Long, long, long-term review

I bought this printer in 1997 for moderate-heavy use and have run somewhere between 30-40,000 sheets through it over its seven year life. So far, so good!

Here's what I've done to it so far. Replaced toner. Nothing else. I'll need to replace the separation pads soon ($5-10) since it's beginning to double-feed, but that's it.

It got me through college (where it reliably printed weekly newsletters, flyers, and successful award application portfolios). After college, I've used it to print resumes that helped get me interviews and job offers. Today my wife is using it to download and print assignments for grad school. We have a kid on the way, and we'll use it to print announcements, letters, and other things.

Put simply, this has been a wonderful printer that has absolutely never failed me once, even though it's been used pretty heavily and continuously. I went to look at lasers today at Office Depot and Office Max, and I was surprised to find that the HPLJ6 prints even more crisply than the new and improved models out there < $200. Amazing.

If you see a new one or a used one, you're probably going to get a great printer. HP did a great job on this one, and I'm curious to see if it will last for yet another seven years.

Anyway, I just thought I'd add my long-term perspective. Hope it helps!