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Is there anything wildly unique about the thermal paper rolls needed for the HP97, or any other HP printing device for that matter?
Staples/Business Depot here in Canada sells generic calculator thermal paper, 2.25" wide, 1 7/8 " diameter, 75' long, in three packs for under five bucks.
The width of the paper that my "new" 97 shipped with is exactly 2.25", and it works fine. The 1 7/8" diaameter looks like it would fit just fine in the paper bay, so this roll size is obviously suitable, or should be.
I guess it couldn't hurt to blow five bucks and check it out--just want to make sure I don't damage the calc in the process.
Les
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When HP introduced the HP-82143A printer for the HP-41C, they also introduced black-printing paper for it. Until then, the only paper you could get from HP for the Topcat series was blue-printing.
In the HP-82143A, you could use both the blue- and the black-printing paper, but they explicitly stressed that you should *not* use the black-printing paper in a Topcat. I never found out why (I didn't try very hard to find out; I owned an HP-82143A at the time, and no Topcats), but this is something you might want to look into before using non-sanctioned paper in your HP-97.
Good luck!
- Thomas
Edited: 8 Dec 2006, 7:50 a.m.
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Thomas the issue was raised years ago here.
I think standard thermal paper in the right size should be okay?
Les
Edited: 8 Dec 2006, 8:16 a.m.
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Since that post most office supply stores have switched to store-brand thermal paper and the NCR branded stuff is hard to find. They all seem to work just fine. One thing is that modern paper is a little thinner and slicker that the old stuff. It makes the problem of HP printer drive roller slippage worse.
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I just went to Staples, Canada's incarnation of Business Depot, and bought a three-pack of the big NCR rolls (they had lots of the NCR brand, moreso than their store brand stuff). I bought the big rolls because they are somewhat cheaper per foot than the smaller 75' rolls (1.5 cents a foot vs. 2.1 cents). I used the loose spool from the remainder of the roll that came with the calc, and took a few minutes to split the big roll into two. Loads and feeds fine.
I earnestly hope that it is not unsafe to use this paper, notwithstanding Thomas' concerns. I like the black better, and the print is clear and dark.
Okay, I have the printer sorted out and have dealt with that pesky AC jack. Next, the card reader. Any advice? So far I have heard of FixThatCalc, which will do so much more than just fix the card reader, and an eBay fellow, plasmoid, who seems to specialize in this particular repair task. Any other options? I really don't want to buy the new rings and do it myself. Anyone who has watched me carve the Thanksgiving bird knows why I didn't become a surgeon....
I am growing very attached to this thing very quickly, and I have not felt so strongly motivated to refurbish an HP to the best possible state since FixThatCalc turn my university 41CV from junk into a new love affair!
eager for more advice!
best,
Les
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I recently got a pair of battery packs from "waterhosko" and he also does cardreader repair. He has written a top quality article on the procedure. I may go to him but I'm still sorting out my pre-thanksgiving burglary. I was thankful they weren't HP literate.
Best of luck to you,
Charlie O. - Phoenix
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The black HP thermal paper is still available although expensive:
mobile planet
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I don't think HP has made the paper in quite a while. I would stay away from old paper. It tends to not work as well as fresh stuff. Also, over time the paper and/or coating begins to break down and turn acidic. This may speed up print head failure.
As far as what the modern paper may do to your printer... probably a whole lot less than the original stuff. It is smoother which translates to less abrasive wear to the the printhead. I know of a guy that has run well over 100 rolls of the stuff through his HP97 and 82143A and is still going strong.
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The old HP paper is safe and much more permanent than the new thinner non-HP paper which fades in a few months to non-readability. Newer paper does not print as dark as HP paper.
After 30 rolls of NCR paper in my NOS 82162A printer the print head burn up and I had to replace it. This may have been a coincidence (replaced with head from 43A).
I have many listings 23 years old with HP paper still clear and dark print. Recent purchase of black HP paper came in clear plastic shrinkwrap sealed packages of 6 and prints dark black, easier to load also.
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You know, all the back-and-forthing on "new vs. old" and "HP vs. non-HP" paper is making my head spin!
I don't see myself being a heavy user of the printer--I am just way too cheap to gobble up paper unless I know for sure I need a record of calculations, such as at tax time or in processing invoices, etc. So I will stick with the the 3-pack of 185' NCR rolls I just got, make the littler rolls out of them that fit in the paper holder, and enjoy the machine and nice dark rich print I seem to be getting.
I have concluded that the 97 has been lightly used at best--the keyboard matte finish is surprisingly intact, with not much telltale glossiness around keys or slide switches. I am inferring from this that the printer is in good shape too--as a matter of fact, the first thing I noticed when I switched over to the new NCR black paper was that the print quality was vastly superior to what I was getting out of the old roll of blue paper still in the machine.
Also, the battery pack seems reasonable, thank goodness. I have spent hours with the thing over the past few days on battery power alone, and she seems to be going strong still. The manual states that a full charge should get the user through a work day, IIRC, so this is pretty good!
The card reader is lamentable, but I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone.
Les
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