About two years ago, or maybe even a bit longer, I got myself an HP LaserJet 1020 printer for about $120 USD. I needed something that printed documents “fast” (compared to the ink jets) and something that would last a bit longer than the usual ink jet cartridge. The solution was to find a laser printer which would not burn a hole in my pocket like almost everything else I get.

Little did I know that 2 or more years after I purchased it I will still be running on the original toner!!! I use this printer all the time, have printed thousands of pages on it - and it still keeps on printing. I really have no idea what’s going on but I’m loving it, and furthermore, I am dubbing it - The Magical Printer!

If you need a simple LaserJet - HP’s 1020 series is the way to go. Nowadays they got 1022 and what not, but I suppose those are the same printer inside.

It did warn me couple of times the toner was running out, I just took the toner out, shook it left and right, and put it back in. This seemed to trick it for another 3-4 months. I’ve done this many times .

While I had thought of selling it at times (especially when I could not find the correct drivers for it under Vista and Mac OSX), I still kept it for sentimental reasons. Times have gone by, drivers came back, and it’s happily printing when ever I need it .

Anyone else out there with stories of a Magical Printer or some other gadget that just keep on keeping on?