Comments on: is there a problem cutting pwer to a laser printer?

Question: is there a problem cutting pwer to a laser printer?

dripped — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:59:58 -0800

Is there an issue with putting a laser printer (Lexmark c522) onto a simple timer that just kills the power at night, and lets it power up again in the morning? Am I going to damage components significantly?

By: tomble

tomble — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:13:47 -0800

Obviously I can't say `it will never cause problems', but I have on many occasions killed power to my printer through turning it off at the wall socket, and it's never been an issue. Modern electronics are pretty hardy.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:15:53 -0800

The biggest thing is laser printers go thru a cleaning/alignment process on power on. Under your plan the printer will do this every time the timer turns on which will waste a certain amount of toner each day. Soft powering off with the switch first will prevent this in most cases.

By: tomble

tomble — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:39:02 -0800

I guess it also depends on the switch. Some printers are never really `off' - you press the button and it turns mostly off, but there's still a bit of power going through it. This is like on most modern PCs, where it doesn't just cut the flow of power but instead initiates a software shutdown.

My printer has a big electrical switch, clicking it over is essentially the equivalent of pulling the plug. The power is cut instantly and completely.

By: ghost of a past number

ghost of a past number — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:46:40 -0800

I have been running a couple of HP lasers with a switch mounted on the power cord for years - never had a problem. The idea was to protect the built-in switch from wearing out. However, these are pretty robust beasts (6P series), from about 8 years ago, when peripherals didn't try to be so smart.

I'm guessing my other printer (HP1000 series, doesn't even HAVE a power button) would have a fit if I tried this.

By: le morte de bea arthur

le morte de bea arthur — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:09:54 -0800

If it's power-saving you want, might be a good idea to actually check the power consumption when the printer is not in use, or is in a 'soft power off' mode. If you don't have a usage meter of some kind, they're a worthy investment. Many newer devices use trivial amounts of power when not in use (although it can be argued that it all adds up).

Of course if there's some other reason (fire risk, reducing 'wear' or something), ignore this.

By: gjc

gjc — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:31:49 -0800

It won't hurt anything, provided the timer cuts power cleanly and doesn't arc or anything awful like that. Make sure the timer is rated for the peak power that the printer can draw- laser printers, especially color ones, draw a LOT of power at brief intervals.

It might use slightly more toner though. Hard to say. Configuring the power saving mode is probably best- how much electricity will you really save after you purchase this timer?

By: dripped

dripped — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:03:48 -0800

Part of the rational is that it's rest cycle noise is noisy and wakes me up!
Will have to figure out if it has a sleep mode enabled.
Thanks for comments