HMMMM. I have an HP from 1999 or 2000. It's R40xi I think. Scanner, printer...no fax. I have put more paper through that than many small copiers ever see. I did all of my wedding invitations, birth annoucemnets, x-mas cards ect. Plus when I did speech therapy each month I copied my logs, which I made 3 copies of each month for 20-25 kids. Not to mention the worksheets, coloring pages, grocery lists and everything else I print. Once I copied two large binders with 500 pages each of speech related cue pictures. I bet I print a couple hundred things a month....I use alot of paper LOL
I am pleased with it. Though not the fastest, quietest or highest quality now available it still gives me great prints of pictures as well as regular stuff.
Though not all printers last this long or hold up to this abuse it should last more than a year. But you can't blame the printer if it was a storm that fried it. I know few people who have had success with Lexmark. One friend (also a network person where dh worked) got one for free with his pc. DH told him, just go buy one and tell them to keep the lexmark. The guy just laughed. A few days later DH saw him surfing the web for a printe rand asked what happened to teh lexmark.....the guy hated it so much he heaved down the basment steps LOL I have no preference really I just think that's a funny story
Maybe you could write to the company expressing your dissatisfaction. You never know they may send you a new one or a diso****.