HP Printers–any advice?

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Trying to get my girlfriend set up with this old HP Desktop 5940 printer my parents passed along. Goddamn thing keeps saying it's out of paper even though there's plenty there, sucked up about a dozen sheets once when I was pushing them into the machine, otherwise keeps saying the black ink cartridge isn't set up right. Have to put a paper shim in to keep it snug up against the top of the cartridge frame, but it still doesn't work. Should I just bag this thing and buy another cheap one?

[wooley12]

Take it back. Your welcome.

[iscariot]

Take it back. Your welcome.

This.

And never buy any HP product...ever.

[TomCrac]

Feed rollers sound beat, sensors are dirty and or beat. For the price to have it serviced you are on your way to just buying a new printer. The home printer market is bloated with disposables. If your trying to go "green" I'm sure you could get a "rescue" printer off of Craig's for the same rice you got the hp for.

Tend to agree with iscariot as well.

[XXX-er]

try cleaning those feed rolls with a little alcohol on a rag, maybe blow off some sensors but its probably not worth getting serviced

[wooley12]

Just fixed my Kodak. I'll toss it into the landfill. It's personal.

[The Tortoise]

[oftpiste]

This.

And never buy any HP product...ever.

and this too.

[XXX-er]

I wasn't impressed with HP LT's but I fixed some HP printers and they were ok, sometimes I thot they were actualy > IBM/lexmark which is a bitter pill to swallow when you got the logo stamped on your ass

there might be an actuator in the paper tray area that senses paper out or maybe it just assumes its out of paper cuz it didn't see any

often the problem with any piece of HW is the end loser

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Thanks for the advice all... figured it wasn't worth the time. May try whiping it down with alcohol but the black ink cartridge thing seems especially hopeless. Cheers.