tom jupille wrote:
You're not going to find a new printer that meets those specs (any more than you would be able to find a new Model T Ford car). Honestly, if this were my problem, I'd just do what you proposed: buy a used printer on FleaBay and then put in for reimbursement.
Alternative: if your company has a purchasing department, this would be the time to have them earn their paycheck. Give them your specs (parallel port, PCL compatibility) and let *them* hunt for it.
Good luck either way (you're gonna need it!).
That's what I was afraid of.
Unfortunately, purchasing seems to be of the mindset of "it's not our job to buy stuff for you-it's just our job to negotiate contracts and tell you who you can buy from." I got my wrist slapped about a year ago because I bought a half dozen toner cartridges on Amazon for less than the cost of a single one from Office Depot-I was told that if I did it again they'd come after me to collect.
Purchasing has become a huge department here that frankly micromanages everything-I remember having to write a full page justification over $3K spent at Agilent back in May over what I'd consider some routine consumable purchases-MS filaments, GC columns, and diffusion pump oil. More than once, I've ordered chemicals for teaching lab experiments, and they've wanted a an experimental procedure that showed exactly what we used and a break-down with enrollments, etc to justify not only what we ordering but also the quantities(never mind that for stuff that doesn't go bad, I often order a few semesters worth at a time-I got questioned on that).
So, they're too busy doing that to actually FIND what I need...
I use to be able to find this kind of stuff at surplus, but unfortunately that source has been cut off since they recycle anything even remotely computer related rather than let people take it.
While I'm at it-even if I went the route of buying on Ebay with a procurement card, which I can do pretty easily-and ask for forgiveness rather than permission-I'm still in trouble because Ebay has made it a royal nightmare to get things tax exempt and that's going to raise a red flag also.
I'll go hunting and see if I can find a 3rd party supplier with an HP II/HP III, possibly refurbished and with a guarantee, as that MIGHT fly better than Ebay.