HP Deskjet 3650 Going Clankety Clankety

Andy

Ho, gang,

Every day, I tend to regret buying this beast of a printer more and more.
If there is a paper-related problem that my printer has not yet had, then,
don't worry, it will invent it. Sometimes it gets paper jams, often (very
often) it loves to grab 20, 30 or 40 sheets when it is only supposed to
grab one sheet (especially when the paper tray starts to get a little
low on paper). (I am always faithful to fan the paper before putting it
in.) Sometimes, it even mangles the paper. Sometimes, it even stops in
the middle of print and flashes its warning light for no apparent reason.

If that is not bad enough, it is now showing a new twist of a problem.
Instead of feeding the last half-inch of paper, it stops and makes a
horrible clanking sound for a few seconds then the warning light flashes
untill I reset it. At that point, it makes one feeble clank and procedes
as though nothing ever happened. This prblem started two days ago and now
occurs for about three-quarters of the sheets printed.

Does anyone know, from what I said, what is wrong and is there an easy fix?

Eventually, I will probably have to get a new printer. Be sure, it will
NOT be a Deskjet, if this is any indication of their quality control. My
preference would be a PostScript printer, since these are the most
Linux-friendly, but not a win-printer, since these are the least
Linux-friendly (if at all). Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Though more expensive initially (a consideration when you are on a
disability pension), what about a $200 or so laser printer?

--
Monkkey's Unkle for President (at least, better than Dubya)