Throw Away World

March 3, 2009 1:05 PM

My 13-month-old HP all-in-one printer doesn't print exactly right and it seems more cost-effective to throw it away and to buy a new one. This makes me feel bad: It is bad for the environment. What should I do?

Randomly, the printed lines will have blank streaks running across them. It is out of warranty by one month, and it will cost under $200 to replace it (with a Canon). To repair will require a service call and unknown parts. It is either the printer head or the mother board, it seems. I couldn't give it to a charity that would want it, I don't believe; as they would need to have it fixed, too. This is worth under $200 brand new, these days.

posted by swlabr to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Try listing it on eBay (with "for parts" in the title). Clearly describe the problem, include a picture of the streaks on the printouts. Start the auction at $0.99. Charge a shipping rate that covers that cost. See what happens. There's someone out there who has one with a different part broken and the know-how to combine the two.
posted by winston at 1:10 PM on March 3, 2009

See if there's any type of electronic recycling program in your area. Most that I have participated in don't care about the working condition of the product.
posted by CancerMan at 1:12 PM on March 3, 2009

Do you have a Best Buy nearby? They recycle consumer electronics.
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:14 PM on March 3, 2009

Interestingly, this is a common occurrence in inexpensive printers, and unlikely to be a coincidence in terms of warranty and timing. Purchasing a more expensive model now might help you to avoid having to replace it again in 13 months.
posted by ellF at 2:41 PM on March 3, 2009

Electronics recycling is pretty hazardous:

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/11/19/perils-of-electronic.html

But it sounds like this may be just one of those hard choices in life. I am very careful about my environmental impact, but I think I would replace the printer in this case. Recycle it.
posted by anthropoid at 7:15 PM on March 3, 2009

I would offer it up on Freecycle (of course, mentioning the printer's problems) and see if anyone bites--I had several broken printers that were gratefully accepted by a guy who was handy with printer repair. If Freecycle doesn't work, the free section on Craigslist might.
posted by carrienation at 11:30 PM on March 3, 2009

Randomly, the printed lines will have blank streaks running across them.

That could be caused by a clogged printhead. Inkjets are prone to this type of problem, especially if you don't use them daily. Have you tried cleaning it?
posted by dhartung at 11:33 PM on March 3, 2009

Call HP. I know of two cases where they've replaced out-of warranty printers -- one was more than a year past the end date. It seems odd, until you consider that what they really want is for you to keep buying their ink.
posted by wryly at 11:16 AM on March 4, 2009