back to article Want a Dell printer? Unlucky – they've just stopped selling them

Ahead of the mega-merger with EMC, Dell has decided to quit selling printers as part of its hardware portfolio while its imaging business is being scaled back. Dell's decision to quit the printer business in the EMEA and Asia-Pacific Japan regions was first noted by Stuart Gilbertson over at Consider IT. Gilbertson wrote that …

  1. kain preacher

    Interesting. The American page for dell still has them for sale so does the Aussie site. But if you got to the Aussie site you have to go search for it. The American site has it on the front page.

    1. Charles 9

      I believe this is specific to the UK in this case. Besides, I think most Dell printers in America are rebadged Lexmark printers rather than another brand. That might make a difference.

      1. kain preacher

        I think the branded lexmarks was in the inkjet printers. Dell does not sell inkjet in the states. They sell cannon.

        1. Lindsay T

          My two very elderly UK model Dell 1701 lasers appear to be Lexmark under the skin. They have done tens of thousands of prints over the years and remain fast and reliable with excellent results.

        2. Charles 9

          I know for a fact at least one class of business MFP laser printers sold by Dell (333x series) are Lexmarks (Dell 3335dn = Lexmark X460).

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Paperless office

    It's been forecast since the 1970s. Does the HP/Samsung printer merger and this mean that it is happening at last?

    1. Locky
      Coat

      Re: Paperless office

      Only if your trying to use non-HP ink

      1. MotionCompensation

        Re: Paperless office

        Let's introduce BYOP and BYOT, bring your own printer and toner, and see how fast the paperless office becomes a reality then.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Paperless office

        "Only if you're trying to use non-HP ink"

        Also on /. https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/16/09/18/0013203/hp-printers-have-a-pre-programmed-failure-date-for-non-hp-ink-cartridges

        I can't believe el Reg missed this one.

        HP's reputation takes another turn down the spiral.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Paperless office

        "Only if your trying to use non-HP ink"

        I have known that HP have had the ability to recognise third party cartridges for many years. It was shortly after making this discovery that I stopped recommending HP printers. They have got around to implementing it at last, it is only surprising they took so long.

  3. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
    Coat

    The real plan...

    Is that they now plan to buy HP.

  4. Jon Massey
    Thumb Down

    Then just buy a Xerox

    any of the decent Dell ones are just rebadges

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Then just buy a Xerox

      What makes you think that the laser printers Dell sold that were also sold by Xerox were actually made by Xerox?

      Canon, Ricoh, Kyocera and Epson definitely make some of their printers themselves. Xerox make the nice wax printers. Oki make the LED printers. Beyond that I have no idea.

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        Re: Then just buy a Xerox

        Wax printers? That used to be the Tektronics Phasers. Still have one of those A3 monsters somewhere in the basement.

        1. DNTP

          Re: Then just buy a Xerox

          Xerox/Tektronic Phaser series, the one that use the solid ink blocks, are what happened when the gods descended from the heavens and took on the form of printers.

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. Adam JC

    Good!

    They were absolutely w*nk.

    I sold 13 of their multifunction CXXXX Series laser MFP's and EVERY SINGLE ONE suffered the same, catastrophic failure even after multiple replacements from Dell. (Horrific grinding noise deep inside the printer, no particular cause or fix might I add).

    I wouldn't touch another Dell printer with a 10ft barge pole, between them and Lexmark.... urgh, sorry if I sound like I have an axe to grind. I do!

    1. Charles 9

      Re: Good!

      "I wouldn't touch another Dell printer with a 10ft barge pole, between them and Lexmark.... urgh, sorry if I sound like I have an axe to grind. I do!"

      Given the fact a number of Dell printers are really rebadged Lexmarks, you maybe think your two problems are really one?

  6. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    "A Dell spokesperson had not responded to The Register's requests for comment by the time of publication."

    Of course not. They are probably all busy updating their CVs right now.

  7. Mike 16

    Hands up

    Those who have had a printer last over 5 years in the last decade.

    Didn't think so.

    As for HP, the very last straw for me (as opposed to the last straw and a haystack of previous straws) was when my HP multi-function emitted a loud bang and literally popped its lid while doing absolutely nothing. There was a time when HP made stuff that was mechanically pretty solid, just with crappy software. Then they decided to set the same standards for both.

    1. Cirdan
      Thumb Up

      Re: Hands up -- 5 years plus printer...

      Brother monochrome laser, moderate usage.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hands up

      Samsung. Brothe monor. No problems with these. As for HP, had an old HP laser which would have gone on and on but HP couldn't be bothered to produce a Win 7 driver. Never bought anything HP after that and told all my firends to avoid the company.

