A problem with my printer
Community Forums/General Help/A problem with my printer
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| Hello. I bought a Samsung laser printer recently (an SCX-4759W). Very happy with it, except for one thing. I've got it plugged into the same socket as my PC, monitor etc (the only mains outlet on this side of the room). I don't leave stuff on standby - not ever. Every morning when I switch the wall socket on, the printer starts up. I don't want it to do this. Some days I don't use it at all - when I want to, I'll switch it on by myself. Is this a typical feature of laser printers? I haven't had one before. I emailed Samsung support over a week ago, but I guess they're too busy suing everybody. It's got one of those "energy star" stickers on the front, yet so determined is it to save energy that it insists on switching itself on all the sodding time, and that's not right! |
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| It's been a while but I'm pretty sure my old LaserJet printer didn't have an on/off switch, either. How about using a power strip with independent switches for each socket? |
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| I thought about that, but it's right under my desk out of the way. Might have to, if all else fails. |
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| Most power strips have mounting holes on the back which should allow you to attach it to the wall, at a more convenient place. Usually just requires a couple of screws in the wall that you then slot the power strip on to. |
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| Something like this will work for what you need: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119283&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Power+Strips-_-N82E16812119283&gclid=COKbv5aynroCFYmf4Aod9CIAWg If that link doesn't work, I went to search Google with "computer power strip with individual switches" (without the quotes) There are ones with surge protection as well. Seeing this one has a 6ft cable, you shouldn't need to reach under your desk except for the time you need to hook it up :) |
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| Is this a typical feature of laser printers? I haven't had one before. My Samsung laser printer ( different model ) does not behave like that. I turn it off with the power button on the printer. Cycling the power externally does not then turn the printer back on. A little googling reveals the remarkable fact that some modern printers do not have a power button. What possible reason could there be for that? Maybe it cuts down on support costs from people who can't figure out how to turn the printer on. |
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| I can see the logic in it, if the printer is part of a large infrastructure where it might be inconvenient for somebody to go turn all the printers on manually after a power cut. But even so, it really should be optional. My printer *does* have a power switch - I can turn it off, and then back on with it. The only problem is that it defaults to ON when the mains power is switched on, whereas it probably ought to stay off, if it was off before. I can't wall-mount my extension cable - it's kind of a vertical, free-standing thing to save space. So yeah, I might get a different one, or maybe even swap out the single mains socket for a double one. |
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| FWIW: except for in the UK, I've never even seen power switches at the outlet level... mains outlets remain "on" at all times, making it a non-issue elsewhere. It's quite possible that the manufacturer simply didn't consider the issue. |
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| > My printer *does* have a power switch - I can turn it off, and then back on with it. > The only problem is that it defaults to ON when the mains power is switched on, whereas it probably ought to stay off, if it was off before. From your description it actually doesn't have a true power switch. It surely has a push button that does (only) send a signal to the logic board which is under current all the time(!) - but it doesn't cut off the mains like a true power switch would do. For your specific needs I'd recommend a printer that has a true power switch and you then can turn it on only when you want to print (like I do). |
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| Can't find any info on the SCX-4759W, but doesn't the W mean it is wireless? I put my printer across the room where I can have it plugged into a different socket. No need to have it close to my computer since a cable isn't needed. I leave it unplugged until I need it. |
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| Can't find any info on the SCX-4759W My bad, I meant 4729W.And yes, it's wireless. I purposely wanted a wireless one as I have a lot of PCs in my house (there are six, that I can think of right now). But I have it connected to my main PC via USB, simply because it's a lot faster to send print/scan jobs that way. |
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| Couldn't you plug the printer i. Somewhere else as its wireless and then only turn it on when required :) |
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| @GfK You have six PCs in the house and you switch this heavy duty (29 ppm, 12,000 pages/month!) printer only temporarily on??? You have to admit that this is a slightly unusual scenario for a printer manufacturer. Oh, and by the way: These are the power specs - right out of the online manual: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SCX-4729FW/XAA#content2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Power consumption: - Average operating mode: Less than 400W - Ready mode: Less than 50 W - Power save mode[d]: Less than 3.0 W - Power off mode[e]: Less than 0.2 W (0.1 W[f]) [e] Power consumption can be completely avoided only when the power cable is not connected. [f] For the machine that has a power switch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The interesting line is the "Power off mode". In no scenario it is "0.0 W"! This means (like I assumed above) that the printer is *never* fully off unless you switch your wall outlet off or remove the power cable. The problem with this is that if you switch your wall socket on (or use a multiple socket outlet) the printer *will* get power and *may* get into a state where it powers itself up - depending on the printer firmware. A printer with a true power switch will never do that if it is set to "off". See the manual for the "System Setup" menu of the printer. The "PowerSave" and "Wakeup Event" settings could be interesting for you. |
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