laser-lovers@uw-beaver (10/31/85)
From: SHULL@WHARTON-10.arpa (Christopher Shull)
In mid-October, IBM announced its Pageprinter. Its vital statistics
(as reported by PC Week, October 22, 1985, page 5) are as follows:
price: $7,490
speed: 12 pages per minute
resolution: 240 dots per inch
processor: Motorola 68000
memory: 1.2 MBytes of RAM
font storage: 1.2 MByte floppy diskette drive
duty cycle: 18,000 pages/month
misc: 2 paper cassettes with
capacities of 550 and 250 sheets of 20-pound paper,
based on the K-2 LED engine from Kentek Information Systems
Allendale, NJ
support for IBM PC Network and the new PC token ring LAN
"Through a PC direct-connection attachment, as many as eight PC
users can be connected through a $495 sharing card and a $49 PC
Pageprinter driver program."
"In addition ... [it] can be used as a text-only printer with IBM
System/38 and System/36 models 5360 and 5362 through a $995
attachment."
"... 62 fonts standard, including emulation of the IBM Graphics
Printer and Proprinter fonts. The unit also accepts fonts sent
from the PC and can handle oversize and special characters, logos
and business graphics."
"The toner cartridge is $36;
the photoconductor costs $139;
the developer unit sells for $469; and
the fuser unit is priced at $239."
IBM is trying to give us one of these bears, and I have "a few" concerns:
- Will the Pageprinter do what IBM says it will?
- Will any software in the range from MS Word and FinalWord II to
MicroTeX and PC-TeX drive the thing?
- While fonts can be sent down to the printer, will IBM tell anyone
how to do it -- is the method known, and if so is it proprietary
or in the public domain?
- Given that this printer would be in a departmental network (not IBM)
with approximately 45 users, am I better off paying ~$5000 for
a second low duty cycle Apple LaserWriter (we already have one)
than getting the high duty cycle IBM Pageprinter for free?
- Are IBM Graphics Printer and Proprinter fonts worth emulating?
If anyone has any information or rumors about this printer, please send
me a note. I will summarize the responses to the mailing list.
Note: I have no conflict of interest.
Thanks in advance,
Chris
Shull@Wharton-10
215/898-5930
Decision Sciences Department
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6366