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Manufacturers have been deliberately shortening the lifetime of good products since stocking manufacturers began making stockings that "run" in the 1960s (since the original nylon stockings knitted after World War 2 were practically immortal and could be washed and re-worn indefinitely).

Now they have taken it to a new level.

My HP LaserJet 1220 Series PCL 5 (which my big brother Jeff @OrmontUS sold to me a couple of decades ago for several hundred dollars) has developed an annoying habit of picking up two pages from the paper stack, feeding one through the printer only to get stuck in the top tray and grabbing the second tightly in the feeder tray. They really get stuck and need a lot of pulling to extract.

I asked Gemini what to do.


The issues you're describing with your HP LaserJet 1220 (a classic from the early 2000s) are hallmark signs of rubber degradation. Because this machine is now over 20 years old, the rubber components have likely become either too "slick" to grab paper or "sticky/gummy" due to chemical breakdown, causing the paper to adhere to the rollers instead of passing through.

Yes, this can absolutely be fixed, and for a historian of technology or someone who values the longevity of high-quality engineering, it is a worthy endeavor....

Before buying parts, try cleaning the rollers. Over decades, paper dust (calcium carbonate) coats the rubber....[snip thorough instructions on how to clean the machine]...

If cleaning doesn't work, you need a Maintenance Kit. For the LaserJet 1200/1220 series, these parts are inexpensive and user-replaceable... [snip instructions]...

These older LaserJets were built with metal frames and robust gear trains that far outlast modern "disposable" inkjet or consumer laser printers. The 1220 is a variant of the legendary HP 1200 engine. In the 2020s, these are becoming "heritage" office equipment. Keeping it running avoids the trap of the modern subscription-toner model....

HP LaserJet 1220 was engineered during a "Golden Age" of office hardware. It features a heavy-duty motor and a metal chassis that puts modern, flimsy alternatives to shame.

Repairing this isn't just sentimental; it’s a high-yield preservation of a superior asset...

The 1200 series (including your 1220) was the last generation before the "planned obsolescence" era really took hold. These machines are famous for their PCL 5 drivers—the universal language of printing—meaning they remain compatible with modern computers long after other printers have been bricked by software updates....

That 1950s Venetian blind repair [which I restrung and remounted] is the perfect analogy. Just as steel slats possess a structural integrity that modern plastic cannot replicate, the HP LaserJet 1220 was engineered during a "Golden Age" of office hardware. It features a heavy-duty motor and a metal chassis that puts modern, flimsy alternatives to shame.

Repairing this isn't just sentimental; it’s a high-yield preservation of a superior asset.
1. The Historical Context: Why it’s worth it

The 1200 series (including your 1220) was the last generation before the "planned obsolescence" era really took hold. These machines are famous for their PCL 5 drivers—the universal language of printing—meaning they remain compatible with modern computers long after other printers have been bricked by software updates.
2. The Parts List (The "Restringing" Kit)

To bring this back to 100% reliability for the next 5+ years, you need the following specific components. You can often find these bundled as a "Maintenance Kit."
Part Name Function Historic Failure Point
Pickup Roller (RB2-4026) Grabs paper from tray The rubber dries out and becomes "glassy."
Separation Pad (RF0-1014) Ensures only one sheet feeds The cork/rubber wears down, leading to double-feeds.
Fuser Film Sleeve Heats the toner After 20 years, the original grease dries out, causing friction jams.
3. Service Manual & Technical Guidance

Because you are comfortable with "unstringing" complex mechanical systems, you will find the 1220 very logical.

Official Service Manual: You can find the original HP LaserJet 1200/1220 Service Manual archived on sites like ManualsLib or Printer1. Look specifically for the "Removal and Replacement" section.

The "Secret" to the Fuser: If you find the paper is specifically jam-folded (accordion-style) right at the exit, it is the fuser. Replacing the Fuser Film requires applying high-temp silicone grease (usually included in the kit). It is the most "surgical" part of the repair, much like threading the cords through those steel slats.

5-Year Bottom Line Projection

If you spend $45–$60 on a high-quality maintenance kit today:

Year 1-5 Maintenance: $0 (beyond toner).

