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blindemboss · Aug 23, 2006, 08:18 AM

With the popular 1012 no longer available, I'm left with the LaserJet 1018/1020 for a low cost black and white printer.

While the processor speed has been upped to 233mhz and USB 2.0 is now standard, the RAM sadly has dropped down to 2mb.

Now I'm not sure if the trade offs balance out. Do larger documents print faster because of the increased processor speed? Or does it get hung up because of the smaller RAM? Does the move to USB 2.0 help?

Ideally, one could crack open a LaserJet 1020, pop out the existing RAM and drop in higher capacity SIMMs. Has anyone ever tried this?

OreoCookie · Aug 23, 2006, 09:38 AM

No, you're not left with the 1020, there are plenty of alternatives from other vendors. Additional RAM for printers is traditionally expensive, usually you can get a larger printer for the difference in the first place.

Some alternatives are
- Brother HL-2030 or HL-2040 (16 and 18 A4 ppm, both have 8 MB standard and are faster than the HP)
- Oki B4100 (also 18 A4 ppm, 8 MB memory and even PCL)

Personally, I have had bad experiences with newer HP printers, in particular newer ones. The three alternatives are faster, more compact (in particular since there is no paper sticking out of the printer) and have more memory.

But to answer your original question: you cannot upgrade the 1020's memory. Oh, and I just wanted to mention that according to HP Germany's homepage, the printer is not MacOS X compatible.

OreoCookie · Aug 23, 2006, 09:59 AM

I've check with the US hp website: they also don't list MacOS X as one of the supported operating systems, looks like it's a Windows-only printer.

All the other printers I have listed on the other hand work with Macs.

blindemboss · Aug 25, 2006, 08:39 AM

Yeah, the 1020 (and now 1018) are not "officially" supported.
But there have been many documented successes using the drivers for the HP 1022.

OreoCookie · Aug 25, 2006, 08:54 AM

So why would you prefer an inferior printer with no official OS X drivers to one with official support? The printers I have mentioned in my reply are all officially supported with better or equal specs. Beyond that, they have a paper tray, so no paper is sticking out of the printer.

Is there a reason why you want to stick to that specific printer?

Big Mac · Aug 25, 2006, 09:56 AM

The only reason to want the LaserJet 1020 is it's the smallest laser printer around. If desk space is important, it's attractive.

blindemboss · Aug 25, 2006, 10:06 AM

I suppose I'm a bit of an HP fan when it comes to laser printers. Had them way back and they've always been reliable and robust.
I've heard not so good things about Brother (more to do with consumables) and Oki didn't even register in my mind. I have though looked at a Lexmark e120.

It does bugs me that HP have forced Mac owners to pony up to the 1022 in order to get into their line of printers.

OreoCookie · Aug 25, 2006, 10:31 AM

I've had and worked with numerous HP printers and I have to say that they aren't what they used to be anymore. Especially their cheap laser printers are overpriced and don't match the quality of some of its competitors.

I'm just trying to point out alternatives which officially support OS X. (JFYI, I have a Kyocera FS-1020D at home and a HP LJ4250 as well as a HP LJ4600 at work.)

Both, the Brothers and the Oki printer have a very small footprint, they are not much larger than an A4 page. On the other hand, I don't think you can expect too much from an as-cheap-as-it-gets laser printer (or any printer of that price category), but they may still be sufficient for some people's needs.

OreoCookie · Aug 25, 2006, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

The only reason to want the LaserJet 1020 is it's the smallest laser printer around. If desk space is important, it's attractive.

Not really, unless you take out all the paper every time you finish printing something. The other printers I have mentioned aren't much larger than an A4 page … which is the minimal size of a (non-top loader printer).

Big Mac · Aug 25, 2006, 10:37 AM

I have looked at the HL-2030, and it is substantially larger than the 1020. It also appears to be much more power hungry, according to reviewers on Amazon.

OreoCookie · Aug 25, 2006, 10:44 AM

I remember seeing it in shops and it doesn't seem much larger than the paper it's supposed to print on. The HP's footprint might be smaller, but the actual space you need for it won't be, because you still need to handle the paper.

In either case, I don't think it's a good idea to buy a printer which doesn't officially support OS X (unless it's a postscript printer).

blindemboss · Aug 25, 2006, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

In either case, I don't think it's a good idea to buy a printer which doesn't officially support OS X (unless it's a postscript printer).

Yeah, I'm a bit leery about using other drivers for the intended printer. The problem is there are fewer and fewer low cost postscript printers out there. Wish someone would re-introduce something along the lines of the old Laserwriter 320.

eBay: APPLE PERSONAL LASERWRITER 320 LASER PRINTER (item 280021340937 end time Aug-30-06 16:01:14 PDT)

While it's tempting, I'm not sure it's fast enough nor compatible with OS X.

OreoCookie · 12:06 PM

There are cheap laser printers with postscript, here's a list of a few of them:
- Brother HL-5240 (PS3, 239 Euros)
- HP Laserjet 1320 (PS2, 269 Euros)
- Kyocera FS-920 (PS3, 249 Euros)
- Kyocera FS-1030D (PS3, 264 Euros) -- the successor of the printer I have
- Samsung ML-3050 (PS3, 249 Euros)

You get what you pay for: the entry-level printers are usually GDI printers, i. e. they have virtually no brain and need to be fed with pre-processed printer instructions. PS requires the printer to have a brain of its own -- which makes them more expensive. But I wouldn't consider them too expensive.

Postscript is pretty much standard on all bw laser printers above 300 Euros.