A Printer with Panache (HP Deskjet 820cxi)

Member Name: robinlawrie

Product:	HP Deskjet 820cxi
Date:	13/10/01 (801 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: read op

Disadvantages: read op

Oh God! Not another printer op, I can hear you say. But before you dash off to read an opinion that mentions nudity or sex in the title, but in reality is only a snare to trick you into reading about shampoo or toothpaste, give me a moment or two of your time and I will tell you about the ultimate in printers that the manufacturers have devised so far.

One problem that you will encounter is that this particular printer is no longer on general sale, so you will be forced to hunt it down in computer fairs or shops that stock old machines such as these. It is unlikely that you will ever see one on sale second hand, as the owners would not part with it for all the tea in Tesco’s.

The printer in question is the Hewlett Packard 820Cxi, and I acquired mine in a package containing computer, printer, and scanner etc. some 5 years ago. I do not take any credit in choosing this particular printer, as in reality the printer chose me. The computer has been superseded with the latest in Athlon technology, the scanner is well overdue for replacement, and the original software is now used to scare birds from my veggie patch. The printer however churns out sheet after sheet of perfectly printed paper, just as good as the day I took it from it’s packaging all those years ago.

It has at various times in its life been: a footstool for thoughtless teenagers, a multi-storey garage for grandchildren, and a coffee cup holder for yours truly. It has absorbed all this mistreatment and come up trumps every time its services are called on. Occasionally it gags on a piece of lego or a misplaced piece of pork pie, but once it clears its throat a couple of times we are back in business.

One day it jammed solid as someone had inadvertently placed a sheet of cardboard inside the paper of the feed tray. Not wanting to face the bill involved with sending it back to HP, I whipped the cover off myself. The jammed rollers eventually wer
e freed and I gave everything a quick wipe down with an oily rag, just to be on the safe side. Once the cover was replaced, the printer coughed a couple of times, and then resumed its work as if nothing had happened.

Incidentally I checked with Hewlett Packard and at the time they operated a system by which they would repair a machine regardless of the damage for £50.

I have used other printers, both HP and other manufacturers, and indeed have an Epson Photo700 myself for detailed photography work. Newer printers are faster, that is true but are you really in that much of a hurry? They are also quieter, once again true, but there is no way that you could describe the 820 as a “noisy” machine.

Ink cartridges prices are exorbitant and there is not a lot that you can do about it. It is always possible however to refill them yourself if you have the skill and patience of a brain surgeon. The new cartridges of the 820 are the same price as most others (£20ish) but the refilling of this printer has never been a problem to me. I have tried with other makes of printer and end up with ink all over the kitchen, the dog and myself. With the 820 however, I have managed to average 4 or 5 refills with very little mess, before the cartridge finally gives up the ghost.

If you need a workhorse of a printer I strongly advise you to watch out for this particular model and grab it with both hands if you are fortunate enough to see one for sale.

All that there is really left for me to tell you is the boring specification of the Deskjet 820Cxi which I give you full permission to skip as I know you are desperate to read that op on shampoo:

•Print Speed = 5 pages per minute (black) 1.5 pages per minute (colour)
•Resolution = 600x600 (black) 300x300 (colour)
•Memory = 128k
•Media Handling 150 sheets
•Reliability = 60,000 page life. 20,000 hours

Summary: