UPS for Laser Printer

[Oscar Wagner]

I know I can run a laser printer through a UPS IF it is attached to 110 VAC.  It will not run on my 850 VA CyberPower UPS by itself or with a trickle of 110 VAC from a true sine wave inverter.  Short of getting a generator or huge battery backup system, does anybody know a trick to get a laser printer to work with a UPS?  It knocks the UPS off as soon as you plug in the printer  but if there was a way to handle that surge, you might be able to pull it off.

Oscar Wagner

[Oscar Wagner]

Read some and experimented some: With 110 VAC, it does start cold (not great) off UPS Bat & Surge though the red Fault light comes on briefly.  Then you can unplug it and print a little bit anyway.  Quit like that after 2.2 pages.... BUT with it hot, it after that, it would come up on UPS alone and print.  Saw a piece online with surge curves for hot and cold saying cold takes about 30% more to do stuff.  Next step is to trying briefly using one UPS to feed another to start up.  Ask about my epileptic tomcat urinating uncontrollably into a 110 VAC power center and a remote GFI and 2 races to time the next day.  Anyway, I do happen to have a second available UPS now! 

Oscar Wagner

[Patrick W]

If you have a "pure sinewave" ups that is high current, than maybe, though it will need to be one that is well above the surge amount of the printer (which is much higher than the sticker "current usage").  A "modified sinewave" (most cheaper ups') you should't try this as you will very likely kill either the UPS or the printer (or both lol).  Laser printers really do not like modified sine power, and are power hogs at the best of times.  When I'm running on battery, I'll often use a generator just for the printer.

[Brandon Daniels]

I could've sworn I've read about this topic within the past year.  And I think it's the 'surge watts' that make it difficult to run a laser printer on a UPS.  When the printer starts up, it draws way more power than it's rated for.

Even on an inverter generator, it's recommended to buy an inverter generator with a much higher load rating than the printer specs state:

https://www.quora.com/How-much-kva-generator-is-needed-to-power-a-printer-with-the-following-details-Single-phase-220-volts-19-A#:~:text=So%20to%20power%20this%20printer,the%20generator%20to%20run%20smoothly.

[Oscar Wagner]

Latest experiment: plugged cold LP into UPS with nothing else and UPS not on 110 VAC.  Started fine.  Plugged 2 slightly discharged laptops into UPS and THEN plugged in LP.  Came up for a couple of seconds and dropped out.  Evidently, it is so close that you CAN make it work but you better know exactly what conditions can be tolerated.  Additionally, sitting in a hot car all day Saturday may have sapped some giddy-up out of  UPS and or laptops.  

Oscar