How to make a million pounds on the Internet! (HP Deskjet 695c)

Member Name: Plymyphil

Product:	HP Deskjet 695c
Date:	19/05/05 (1855 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Value for money, Reliability, Robust

Disadvantages: Age, Features now surpassed

The other day I was browsing Ebay - thank you to whoever wrote that opinion that had me hooked a couple of weeks back - and saw something amazing! A printer we are still using regularly and have never had a single technician call out for after approximately five years was selling for it's opening bid of just £1.00. With less than an hour to go nobody was bidding up for this great printer. I didn't hang around to see if £1.00 was the final price but if so it was a bargain because even though old and slightly long in the tooth compared to today's technology this printer is a joy. I guess these printers would sell easily at £1.00 and there must have been thousands - no, millions sold in the world wide market as I see these around in all places. I think my doctor's surgery has one - I guess many schools still do and before you cry 'foul' check your own attic - you might surprise yourself.

So, before I come to the details of this great printer, let me answer the question posed in my title:
'How to make a million pounds on the Internet'
Answer:
Check your attic, pester local residents and round up the million or so HP DeskJet 695C printers that are gathering dust and no doubt working perfectly. Place your adds on Ebay and reap the rewards - go on ... do it.

Apologies for the pull and I promise the review will be worth reading.

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POSITIVES
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Price
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This printer came to us for the then princely sum of just under £200.00.
As explained though, careful observation on Ebay may well deliver a true bargain with this printer being tremendously reliable and certain to prove a second hand bargain.

Reliability
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I support dozens of printers and over the course of the last ten years that number multiplies by factors of ten. This is one of the rare printers that never seems to require technician time. I have changed cartridges and rarely, and I do mean rarely, had to remove a paper jam.
This printer is used three or four times a week now but in the past it was used daily. The printheads have never needed replacing and amazingly nothing has chipped or broken on the body of the printer. The whole thing is a miracle - it shouldn't just be bought as a bargain on Ebay, it should be cannonized.

Lifespan
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Printers talk about lifetime of parts in terms of thousands of pages. I can gurantee this printer has far exceeded any guarantees left by the manufacturer. If you hope a printer at home might last five or so years and in the workplace might last 2-3 years, in education you can even half this figure. However, here we are five years on and the printer functions so well that nobody is talking about replacing or binning. (Good job because going on Ebay prices we wouldn't get much for it now!)


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NEGATIVES
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There really are no negative aspects to be considered in a printer that has provided such exceptional value for money and reliability.
However, in the interests of honesty I will list one or two features that if you were buying a printer today may seem sub standard or below the market expectations.
The resolution of 600dpiX600dpi is low compared to some printers and the older version of resolution enhancing technology instaslled on this printer doesn't seem as hot as that installed on the later Hewlett Packard printers. As a result full colour photographs can look slightly banded and don't have the vibrancy associated with more modern printers specifically targetted at the home imaging market.
In full colour it runs slowly. Large images or pages with a combination of black and colour seem to take an age to print. The box states 1.7ppm but I say less. Mono text is OK but still far slower than more recent printers.
The printer connects through the parrallel port so no fast USB printing here. Finally, drivers on the disk supplied only go up to Windows 98 and therefore ME, 2000 and XP are not covered out of the box although there must be drivers around I would expect.

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OVERALL
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Overall this is an outstanding printer.
I have not made my million from it ... yet but it has in its longevity and reliability saved money that would have been paid out on other printer models.
I will be keeping my eyes open for these lying around the side of the road though because anybody foolish enough to dispose of this printer deserves to loose its potential capacity to earn a pound on Ebay.

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Thank you for reading this opinion and I hope it is helpful in making purchasing decisions ... me, I'm off to browse the pages of Ebay for another printing bargain - Phil

Summary: