What is meant by "Duty Cycle" when referring to laser printers?
Tyler Melanson
I know the Duty Cycle is the max number of pages that a
laser printer can handle per month, but I don't understand
why a limit is set on the monthly print capacity allowable by
a laser printer. Does this max page capacity set reffering
to the max # of pages it can handle before it needs maintanance
or something?
RBilliex
Duty cycle is a rating used to classify a printer, or copier, so you know which
one will suit your needs. If you plan on printing 50,000 prints per month, you
wouldn't buy a HP 4P. The printer would break down frequently, need parts
replaced on a regular basis, and the print cartridge would be changed many
times. on the other hand, a HP 4V is built to handle 50,000 prints per month,
so it will print that many prints on a regular basis without much need for
maintenance and supplies changing.
It all has to do with being built and priced to handle the work it will have
thrown at it. If you only print 20 copies a month, you wouldn't need to spend
for a HP 4V. I know this was wordy, but I hope it helps.
All Laser Service
Tyler:
I believe it has to do with the reccomended number of pages per month. A
HP LJ5L has a rating of 4K pages per month while a IIISi is rated at 50K
pages per month. One look at the printers will give you a good idea
why. The IIISi is high end, high speed machine intended for use in a
networked office situation versus a 5L intended for home use. The
machines are built quite differently. The IIISi has heavy duty rollers,
toner cartridge, motors, fuser, fans etc. to withstand this load.
Although you should be able to print 8 reams of paper (4K sheets) on a
5L it will not last very long if you try to print 100 reams! We had a
law office that replaced one of their LJIII's with a 4L rather than pay
$300 to fix the LJIII. They called back a month later to have the LJIII
fixed because the 4L had simply worn out. HP is generally conservative
in there rating of duty cycle so your mileage may vary.
Oh, the 5Si is rated at 100K (200 reams of paper) per month duty cycle!
--
Jeff http://www.all-laser.com
All Laser Service Laser Printer Parts & Supplies
Sunnyvale, CA Compatible Inkjet Cartridges
(408) 734-2300 Laser Printer Error Code Info
dp...@randomc.com
Tyler Melanson wrote:
>
> I know the Duty Cycle is the max number of pages that a
> laser printer can handle per month, but I don't understand
> why a limit is set on the monthly print capacity allowable by
> a laser printer. Does this max page capacity set reffering
> to the max # of pages it can handle before it needs maintanance
> or something?
The duty cycle (from a mfg's standpoint) denotes the printing volume
that the printer was designed for. All mechanical devices have
calculated failure rates based on usage.
If you stay within or under the mfg's page count you can expect the
mfg's MTBF figures for planning maintenance costs. If you exced the
f=duty cycle you can expect higher failure rates and a shorter printer
life.
--
Dick Perron
http://www.randomc.com/~dperr/
dp...@randomc.com
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't.....will happen."
Pete Brooks
>Tyler:
>
>I believe it has to do with the reccomended number of pages per month. A
>HP LJ5L has a rating of 4K pages per month while a IIISi is rated at 50K
>pages per month. One look at the printers will give you a good idea
>why. The IIISi is high end, high speed machine intended for use in a
>networked office situation versus a 5L intended for home use. The
>machines are built quite differently. The IIISi has heavy duty rollers,
>toner cartridge, motors, fuser, fans etc. to withstand this load.
>Although you should be able to print 8 reams of paper (4K sheets) on a
>5L it will not last very long if you try to print 100 reams! We had a
>law office that replaced one of their LJIII's with a 4L rather than pay
>$300 to fix the LJIII. They called back a month later to have the LJIII
>fixed because the 4L had simply worn out. HP is generally conservative
>in there rating of duty cycle so your mileage may vary.
>Oh, the 5Si is rated at 100K (200 reams of paper) per month duty cycle!
I run a printer service department locally. I have one client with a
5si who goes through a cartridge a day. HP wouldn't touch it (under
warranty) when it broke down within a couple months after purchasing
it. WAY over the duty cycle. I make a good income off this guy!
Pete Brooks
SouthernTier Printer
dbou...@axionet.com
Think of duty cycle like the number of pages that the printer is
'insured' for its warranty coverage. If the duty cycle is higher, the
manufacturer is more exposed to the cost of servicing, and there is a
value that is placed on that exposure.
It's often not a case of whether the printer can physically handle the
output, but more often a case of the value of the service exposure
placed in the printer's cost.
There are some printers that are absolutely hard-stop not able to pass
beyond their duty cycle, and the 5Si engine from Canon is one of those.
100k/mo. max---no more or it starts dropping dead. I'm sure HP has seen
this a few times and has a policy to stick to the duty cycle. Lexmark
has the same engine on their Optra N, and recommends absolutely not
exceeding the 100k/mo duty cycle.
If you've got a client who has a 5Si and they're going over the duty
cycle, think about flipping them into the Optra S 2450. The cost per
page is lower, the cost of the maintenance kit is lower, the printer
will experience fewer jams, and it's got more paper capacity.
I say this not from any marketing B.S., but from having a client who is
20% over capacity as we speak with 5Si units, and I've got an S2450 in
there that they absolutely love.
By the way, the ROI over the 5Si on toner and maintenance kit will pay
for the printer in about 3-4 months at max duty cycle.
