A couple of years ago, I bought a HP 4000-series printer on eBay for less than $200. They're big, but the cost per page is absurdly low, partially due to the availability of good aftermarket toner cartridges. The printer supposedly requires an overhaul (parts exceeding $200 in cost) every 200K pages. However, since I bought it with only 40K prints, it will take me years to wear it out. These things are trouble-free and very well supported by HP -- frequently updated firmware, drivers (including Linux), etc. The Ethernet interface works like a champ.<p>I associate printer trouble with cheap inkjets -- these have given me grief. So, as long as I'm ok with B&W laser prints, I'll keep using my cheap warhorse.<p>Now, scanning is another matter altogether...the crapware that comes with scanners sucks, and I include the TWAIN drivers in that definition.
A few criticisms:<p>"3 or more [of the following 3 things] happens"<p>huh?<p>In my experience the flashing lights are indicative of an actual hardware problem, and while power-cycling may allow you to print some more, it can be worse for the printer than actually fixing the problem. Newer printers even have LCD displays that tell you exactly what is wrong instead of something like "3 flashes means you're out of toner, 4 flashes means the British are coming by sea..."<p>The most common reason for me not being able to print on a large commercial printer is a paper jam, which while it is possible this could be fixed by better firmware, it seems unlikely.