    3. Down not across

      Re: Hands up

      Those who have had a printer last over 5 years in the last decade.

      Brother HL-1260, LaserJet III Si, 4M+ (several actually), 4700 colour.. all still going strong.

    4. a_yank_lurker

      Re: Hands up

      Brother color laser, light duty.

    5. paulf
      Thumb Up

      Re: Hands up

      Xerox Phaser 6140 (basic colour laser with duplex unit and Ethernet as standard. A bonus was drivers for Win 7, Mac and Linux).

      It's done about 1000 pages a year since purchase in early 2010. The cartridges are a bit pricey but the print quality is as good as the day it was unboxed. The printer claims the imaging unit is only 20% through it's life too so fingers crossed it will keep going a while yet!

      1. earl grey
        Thumb Up

        Re: Hands up

        Samsung 2851ND - better than 30k pages through it and only real problem is the duplexer now. not worth fooling with and prints simplex nice and fast (not so good at pictures).

        +1 would buy it again.

    6. Charles 9

      Re: Hands up

      I wouldn't know about lasting five years. First off, I buy all my printers secondhand. Secondly, I tend to replace printers when I find bargains on better ones, repurposing the old one or turning it in to a charity shop. But for the record, I haven't had any of them really break except for a LaserJet 6L that IIRC tended to lose grip with its main paper feed roller after some time (a problem it shared with the 5L).

  8. The Godfather
    Pint

    Good riddance...now for a few more

    One less to rip us off on printing

  9. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    The only Dell printers I've ever seen...

    ...are those ones Morgan give away for "free" if you buy 3 sets of toners/inks. I don't think I've ever seen one out in the wild.

  10. RAMChYLD

    Well...

    For what it's worth, they're just rebranded low-end Lexmarks anyway. No one will miss 'em.

  11. Delbert

    No issues apart from wifi

    We binned the HP's at home in favour of Dell 'lasers' direct connection ie cable has caused less issues in eighteen months than the HP's did in one day. The only downside being network wifi printing was flaky at best at worst you would need Harry Potter skills to connect. Would I buy another certainly if there is a box shifter selling them at discount I'll have an A3 size please :-) or one with a flat path for printing card.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    we've got a couple of new Xerox wax printers been using them for the last 10 years or so. Got quite a few HPs including a 9000DN that's been going about 15 years as has a couple of hp4300DN's, the older ranges were pretty bomb proof, can't say the same about the newer ones!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Larger companies do not mean more competition

    I thought more "investment" in companies by other companies meant more competition, better products and service, and helped the environment and our living standards?

  14. JJKing

    Five year plus old printers.

    Those who have had a printer last over 5 years in the last decade.

    Lexmark T522. Got it second hand in 2005 or 6 with a 500 sheet tray, duplex unit and a 2,000 sheet tray on the bottom. Cost me AUD$150 and came with a half full tone plus a new hi-capacity cartridge. In the last 3 months it has started ghosting on the lower half of the page. Now need to get a replacement mono laser as I don't want to waste the drum and fuser on my 2 year old Oki C531 just printing black. Does a not too bad colour image AND it has a 3 year warranty. :big-smile:

    Samsung CLP-500. A seal broke on the waste toner container and got toner spilling onto the pages. It was 8 years old and due to the 4ppm colour rate decided to replace it with the Oki C531.

    Someone mentioned the HP 5L and 6L with the feed problem. It sent the last 12 pages through the feed together and HP had a fix for this. I emailed them when it first became an issue and they sent me 2 boxes with about 20 fixers in each box. Gave one to a mate and every 5L or 6L spent 30 seconds (took 20 seconds to open the container the fix came in) and fixed each and every one. Later got another box of fixers from HP. I still have 2 of these things left is anyone is having feed problems with an HP 5L or 6L. The HP 1100 required a different part.

  15. PeterM42
    FAIL

    GOOD NEWS

    Dell (Lexmark) printers are CRAP

  16. ImagingSupply/GPUSA

    President/GM Imaging Supply / GPUSA

    After 32+ years in business, we have seen our share of exits by OEM's. This is one we predicted a few years ago after we lost a major account to them. I for one, will watch for a "Brand X" to appear soon, using the Dell and Lexmark models as a base.

    On the bright side, we now might have a chance reacquire this account...or at least a portion of it. Others like us who have stood the test of time (not selling out) are still standing firm. Trust the transition will be swift for all.

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