Cracking open Hewlett Packard's IIP, the original personal LaserJet printer

I bought this printer in 1991; it has been used 2-3 times per week since. I do nothing to it except dust the inside with a paintbrush occasionally. The ink cartidge manufacters have reduced the maximum output from about 7000 to 3900 sheets per cartidge, although I generally get over 5000 per cartidge. It squeaks when I don't use it often enough and I use only 18 LB paper and fan the pack. 20 LB will jam once in a while.

They don't make them like this anymore.

This printer along with its cousins the LJIII/IIID were the main printers at one place I worked at. These workhorses served many departments for many years, and the last time I visited there 3 years ago, some of the old printers were still in service. The computer room there used the larger Si series printers to print out customer letters. The 3Si's printed over 350,000 letters per quarter in triplicate so that was really over 1 Million pages per quarter. All we did was change the feed assembly and the rollers just before the quarterly print-outs.

When my former employer closed, we were still using a LJIIID. This printer was well over 15 years old and still going strong.

Great old printers. Lexmark uses HP III drivers as the base for their new MF devices.