HP LaserJet 5L

Overall this is a machine I would pass on, I have experience with three of them. While the print quality and small foot print are attractive the machine just does not work consistently, unacceptable paper handling capability, constantly jams therefore I do not recommend the HP LaserJet 5L laser printer.

I've had mine since they came out 10+ years ago. It's provided excellent service for my modest needs - low cost, low volume, but high text printing quality.

The paper feed was a known issue even then - it came with a little sticker to affix on it, "Remove paper before reloading". That didn't work so I've been manually feeding it one sheet at a time, but it's small enough to sit next to my keyboard and I seldom print more than 3-4 pages at a time. The fact that it uses a parallel port and not USB is good if you have a PC that has the parallel port and is already using all its USB ports. Replacing the ink unit also replaces the shiny steel ink-depositing roller unit so cleaning/maintenance has not been an issue.

I was going to replace it with the $100 HP P1006 until I found these reviews. The repair kit was news to me and apparently you still can get reasonably priced ink replacements. I'm still on my second ink unit in 10 years, so I'm hardly a high-volume user. Given the the high quality of the text output and the repair kit which I'll order, I'll keep it going now until something breaks!

Bottom line: Thumbs up if you can get one for free or nearly so, have low-volume, high quality needs, don't print dense .pdf pages (or have/can get more memory), and can fix or live with the paper feed issue.

I got this printer for free four years ago from a classmate.The good: It has worked OK; printouts are crisp (I print mostly text) and the printer is fairly fast compared with some inkjets although it is not a speed demon compared with today's inexpensive laser printers that are way faster and have tons of more memory. Toner is not expensive especially if you are savvy - I bought a couple of cartridges from Ebay. Recharging used cartridges may also be an option.The bad: Paper feed problem gets worse as printer ages.The feeding mechanism is awful and makes the problem worse -HP has abandoned the upright feeding mechanism long ago after the HP1100 I think. However, if you are technically inclined there are plenty of "paper jam kit" available from internet suppliers or on Ebay they are inexpensive (between $15-$30) and they work! But you have to disassemble your printer to get them installed though so beware. I installed one of those and the paper feed issues are gone. Another problem: it come with only 1Mb. of RAM which is insufficient for printing PDF documents or complex printouts. Get the maximum amount of memory this printer manages (8Mb.); you can get it cheap ($10-$15) if you look for it. I did that and now the printer boasts 9Mb. Of RAM and no problem with complex printoutsFinally, no interface other than parallel. I do not know if the USB-to-parallel cables work with this printer; if they do then the interface issue may not be serious. Another way around is getting a network print server (like HP's jetdirect) and attach the printer to a network router; I did it this way and I can print from wherever in the network.Bottom line: I would not pay money to get one; they are old and failure (as with almost anything mechanical and electronics) may be around the corner. Plus today's lasers are so inexpensive (no idea about quality though) that makes paying for one of these a nonsense. But I will gladly take one for free if all what it may need is toner or a paper jam kit fix.Since I hate the idea of throwing more waste in the environment (and the fact that it still does its job) I'll keep my laserjet 5L running until it dies.

Good for very light duty printng as of the page feed problem makes it hard to use for heavier work.

I have this printer since 1997 - 10 years. However a month ago it made a discreet click and since then the yellow (fault) light stays on and it doesn't work at all. There is no obvious problem like something loose or dropped into it.

The HP 5L is a great, inexpensive printer with one common flaw, paper jam. I have owned 3 of them now and wouldn't hesistate to recommend them to any readers out there if they can get them for a good price. Cost of ownership is fairly inexpensive, just get a high yield toner and you're set.

I think this Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L laser printer is pretty cool. I got it for free off my dad. It prints pretty fast and isn't that big. It was really easy to set up - plug & play! One problem I found is that when the paper gets low, it starts taking a few/all of the pages at once! To get around this problem...

1.Keep the paper full.

2.Feed only 1 page at a time.

3.Replace the roller thingy.

Also, I can't figure out how to get the toner out!

I had my Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L printer for 7 years, and yes it does take about 10 pages at a time, but the trick is to keep the loading tray full and also it sometimes refuses to print pdf files if its more than one page, the solution for that one is just press the print button on the actual printer.

Otherwise great printer, good quality and fast printouts....the main thing is not to get too frustrated, although I did though it against the wall once and did punch it and kick it around....did i mention it was bullet proof?

Original cost 7 years ago was from memory around $600...did not spend another cent from that time, accept the ink refills.

The Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L is a great trouble-free Laser printer. One must use dry paper though. Fast print. Great for recycling used paper.

The Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L is an excellent compact desktop laser printer when new. Unfortunately, it ages quickly with a rapid tendency to develop paper jams, sometimes pulling the entire stock of paper through with the desired printout. HP are aware of this problem and offer a "tool" to sort it out - it never did much good in my case.

Also the cartridges are prohibitively expensive!