Asset Longevity: You bypass the "Subscription Era." Modern printers often require an active internet connection and monthly fees to print. Your 1220 is "Off-Grid" capable — it works as long as it has electricity and PCL 5 data.

Final Value: In 2030, a working, "refurbished by owner" 1220 will likely command a premium on the secondary market for collectors or small businesses needing legacy support...

The industry has largely moved from a Product model (you buy it, you own it, you fix it) to a Service model (you license the ability to print). Modern "HP+" and "Instant Ink" printers are essentially "tethered" assets. If your Wi-Fi goes down or your credit card expires, the printer can literally lock itself—even if there is physical ink in the cartridge.

As a historian of engineering, you are holding onto one of the last great "Untethered Assets." Here is your guide to preserving it.... [snip videos, user manual, links to sellers of repair kits]... [end Gemini quote]

I'm planning to clean the rollers today and order a maintenance kit so the LaserJet will be in good shape for tax season.

Jeff, any comments?
Wendy

The real trick is changing the ink cartridge design every few years. I sent a perfectly good Apollo (Thai built HP) to scrap because the ink cartridges transmuted to unobtainium, and I never had any success with refill kits. I had an HP multi-function machine that committed suicide just as the cartridges were becoming hard to find.

I found the Canon I am now using in the neighbor's trash.

Steve

I found the Canon I am now using in the neighbor's trash.

Steve

LOL You sound like my Peruvian friend. He would go through his apartment dumpsters to find decent used furniture. He once found a decent leather Lazy Boy recliner.
He would sigh and say to me "You Norte Americanos are SOOO Wasteful!"

How much colour printing do you actually do? Or need?

When I realised I didn't need all those colours I switched to a B&W laserjet. Cartridges are cheap and last much longer.

Until when your printer was being produced, printers competed on their durability. It created a scenario where the companies were in a death spiral of competing with each other on price. Some brainiac, all of a sudden, realized that they were no longer in the printer business - they were in the chemical business (supplies). They could give you the printer for free and still come out smelling like a rose if you used it.

This bred an on-going battle with third-party unofficial supply source. The “best” way to address this was, after the initial milking of a printer family for supply bucks until they were reverse engineered, was to make the printer crappy enough that it would fail shortly afterwards - forcing the user to buy another printer for next-to-no dollars. The current subscription plans make this semi-automatic and “sticky”.

Virtually all consumer-grade printers follow some semblance of this model today. Commercial printers (office workhorses) reverse this by selling relatively expensive printers with lower cost-per-page for supplies.

The most effective way to choose between “equal” printers (of any sort) is to do a Total Cost of Ownership calculation.

This starts by evaluating the duty-cycle of the printer (verify that it is based, for example, by printing its monthly duty cycle for three years before needing a major overhaul) against what your projected printing is going to be, then calculate the cost of supplies for that period and add any periodic maintenance is required.

“Back in the day” I was able to demonstrate that there were huge savings (in the thousands of dollars) to a school to buy two rather expensive high-speed color laser printers compared to four $80 ink jet printers. They couldn’t justify the laser printers (capital budget), but were thrilled by the prospect of buying such cheap color inkjet printers (operating budget picked up the supply costs).

This is not an unusual progression. My first electric typewriter purchase was a standard IBM Selectric that I bought used at an auction for around $800 and then bought an annual service contract from IBM. Today, an “equivalent” (not really) is under 100 bucks. My first fax machine was bought used for $1,200, weighed nearly 100 pounds and was the size of a large laser printer. A fax machine today can be lifteed with one hand and costs around $60.

That said, things do frequently get more sophisticated as well as cheaper given enough time. My first PC had 16K of RAM, used a 40 character green-screen TV and had a tape recorder for storage (Steve would recognize this puppy) and my first wrist watch didn’t have a barometer, altimeter, thermometer or compass built into it.

Jeff

He would go through his apartment dumpsters to find decent used furniture.

