Printer Upgrade

Gordon Darby will soon make Dell laser printers available to stations as an upgrade to the ink jet printers currently being used on NHOST units. As a preliminary step this email is being sent out to gauge the interest of NH inspection stations to this kind of an upgrade.

There are several factors to consider.

First, the cost of replacement toner cartridges; compared to the cost of the cartridges used in the inkjet printers, laser cartridges are considerably more expensive. A 2 pack of Epson black ink cartridges is offered through the NHOST unit for $23.50. A laser toner cartridge will cost in the range of $60-$70. However, the number of VIRs that can be printed with the standard laser cartridge is approximately 1000 pages compared to the approximate 400 VIRs from the 2 Epson inkjet cartridges. These figures result in a cost of $.06 per page for the Epson inkjet and $.06 – $.07 per page for the Dell laser.

Secondly, for improved reliability, the laser printers will include a paper compartment that will help keep the paper clean. One of the challenges of running printers in automotive repair shops is the presence of airborne dust. Having the paper stored in a compartment prior to its use in the printer will decrease the likelihood of the paper jams in the feed mechanism.

Thirdly, the Dell printer may not be compatible with some UPS units (uninterruptible power supply) because of power draw requirements of the printer. This would result in the inability to use those UPS units to power the printer.

Also, the Dell laser printer will print at a higher page per minute rate. The effect of this for inspection stations will be that it won’t take as long to print out a VIR and any attending OBD rejection sheets.

This update to the laser printer is optional at this point, although we may eventually require this upgrade statewide.

If you would be interested in receiving a laser printer to replace the ink jet printer, please notify us by emailing a response to this message from your NHOST unit to the Program Manager, or by calling the helpline at (800)383-4124. There are no additional fees from Gordon Darby associated with switching to the laser printer.