rebates. 4 ink tanks, and PictBridge USB connection on the front panel.
A detour on my path to a new printer (hopefully laser) to print index and business cards:
Today at Fry's, I asked a sales guy about the Samsung ML-1740. When I asked him about the maximum paper thickness, he looked down at the manual feed slot, put his thumb and index finger above and below the slot, and held them up to me. He said, "Maximum paper thickness? About like this."
I said "Thanks" and walked away.
sheesh
Although, now I'm wondering about this 1/4" thick paper the printer can apparently use...
Laser is nice and cheap for black and whites and the text will look awesome. Here is my .02. The samsung will kill you in toner prices. Further, there are no Mac OSX drivers for the samsung. The brothers are nice, but when you have to replace the drum, it costs as much as the printer does. I would go with the hp 1020 myself. I have worked with everything but the konica.
> Can we get anymore opinions on laser printers for index card printing?
> BTW: I'm not even remotely interested in anything with the Lexmark > name on it. Their atLasLasetempts to use the DMCA to shutdown cartridge > refillers gets them to number 1 on my "special" list.
> Thanks!
> Harvey
> On 6/5/05, Lyen Huang <lyen.hu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've had great luck printing cheapie 3x5 cards on my HP Deskjet 5500. I > > got it for $50 several years ago when I got my Powerbook through some > > promo at the Apple Store. I know inkjets are not al that popular > > because of the cost of printing, but after replacing my color cartridge > > with the photo one, I have yet to replace anything else. I've used the > > printer for the occasional photo, but since I have access to an old > > laser printer, the Deskjet is pretty much devoted to index card > > printing alone.
> > I've heard many complaints about HP's drivers, but I've been quite > > happy with the settings for 3x5 cards so far. In contrast, I've had > > nothing but trouble trying to print index cards on my HP Laserjet 4000. > > it almost seems like the cards are too small to get printed on.
> > BTW, I just use the cheapo blank white index cards from OfficeDepot, > > then print my own late grey grids on both sides with some orange > > accents. I also print my business card info at the bottom in blue, > > which is always a great conversation piece. Kudos to the person who > > posted that suggestion a few months back!
I had been leaning toward the HP 1020. I actually feels sturdier than either the Brother or the Samsung. I haven't had a chance to see the Konica yet. At my local Fry's, the Samsung toner cartridge costs about the same as the printer itself. (89.95)
I'm probably going to order the HP early next week.
Thanks for everyone's input!
Harvey
BTW: newegg.com <http://newegg.com> has the 1020 for $170 + $4.75 Fedex 2nd Day.
On 6/15/05, mrdavevoge <mrdavev...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Laser is nice and cheap for black and whites and the text will look
> awesome. Here is my .02. The samsung will kill you in toner prices.
> Further, there are no Mac OSX drivers for the samsung. The brothers
> are nice, but when you have to replace the drum, it costs as much as
> the printer does. I would go with the hp 1020 myself. I have worked
> with everything but the konica.
The Brother HL-1435 (b & w laser) prints 3 x 5s beautifully. The cards
do need to be fed manually, though. (This sweetheart of a printer cost
me just a bit over $100 (there was a rebate at the time) so when it
comes time to replace anything too expensive on it, I'll just (sadly)
replace it. However I've never actually had to replace the drum of a
printer, so that may not be an issue, anyway.)
I also have an HP 1220, but I loathe it so I haven't tried printing 3 x
5s with it.
Thanks for the news on the Brother. The Fry's salesman said something about it, but after his comment about the paper thickness on the Samsung, he lost all credibility with me. :) The Brother had no price on it at the store. He couldn't even look it up. I suspect he was a loon.
I am 100% sold on a laser, however. I'm trying to convince my sister-in-law to switch, too. Color inkjets are nice and all, but I need to (A)save money, (B)print lots of plain b/w text, (C)print index and business cards, and (D)save money.
I'm also considering someone else's (Merlin?) idea of printing on sheets of card stock and cutting them down into cards. Either way, laser's the answer.
Thanks!
On 6/16/05, triciawriting <triciawrit...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The Brother HL-1435 (b & w laser) prints 3 x 5s beautifully. The cards
> do need to be fed manually, though. (This sweetheart of a printer cost
> me just a bit over $100 (there was a rebate at the time) so when it
> comes time to replace anything too expensive on it, I'll just (sadly)
> replace it. However I've never actually had to replace the drum of a
> printer, so that may not be an issue, anyway.)
> I also have an HP 1220, but I loathe it so I haven't tried printing 3 x
> 5s with it.
I've got an inexpensive Brother HL-1440 laser printer. It was a bit over $100 at Staples when I purchased it last year. I just tried printing Doug Johnston's 3x5 card version of the D*I*Y planner for the hipsterPDA, and it worked great. You do have to manually feed the cards, but that works fine, and the print quality is very good. This is on Mac OS X 10.3 with an old iMac DV.
You can also find refurb toner cartidges for the samsung for around
40-50 bucks online, or try one of the many misc refill kits. I've
never used or known anyone who's used the laser refills however and
cant speak to their effectiveness. But there are at least some
cheeper options then retail new cartridges.
-Chris
On 6/16/05, Harvey Simmons <hscater...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I had been leaning toward the HP 1020. I actually feels sturdier than
> either the Brother or the Samsung. I haven't had a chance to see the Konica
> yet. At my local Fry's, the Samsung toner cartridge costs about the same as
> the printer itself. (89.95)
> I'm probably going to order the HP early next week.
> Thanks for everyone's input!
> Harvey
> BTW: newegg.com has the 1020 for $170 + $4.75 Fedex 2nd Day.
> On 6/15/05, mrdavevoge < mrdavev...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Laser is nice and cheap for black and whites and the text will look > > awesome. Here is my .02. The samsung will kill you in toner prices.
> > Further, there are no Mac OSX drivers for the samsung. The brothers
> > are nice, but when you have to replace the drum, it costs as much as
> > the printer does. I would go with the hp 1020 myself. I have worked > > with everything but the konica.
I also recently acquired an ML-1740 and I have been happy with results. I just wanted to chime in to add that in addition to manual feed I have also had good results pushing the tray line-up things in to the smallest size and loading it with notecards. Which in my book is a definate plus. Toner drums are pricy, but toner save/draft modes can help and still look pretty good.
Chris Nachtman wrote: > I just got a Samsung ML-1740 B&W laser printer. Prints 3x5 cards pretty well. > Havent tried to go full size (no margins) yet with it. I just tell it > the card size of 3x5, 1/4" margins, and manual feed and it happily prints it > out. Samsung's software allows you to setup "Favorites" for printer > configs too so you dont have to manually change it all every time.
> You can usually find them for around $100-$120. The starter toner is > supposed to print about 1000 pages (8x11), refills will do 3000.
> -Chris
> On 5/31/05, Chris Hasenpflug <chris.hasenpf...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I would love to see a post on this. I currently have an HP LaserJet 4L > > and it will NOT work for 3x5 index cards. Cards aren't long enough to > > make it through. Would love to replace it with some of your advice.
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