lgollub@umd5.umd.edu (Lewis R. Gollub) (02/02/90)
We need several printers primarily for graphics use, and are centering in on 24-pin models. Magazine reviews give good marks to the Epson LQ-1050 and the Panasonic KX-1124, and they are roughly in the same price range (a few bucks more for the Panasonic). Does anyone have experience with either of these, and, in general, are Panasonic printers are reliable for long-term use as are Epsons. (We have had some Epsons in use for 5-6 years with only the plastic pin-feed cage breaking.) These printers will be in a student laboratory, so they need to be sturdy and reliable. Thanks, in advance, for your opinions.
barton@holston.UUCP (Barton A. Fisk) (02/03/90)
I have an LQ-1050 and it's ok. The only problem I've had in
almost 2 years is the sending of commands to the printer (I am
using the serial interface). It doesn't seem to want to set
the form length or the LPI this way. So I work around it
with the software (a pain but it works). As far as reliability
is concerned NOT ONE PROBLEM. Print quality is excellent.
--
Barton A. Fisk | UUCP: {attctc,texbell}vector!holston!barton
PO Box 1781 | (PSEUDO) DOMAIN: barton@holston.UUCP
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318-439-5984 | "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone"-JCajai@sce.carleton.ca (Ajai Sehgal) (02/06/90)
I have been using the "Roland 2417" (a KXP-1124 with a different name) for aboutsix months and can't say enpough good things about it. This little printer is a marvel of mechanical engineering. It is very ruggedly built and the paper handeling is totally idiot proof. The print quality is almost LASER quality (good enough to print my thesis on) in both graphics and text mode. Although I've never used an Epson LQ-1050, the 1124 is LQ-2500 and IBM-Proprinter X24 compatible. I've had no compatibility problems (using WP5.0, MS Excel,Harvard Graphics, AutoCAD). Although the list price is more than an LQ1050, I got mine for $325 (CDN) which was $100 less than the Epson. I highly recommend the 1124. Regards, Ajai. --
johngm@dhw68k.cts.com (John Miller) (02/07/90)
I've been using the KXP1124 for about 6 months now and love it. The thing is incredible. I would get it over the 1050 in a second. John johngm@dhw68k.com
sassth@sas.UUCP (Steven Hand) (02/15/90)
I faced a similar decision about what kind of 24-pin printer to get, and went with the Panasonic. I'm very pleased with the it. It has a great paper feed system. One difference between it and the Epson is that the Panasonic has better fonts in my opinon. On the Epson the upper and lower case S both have a straight segment at the inflection point, and the descender on the lowercase g has a definite flattened, "racetrack" look. Try looking at printed samples. The worst thing about the Panasonic is that it is loud in a high-pitched, "dentist's drill" kind of way. The Panasonic has a very good front panel system for setting options, and you don't have to throw away a blank page every time you print something. "Paper parking" and front-feed make it easy to do single-sheet printing without taking out the fanfold paper. This kind of thing is becomming the norm these days, and is a lot better than before. Hope this helps, Steve Hand mcnc!rti!sas!hand "Standard disclaimers apply..."