guy@slu70.UUCP (08/22/86)
As a new PC user, I need some advice on the bewildering array of printers on
the market. My machine will be used primarily for data acquisition and my
need for a printer is for hardcopy backup (in case of disk problems) and
occasional program listings. I've got access to a mainframe and laser printer
for fancy work so all I need is something that can print legible ASCII.
As money is tight, I'm looking for the cheapest reliable unit I can find.
Any feedback would be appreciated. Mail and I will summarize if appropriate.
Thanks
Guy M. Smithdmm@calmasd.CALMA.UUCP (David MacMillan) (08/27/86)
I tried to e-mail this, but it bounced back. (it's longish) In article <280@slu70.UUCP> you write: >As a new PC user, I need some advice on the bewildering array of printers on >the market. My machine will be used primarily for data acquisition and my >need for a printer is for hardcopy backup (in case of disk problems) and >occasional program listings. I've got access to a mainframe and laser printer >for fancy work so all I need is something that can print legible ASCII. >As money is tight, I'm looking for the cheapest reliable unit I can find. >Any feedback would be appreciated. Mail and I will summarize if appropriate. > Thanks > Guy M. Smith Guy, I had the following situation: when I got my PC two years ago, I needed letter-quality (for graduate student work), so I got a spiffy Brother HR-35 with cut-sheet feeder. Trouble was, it is a) expensive and b) delicate. So a couple of months ago I got a cheap, bottom-of-the-line, don't-care-that-much-if-it-dies dot matrix. I looked at several, and finally settled on the Epson Spectrum LX-80. In San Diego, the printer + tractor feed + shielded cable + 1500 sheets of 20 lb paper (the salesman threw in an extra ribbon free) + 6% tax cost $309. The tractor feed is, in my view, necessary for reliable operation - don't settle for friction or pin-feed. So far, I've printed about 800 pages on it. The ribbon (a continuous cloth one that gets fainter with use, rather than just stopping like my Brother multistrike ribbons) is getting a tad light, but for draft purposes it's still ok. My guess is 1000 pages per ribbon. So far, it's been very dependable. Just plugged it in & it worked. I'm cramped for space, so I found that if you let the paper fall in front (rather than in back) of the printer it can jam the feeder. No problem if you let the paper fall in back as is standard practice. It gives 100 cps in draft mode, which is not the fastest, but is quite sufficient. Bi-diretional & logic- seeking. Near-Letter-quality mode is about 30 cps. I find the best- looking print in NLQ+Emphasized mode. But then I rarely use this (except for titles, etc.), as this is a draft printer for me. Important point: The documentation is EXCELLENT! A spiril- bound book with explanations, examples, sample programs in (argh) BASIC for setting up fancy modes, etc. You can create your own characters, do 8 or 9-pin graphics, etc. I haven't used any of the graphics features, though. Note that its character set is not the same as IBM's (Non-printable-ascii codes in IBM give all sorts of fancy characters, etc. Epson put things like italics in that part of the ROM character generator.) So, disclaiming all legal responsibility for my words (as always, caveat emptor), I can say that I'm quite satisfied with it. N.B. I know of someone who is quite satisfied with a Citizen MSP-10. I haven't seen it (nobody could keep it in stock when I was looking), but you might give it a look. Bottom line: for $300 you can get a dependable, but not fancy, little printer. Ciao David M. MacMillan, KB6MPN "If feather-dusters are - UCSD [Lit] (ex-UCSC/Crown) made of feathers, what are - Calma/GE [Info-Sci] (ex IBM) crop-dusters made of?" - UCSD Soaring Club - LM, 'cellist - SSA, USHGA, EAA (ch. 14), ARRL