.
1. Mental solution
It is the same as to have THREE identical printers, where 2 of them "replace" and "play the role" of one newer printer.
So, if the three printers do the entire job in 3 hours, it means that each of the three, working alone, will do the job in 9 hours.
Answer. 9 hours for old printer and
= 4.5 hours for newer printer each working alone.
Solved.
2. Algebra solution
Let x be the rate of work of the slower printer, measured in "job-per-hour".
Then the rate of work of the faster printer is 2x "jobs-per-hour", according to the condition.
Also, according to the condition,
x + 2x =
of the job per hour, or
3x =
.
It implies x =
, which means that the slower printer makes
of the job per hour.
In turn, it means that the slower printer will make the entire job in 9 hours, working alone.
And you get the same answer.
Solved.