this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2026
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Was there a first time?
I have an HP LaserJet 4050. I bought it with 450000 pages on it, and have likely put on another 20000. It was built in 1997, and still works perfectly. All of its maintenance parts are user-serviceable, its toner is generic and readily available, and it supports postscript and pcl. All you need to use it on a modern computer is a serial or parallel port, or use its internal network server that uses both the standard lpr protocol or HP jetdirect.
Yes, there absolutely was a time when HP made good stuff. It ended in the mid 2000s. When they stopped production of the HP 48 and 50 series calculators was the end of their good years.
Once upon a time, HP and quality were synonymous.
https://www.hpmuseum.net/exhibit.php?class=3&cat=32
(Edit: Though apparently the 3000 had some issues early on. Which were notable because reliability and quality issues were so non-HP).
It was ... quite a while ago though. By the time I came to use HP gear in the late 90s and on, they still had a reputation for quality, though it was increasingly less deserved.
I swear by HP test equipment.