HP laser printer and surge suppressor

[zephyran]

We have an HP LaserJet 3700n printer plugged into one of the "surge suppression only" outlets on an APC Back-UPS (that outlet is not backed up by the UPS's battery). I understand that you are not supposed to run laser printers on a UPS (unless it's very high capacity), but we had a printer tech tell us that the printer shouldn't even be connected to a surge suppressor, because it causes current changes that can prematurely burn out fusers.

Is this true for non-UPS power strips? If so, is it for all surge suppressors, or just the "surge suppress only" outlets of a UPS?

 

[dglienna]

I never had any problem when I had a laser printer. I always plugged it into a power strip/surge protector. Same goes for a place that I used to work. All of them were plugged into power strips.

-David
2006 Microsoft Valued Professional (MVP)

 

[ImpetusEra]

HP Support site for said printer says nothing about not connecting the printer to a outlet strip/surge supressor or requiring a dedicated circuit. Obviously, if you connect it to a battery backup outlet it will trip the breaker for the UPS as lasers draw a lot of current. That said the only thing to observe is that you don't exceed the rating of the electrical circuit or the surge strip/UPS you're connecting it to.

 

[technome]

because it causes current changes that can prematurely burn out fusers."

Not true...
A standard surge suppressor does absolutely nothing to the voltage or current drawn. They incorporate devices which clamp on voltages higher than the outlet voltage, generally well over outlet voltage. A standard surge suppressor generally incorporates an MOV , gas tube, or Transorb
On the other hand connecting a laser to a large UPS. Not a good practice if the UPS does not put out a good sine wave, most do not put out enough power for the initial current draw on the print's turn on, which can be more than twice the operating current .
Any premature fuser failures, due to a UPS, were probable the result of older technology UPS units which used square wave output, and lowered the output voltage when they kicked in, creating a higher current draw.

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