The downside is you won't be called out to service it as often as the
5Si, so there's less servicing revenue for you. Sorry.
Dennis Boulter
Lexmark Employee
"Personal opinion, not company policy, etc., etc...you know the drill."
nikat...@gmail.com
hamza...@gmail.com
A laser is a very pure and intense light source. A laser light will be absorbed in the skin, and the effect laser has will depend on the wavelength and energy used. Different targets in the skin can be treated by using different wavelengths and energies. The reason for this is that different skin changes and colors absorb different kinds laser light. Sieves, a laser clinic need many different types of lasers to provide effective treatment of skin.
See more at:-> http://www.dermatologi.no/laserbehandling-laserbehandling.html
http://www.dermatologi.no/
shogu...@gmail.com
> I know the Duty Cycle is the max number of pages that a
> laser printer can handle per month, but I don't understand
> why a limit is set on the monthly print capacity allowable by
> a laser printer. Does this max page capacity set reffering
> to the max # of pages it can handle before it needs maintanance
> or something?
Chris Green
Why should limiting output to, say, 1000 sides per month, be better
for the printer? If the printer is going to wear out after 20000
sheets then why not just say so? I don't believe it's going to print
more sheets if limited to 1000 sheets per month (i.e. it dies after 20
months) than if one tries to print 20000 sheets in two months.
--
Chris Green
·
Mark F
> shogu...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Sunday, March 15, 1998 at 4:00:00 AM UTC-4, Tyler Melanson wrote:
> > > I know the Duty Cycle is the max number of pages that a
> > > laser printer can handle per month, but I don't understand
> > > why a limit is set on the monthly print capacity allowable by
> > > a laser printer. Does this max page capacity set reffering
> > > to the max # of pages it can handle before it needs maintanance
> > > or something?
> >
> > Duty cycle for printers is the number of prints that a printer/copier can
> > produce in one month without a component failure or non customer replaceable
> > units like toner or imaging kits. All manufacturers calculate this differently
> > as there is no industry standard. This is not a figure that a home device
> > or even typically office mfp's are going to be printing (other than perhaps
> > a print shop or service bureau). Duty cycles can be anywhere from 7-10
> > times the recommended monthly maximum impressions. This figure should be
> > used rather than Duty cycle as it is a realistic monthly average and may
> > also factor in TCO
>
> I never really understood either figure.
>
> Why should limiting output to, say, 1000 sides per month, be better
> for the printer?
1. pages/month is just a marketing thing so people have an idea of
how many pages/month they can print and get a reasonable
calendar lifetime for the computer and reasonable time between
replacements other than for toner or ink.
2. over heating: I don't know about printers, around 2000 I had
HP tape drives that were not rated for writing a full tape
and then reading it on the same day. HP support said didn't have
to wait a full day, but at least 8 hours. (HP also replaced the
drives each time they failed, but that was only 2 replacements
for the same unit before I went to disk backups anyhow.)
Depending on cool off times needed, 1000 pages continuously
might be a big problem; but 250 pages continuously then, say,
a two hour rest, 12 times a day might not result in a
reduced total page count for the printer.
3. This one probably doesn't apply for office printers, but might
apply for service bureaus:
In the old days, IBM or whoever, would do
preventive maintenance (PM) periodically.
(tightening up things, changing the oil in the
printer, cleaning or replacing filters, running extensive
diagnostics, etc.)
Chris Green
'miles per month' figure for a car or bicycle, or a number of washes
per month for a washing machine.
> 2. over heating: I don't know about printers, around 2000 I had
> HP tape drives that were not rated for writing a full tape
> and then reading it on the same day. HP support said didn't have
> to wait a full day, but at least 8 hours. (HP also replaced the
> drives each time they failed, but that was only 2 replacements
> for the same unit before I went to disk backups anyhow.)
>
> Depending on cool off times needed, 1000 pages continuously
> might be a big problem; but 250 pages continuously then, say,
> a two hour rest, 12 times a day might not result in a
> reduced total page count for the printer.
>
I'd be worried if it was.
--
Chris Green
·
Gernot Hassenpflug
Duty cycle originally has to do with the power consumed, and therefore
the heat generated, in electric and electronic components. If this
cannot be dissipated then the device will quickly fail. A duty cycle
with a given power consumption therefore is either short high peaks of
usage, or longer but lower periods of usage.
How this concerns printers is most likely exactly the same when one
looks at the components directly, and manufacturers have extrapolated
this to the user sphere of actual paper printing, although again here an
arbitrary assumption of perhaps 5% coverage is assumed. In other words,
it depends.
--
NNTP on Emacs 24.5 from Windows 7
Ed Pawlowski
>> Depending on cool off times needed, 1000 pages continuously
>> might be a big problem; but 250 pages continuously then, say,
>> a two hour rest, 12 times a day might not result in a
>> reduced total page count for the printer.
>>
>But 1000/month is only 30 per day, surely heating can't be an issue.
>I'd be worried if it was.
Usually based on averages. If you have heavy printing needs you will
probably be happier with a different model. Try printing 1000 pages
non-stop and see how often you can do that.
Chris Green
per month and stay within the duty-cycle figure. It's actually a not
uncommon type of usage where a great deal of printing is done on, say,
the last day of the month and very little for the rest of the month.
--
Chris Green
·