I have a couple floor lamps from the trash. Picked up two computers from the trash too. The one I found in the same pile that had the printer gave me an error beep when I turned it on. Turned out all that was wrong was a memory module was loose. Corrected that, it worked fine. Sold on eBay. Found another one, with a sabotaged hard drive. Installed an HD from my what-not box. The previous owner had upgraded it to Win 10, so, when I loaded Win 10 from a flash drive, the BIOS recognized and activated it. But now, the trash company "upgraded" everyone to a plastic bin, so now people's trash isn't out in the open, so I can't see and rescue perfectly good stuff from the landfill.

Steve

They could give you the printer for free and still come out smelling like a rose if you used it.

That perfectly good Apollo that I sent to scrap, because the ink was unavailable, cost me $10, new. HP's scheme was to get it back on ink. The #20 black cartridge was physically identical to the #29 my Deskjet 694 used, but contained only half as much ink. The 29 would not work in the Apollo tho. I tried. They must have wired something differently inside. HP prints an expiration date on their cartridges, so I bought ink on eBay, for a fraction of the retail price, as long as I could see it was not expired.

I gave $20 at Staples, for an Epson, then used aftermarket ink in it, at a fraction of Epson's price. A year or two later, Epson lost a class action suit that claimed Epson rigged the chip in their cartridges to stop printing, when there was still quite a bit of ink in the cartridge. Even with the discount certificate I received from Epson, the aftermarket ink was still a ton cheaper.

For the Canon, I use Office Depot refurbished cartridges. Work fine and cost a lot less.

Steve

In a typical sibling relationship, it would be caveat emptor.😎

In a typical sibling relationship, it would be caveat emptor.
_______________________________________________________________

While Wendy once bought me a Le Creuset pan with a lifetime warranty, the printer I recommended to her lasted a paltry twenty-something years. But then, I'm still driving a Lexus LS430 I bought new in 2001 which I fear is heading the way of Wendy's printer. It had been my hope that it would last until I could buy a car which would self-drive me around, but it may not last the last mile. We'll see.

Jeff

While Wendy once bought me a Le Creuset pan with a lifetime warranty, the printer I recommended to her lasted a paltry twenty-something years. But then, I'm still driving a Lexus LS430 I bought new in 2001 which I fear is heading the way of Wendy's printer.

One of my favorite sayings applies here....Quality over quantity.

IP

I'm still driving a Lexus LS430 I bought new in 2001

I drove a 2002 for about five years and sold it with 225k miles when I felt like the transmission was going to need some work. How those power close doors are not standard equipment in every new car made now 25 years later seems criminal to me. Easily the quietest riding car I have ever owned. Love our EVs but the wind noise always leaves me thinking about the LS.

Our garage at that time had the LS, a Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra. All three took the same oil filter and oil. The only annoying maintenance were the timing belts.

Jeff

When I was trying to decide which car to buy, I test-drove a number of competing models: Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and a couple of others. My office was, at that point, located in the nearly glamourous Brooklyn Army Terminal (in a building only its mother could love: https://brooklynarmyterminal.com/ - my barbeque pit was on one of the top floor balconies shown in the atrium photo). The site had a guarded gate and the interior roads had potholes, railroad tracks, speed bumps and ended in a gravel pit - and on weekends nearly zero traffic.

So I would (despite some who protested) insist the dealer put on their seat belt and then floor the car for the nearly 1,200 foot straight run over the obstructions. One dealer swore I was working for Consumer Reports, another swore that if I broke the car, I bought it and a third just swore (in a virtuosity of three languages).

The BMW rep said that his was a car where you could "feel" the road. When I drove the Lexus, I didn't - and considering that I drove over potholes all the time, that was what sold me.

My top-floor office had 24 inches of reenforced concrete for a roof, windows with chicken wire hexagons embedded in the glass, 12 inch concrete interior petitions, and a bank of freight elevators large enough to carry moderate sized cars. My space of about 18,000 square feet was the smallest in the facility (but still large enough that I had an archery range to shoot down on weekends when the place was empty.

My "veranda", which extended through a pair of sliding patio doors from my office, was originally a loading bay where the huge horizontal crane (which ran the length of the atrium) could lift ordinance from the trains which ran on the tracks along the bottom of the atrium into the ware housed from which my office was carved. Until the Pentagon was built, the building had the largest footprint of any in the US.

Jeff

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