jeremy@mips.COM (Jeremy M. Schneider) (04/24/89)
I am trying to choose between the LQ500 and the KXP1124 for a home printer.
The advertised speeds are very close. The prices are comparable, both
in my range.
Concerns:
1. Compatability with existing programs, specifically lotus 123 (ver 3?)
and wordperfect 4.2. Do both or either have emulation modes that
are likely to be recognized by most programs?
2. Print quality. I want to be able to send out good looking
correspondence. My wife will want to produce a thesis on it. Have
you seen both? Which is better? What about different varietys of
fonts?
3. Graphics resolution. The 1124 is advertised to have 360 x 360 dpi,
which is better than the 500. Comments?
4. Dependability. Epson has a history of making (dependable?) printers.
Does Panasonic (or whoever is really building it)? I can get the
500 with a 1 year parts and labor warranty from the vendor. The 1124
comes with a two year parts and labor warranty from the manufacturer.
All the same, I'd rather not have it in the shop at all. Does anyone
have any feelings for the relative dependabilities?
5. What about the lq510, which is supposed to come out next week?
What other factors should I be concerned with? Is one printer a clear
win over the other? If not, which one wins for concerns 1 - 4?
Email or post, as you please.
Thanks for any advice,
Jeremy
--
Jeremy M. Schneider jeremy@mips.com
MIPS Computer Systems {ames,decwrl,prls,pyramid}!mips!jeremy
930 Arques Avenue (408) 991-7805
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 "Everything I say is true."rlb@cs.odu.edu (Robert Lee Bailey) (04/26/89)
In article <18003@dunkshot.mips.COM> jeremy@mips.COM (Jeremy M. Schneider) writes: >I am trying to choose between the LQ500 and the KXP1124 for a home printer. > >The advertised speeds are very close. The prices are comparable, both >in my range. > >Concerns: > >1. Compatability with existing programs, specifically lotus 123 (ver 3?) > and wordperfect 4.2. Do both or either have emulation modes that > are likely to be recognized by most programs? > >2. Print quality. I want to be able to send out good looking > correspondence. My wife will want to produce a thesis on it. Have > you seen both? Which is better? What about different varietys of > fonts? > >3. Graphics resolution. The 1124 is advertised to have 360 x 360 dpi, > which is better than the 500. Comments? > >4. Dependability. Epson has a history of making (dependable?) printers. > Does Panasonic (or whoever is really building it)? I can get the > 500 with a 1 year parts and labor warranty from the vendor. The 1124 > comes with a two year parts and labor warranty from the manufacturer. I have a Panasonic KXP-1091 that I bought over three years ago. I have had NO problems at all. My wife uses a Panasonic KXP-1592 at work. Its over two years old and again NO problems. A friend has a KXP-1092; same story. In my opinion, the Panasonic printers are like the Rock of Gibralter. I use it with a variety of software. Wordstar, WordPerfect, Windows 386, Printmaster and others. So far I have not found any incompatibilities. If the programs don't have a Panasonic driver, I just use the Epson FX settings. Those seem to work just fine. My only complaint about my 1091 & my wife's 1592 is the ribbon. Panasonic uses a VERY small ribbon and it costs about $10 retail. Because it is so small it tends to wear out faster than the Epson. My solution was to buy reloads & stuff 'em myself. I have since found that MEI sells brand new ribbons (in a cartridge) for $2.38. Now, the small ribbons don't matter! One caveat: The KXP_1124 is a 24 pin printer. This will give you great looking printouts, but, not all software has drivers for the 24 pin models. I "think" that it will work with the drivers for the Epson 24 pin models, but, you might want to check just for sure. If you don't want a 24 pin printer take a look at the Panasonic KXP-1191. This is their new 9 pin model. It looks almost exactly like the 1124 and has paper parking, front load single sheet feed, and a bunch of fonts. AND its FAST too. I think its around 240 cps (instantaneous - not throughput). Summary: IMHO you can't go wrong with a Panasonic. No connection - just a satisfied user! Bob Bailey
psrc@pegasus.ATT.COM (Paul S. R. Chisholm) (04/30/89)
<"Would you like me to summon Data so he could offer a few dozen synonyms?"> In my experience, they're both good. I did a survey on near letter quality dot matrix printers (PC Magazine, v. 4, #23, November 12, 1985, p. 143). The LQ-1500 output didn't look like it came out of a typewriter, but it was rated the best. I preferred the Toshiba 1340, which looked just like it came out of a Selectric with a Courier type ball. The first time (years later) I saw NLQ output from a Panasonic printer, I literally looked at it for half an hour before I decided it didn't come from a daisy wheel printer. The Panasonic 1124 has much better forms handling than an LQ500, too. The *real* secret to getting good output from a dot matrix printer has nothing to do with font design or number of pins. It's much simpler: use a good, dark ribbon! For a little more, you might consider an HP Desket as well. (Naturally enough, I recommend you look at an AT&T 477, too; but that's in a higher price range.) Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories att!pegasus!psrc, psrc@pegasus.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind.
pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) (05/02/89)
Paul,
When you write your printer reviews, would you be sure too include a line
or two concerning whether the printer can handle different size pin-fed forms,
i.e., whether or not the pin feed/tractor mechanism is adjustable for width.
Thanks.
--
Pete Holsberg UUCP: {...!rutgers!}princeton!mccc!pjh
Mercer College CompuServe: 70240,334
1200 Old Trenton Road GEnie: PJHOLSBERG
Trenton, NJ 08690 Voice: 1-609-586-4800psrc@pegasus.ATT.COM (Paul S. R. Chisholm) (05/09/89)
In article <697@mccc.UUCP>, pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) writes: > Paul, > When you write your printer reviews, would you be sure to include a line > or two concerning whether the printer can handle different size pin-fed forms, > i.e., whether or not the pin feed/tractor mechanism is adjustable for width. Just for the record, I don't write printer reviews any more, since AT&T now offers several models in this market segment. (In fact, John Dickinson asked me to work on one of the printer special issues. I told him I couldn't, but that he should review the 477, which went on to become an Editor's Choice.) I agree that form handling is an important concern, and should be addressed by people who review (and design!) printers. >Pete Holsberg {...!rutgers!}princeton!mccc!pjh Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories att!pegasus!psrc, psrc@pegasus.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm The fact that I don't write printer reviews any more comes from corporate policy; other than that, I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind. We now return to our technical discussion.