The HP LaserJet desktop printer was a game-changer the moment it debuted in Atlanta at Spring Comdex 1984, then the computing industry's premier trade conference, now but a memory. Since then the LaserJet line has accounted for more than 100 million unit sales ... and earned itself a spot on the Hollywood walk of infamy.
HP this week marked the LaserJet's 25th anniversary with a celebration at the company's facility in Boise, Idaho, where the original was assembled. (That the milestone wasn't included in my "2009's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries" can only be called a grievous oversight.)
From an article in the Idaho Statesman:
"The LaserJet stole the show in Atlanta (in '84)," said Von Hansen, an engineer in Boise who was part of the development team. "We knew we had something, but we never dreamed it would be this big."
It's HP's most successful product ever, Hansen said.
Laser printers were not new in 1984. They were invented by Xerox in 1969, but they were big machines with enormous price tags. Xerox, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard offered laser printers starting at about $100,000 each.
The first LaserJet printed 300 dots per inch - smoothing graphics dramatically - and allowed desktop publishers to mix fonts on a single page. Its cost was just $3,500.
Hansen also tells the newspaper of a fortuitous airborne meeting with some guy named Gates:
On a flight home from New Orleans in February, 1984 Hansen found himself seated in coach, across the aisle from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, then a mogul-in-the-making. The chance meeting led to years of support from Microsoft for LaserJet products, Hansen said. "They had just come out with Word, and Gates just loved this product."
Bill Gates in coach; now there's an image.
Finding coverage of that Comdex in online archives has been a bit of a challenge, but here is a short review of the LaserJet from a 1984 edition of Creative Computing:
At Comdex, HP also introduced another revolutionary printer, dubbed the LaserJet. Eight times faster than a typical daisywheel printer, the LaserJet brings laser technology to offices and small business at a list price of $3,495.
The machine can reproduce eight pages per minute, while maintaining print quality nearly indistinguishable from copy produced on an electronic typewriter.
Graphics resolution of the LaserJet can provide nearly typeset quality, with 300 X 300 dots per inch.
The LaserJet is more easily compared to a copy machine than to other computer printers. In fact, it makes use of a disposable electro-photographic cartridge OEMed from Canon, which is actually an off-the-shelf copy machine component. Each cartridge is good for approximately 3000 pages of printing and costs $100.
That first LaserJet was not without significant limitations, of course, as noted in this Wikipedia entry:
It featured an 8 MHz processor and the Courier typeface. It was controlled using PCL3. Due to the high cost of memory, the first LaserJet only had 128 kilobytes of memory, and a portion of that was reserved for use by the print engine. This rendered the LaserJet nearly useless for direct graphical image printing, with it only capable of printing a low-resolution 75-dpi image about 1 inch square before running out of memory (larger graphics were printed by having the printer driver stream the image to the printer in real-time as the rasterizor printed the page). It took approximately two minutes for the first page to print out.
You can read what HP has to say about the first LaserJet here. And, origami fans will want to check out this 6-sided view of the machine.
As for that Hollywood connection, the HP LaserJet 4 would receive credit for a Hollywood star turn in the 1999 classic Office Space -- immortalizing the machine's nonsensical error message "PC Load Letter" -- and inspiring T-shirts both basic and complete with the full NSFW movie quotation.
You can watch the "PC Load Letter" scene here.
Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent Buzzblog items. And, if you'd like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, here's where to sign up.
Snopes.com gets an "A" from fellow fact-checkers.
Reason No. 2 to resist filing a complaint with the FCC.
2009's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries.
Mich. lawmaker urges governor to rethink RFID in licenses
Melissa virus turning 10 ... (age of the stripper remains unknown).
Tweeting with "Star Trek" actor sparks kitchen fire?
40% of geeks surveyed admit to working ... how many hours?
A few clean words from the creator of Cursebird.
Want to close your LendingTree account? Sorry, no can do.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
Laser
I just love my HP Laserjet!
RT
www.anonymity.ru.tc
HP Laserjet II still works
I inherited an HP Laserjet II because its jet direct interface broke about 6 years ago and it had to be close to 10 years old at the time. One toner cartridge later and it is still going strong.
LASER JET FOR LIFE
I HAVE A HP LASERJET 4250 AND ITS A BEAST HP BY FAR MAKES THE
BEST PRINTERS OUT THERE
Yeah, maybe back in 1984, and it was made by Canon, not HP
I've also had numerous Apple LaserWriters that worked until WE decided to throw them away for more dpi.
You are giving credit to the badge on the box.
Apple & HP contributed firmware code and chips (Adobe Postscript too) but the printer engine durability credit goes to Canon, who made all of them.
Today in the 21st century, HP makes the WORST printing devices on this planet.
From LaserJets that jam, to bloated and buggy software that fills your machine with a ton of crap. And ink that is always running low and priced like a yacht's fuel tank.
I would highly recommend you take pause, from your HP loyalty, and consider a $79 Brother MFC or $99 Samsung Laser and you will be amazed how they can make better software drivers and hardware for less than a franklin.
Just like buying a Vizio HDTV instead of a overvalued Sony Bravia. Give it a try sometime. Your smile will be HUGE!
copy cannon printer and call
copy cannon printer and call it laserjet
HP 5P
I've been using my laserjet 5P since...I can't remember how long. best printer I've ever owned.
LASERJETS
I have serviced the HP Laserjet series of printers since they first came out. The most sturdy and reliable units to ever hit the market. Easy to service and only requires minimal maintenence to keep it trouble free. Ease of replacement of the most often required replacement parts makes it a simple chore to keep it working for decades. I still have one of the first ones and aside from replacing the fizer assembly every other year( I have 12 spares) it just keeps running like the energizer bunny. Averaging 150 to 200 pages a day, it has been trouble free. I do recommend that all laser units be turned off overnight if not in use to prevent premature failure of the fuzer unit. Periodic cleaning of the paper pickup rollers is all that's needed on a monthly basis. Avoid envelopes and label stock and it can last for decades without a major cleaning. Care in removing paper jams can go a long way in forestalling any major repairs.
LaserJet IIs never die
I have two LaserJet IIs, and probably enough toners to last till the next millenium. I use them for printing letters and text manuscripts. I turn them off when I'm not using them, so I bet they'll last forever. Please, HP: never forget your roots in building things the best they can be! It's OK to buind some cheap stuff for those who want it, but don't stop building the unbreakable products for those of us who need reliability and longevity in our equipment. G.R.
A few years ago I got hold
A few years ago I got hold of an HP LaserJet 4mp, which the local university was getting rid of. It's dated 1994 but has an ethernet card so I can use it on my network. It's a wonderful printer that will probably live longer than the average human.
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
Sorry. I couldn't resist.
Post new comment