sreekanth@rgb.dec.com (Jon Sreekanth) (03/15/90)
I posted a similar message a few days ago, but it seems to have vanished, so
here goes again :
I'm evaluating 24 pin dot matrix printers for printing graphics images.
I have a couple of questions about quality and speed.
The ads I've seen for 24 pin printers claim 260 dots per inch. Is this
realistic, or exaggerated ? What is the (subjective) quality of such an
image ? Is it actually better than a laser printer in 200 dpi mode ?
How much worse is it from a laser printer in 300 dpi mode ?
Published speed specs are usually
quoted as 50-something characters per second, near-letter-quality mode.
How does one convert this into graphics printing speed ? For printing
graphics, what is the speed limiting factor : the speed of the parallel
or serial port from computer to printer, or the print engine itself ?
Thanks a lot for any information ,
/ Jon Sreekanth
US Mail : J Sreekanth, 2 Ashford Court #3, Allston, MA 02134
Digital Equipment Corp., 77 Reed Road, HLO2-1/J12, Hudson, MA 01749
Voice Phone : 617-783-9401 eves, 508-568-7195 workcs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Stephen M. Dunn) (03/16/90)
In article <9221@shlump.nac.dec.com> sreekanth@rgb.dec.com (Jon Sreekanth) writes:
$The ads I've seen for 24 pin printers claim 260 dots per inch. Is this
Is that all? Jzee, find another printer! My 9-pin does 240x218 DPI,
and I've used a NEC PinWriter that went up to 360xsomething.
$realistic, or exaggerated ? What is the (subjective) quality of such an
$image ? Is it actually better than a laser printer in 200 dpi mode ?
$How much worse is it from a laser printer in 300 dpi mode ?
It depends on what you're planning to use it for. If you're going
to be photocopying it, the only difference you're likely to notice is
that vertical lines are made of segments that don't quite line up; other
than that, the differences are so small that they'll just about get lost
in the photocopier. If you're used to a 9-pin, the difference is like
night and day. Of course, it isn't going to match a laser even if its
resolution is over 300x300 dpi, but it won't be that far off for most
purposes.
$Published speed specs are usually
$quoted as 50-something characters per second, near-letter-quality mode.
$How does one convert this into graphics printing speed ? For printing
$graphics, what is the speed limiting factor : the speed of the parallel
$or serial port from computer to printer, or the print engine itself ?
On a parallel port, it's the speed of the print engine that's the
limiting factor; I can't comment on serial ports. As for coming up with
the speed doing graphics ... the print head moves at the same speed in
high-resolution graphics mode as it does in NLQ mode.
--
Stephen M. Dunn cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca
<std_disclaimer.h> = "\nI'm only an undergraduate!!!\n";
****************************************************************************
"So sorry, I never meant to break your heart ... but you broke mine."sreekanth@rgb.dec.com (Jon Sreekanth) (03/23/90)
A while ago, I posted a question on dot matrix printer quality for
printing images. This is a summary of e-mail responses. Briefly, they
are good for occasional graphics, but not as good as a laser printer
Summary of responses :
malloy@nprdc.navy.mil "Sean Malloy" writes :
My NEC CP6 printer has a high-resolution graphics mode that prints at
360x360 dpi. I also have an HP DeskJet+ ink-jet printer, printing at
300x300 dpi. One of the software packages I have is GoScript, which
allows me to send PostScript to either printer.
For graphics output, it's generally a close call, won by the DeskJet
due to being faster. The dot density isn't noticeably different, and
they share a limitation that a laser printer doesn't have: both
physically move a print head across the page. This causes banding in
the output, because of registration limitations from print pass to
print pass. Laser printers generate an image in one smooth pass of the
paper, while ink-delivery printers advance the paper in jerks, and the
position of the print head after returning to its rest position can
vary by a small amount. Some dot-matrix (ink-jet, draft-quality, or
letter-quality) have extremely accurate registration, but you will
still see more banding than you will with a laser printer -- simply
because it's easier to wobble a mirror accurately and pull paper
through at a constant speed than drag a print head back and forth
while jerking the paper through the printer in short steps.
kahn@rufus.math.nwu.edu "Dan Kahn" writes
I'm driving an NEC P6 (a previous generation 24 pin printer) with a 4.77
MHz clone. One product I use is Chiwriter, a scientific word processor
of modest ambition: it mixes native printer fonts with graphically drawn
symbols. The current density is 360 dpi (wide) by 180 dpi (tall). They
are a clear improvement over the earlier 180 by 180 version of the
program, so the difference IS noticeable. I think the dot placement is
not as precise as with a laser printer.
dd2x+@andrew.cmu.edu "David Eugene Dwiggins" writes
When using my 24-pin with PageMaker, it does not approach a laser in quality.
(I am using a Tandy DMP-300 at 360x180). They are unsuitable for prints
that require laser quality. However, they are more than adequate for
occasional graphics prints.
ken@cs.rochester.edu writes
Don't expect 260 dpi resolution to look as good as 260 dpi laser
printer because the size of the pins are larger and there is generally
some overlap between the dots. Besides the ribbon also imposes a limit
on the resolution. Perhaps as good as 200 dpi laser printer.
miller@b-mrda.boeing.com "Mark Miller" writes
I have a Panasonic KX-P1124 that I am very happy with. It turned out
to be the most bang for the buck, from what I could see. As far as the
graphics, there is a visible difference between the 24 pin printer and
a 300 dpi laser. I have not compared it against a 200 dpi laser.
/ Jon Sreekanth
US Mail : J Sreekanth, 2 Ashford Court #3, Allston, MA 02134
Digital Equipment Corp., 77 Reed Road, HLO2-1/J12, Hudson, MA 01749
Voice Phone : 617-783-9401 eves, 508-568-7195 work