trr@rayssd.ray.com (Terry R. Raymond) (04/11/89)
The following is a review on the Panasonic KX-P1124 printer.
Major Features
Number of pins 24
Emulations supported Epson LQ-2500 and IBM Proprinter X24
Number of fonts 5 letter quality, 1 draft
Pitch selections 10,12,15,17,20 cpi and proportional spacing
Print speed 80 cps effective throughput ( see text)
Line length 8 inches
Graphics Res 360 x 360 (sort of)
Paper feed push/pull tractor or friction feed
Buffer size 7K bytes (additional 32K optional)
Cut Sheet Feeder Optional
Controls and Settings
All of the controls and settings for the printer are on the front panel.
The configuration settings are arranged in a 5 x 6 table. There are two
buttons select the table row and column. Another button either selects or
deselects the setting. There are also 6 LED indicators that show which
column is selected and whether the setting is selected or not ( the LED
is either ON or blinking). Three LEDs are used to show which row is
selected (the rows are encoded). Some people may think this is an
awkward arrangement. I don't think so because setting 45 different
combinations is not easy to do inexpensively. My only complaint about
the front panel operation is that to enter a couple of modes, initial
setup and HEX dump, you have to hold down a couple of buttons when you
turn the printer on.
Paper Handling Features
The paper handling features are probably the best part of this printer.
The paper can be fed from the back, bottom and front. When fed from the
back the tractor can be configured to operate in either the push or pull
mode. The push mode is the preferred mode, some features are not available
in the other modes. When the paper is fed from the bottom or front the
tractor operates in the pull mode. When the tractor is in push mode the
paper can be parked and a single sheet can be fed from the front. The
printer also has a perforation cut function. When the p.cut button is
pressed the paper is up so that it can be separated at the perforation
without wasting a sheet. When the button is pushed again or printing
starts the paper returns to proper printing position. I find this feature
quite useful. But, this feature is only available when the tractor is in
the push mode.
Text
Quality
In order to make an accurate assessment of the print quality I think it is
important to make a comparison with other printers in the same class.
Unfortunately, I don't have any other 24 pin printers to compare with.
Without a comparison about the only negative comment I have with the print
quality is that in the higher density print modes some of the characters
are too close and kind of run together.
Printing speed
The advertised printing speed for draft-pica is 160 cps and draft-elite is
192 cps. I printed two pages of C code, about 3000 bytes, and obtained an
average throughput of 80 cps for draft-pica. I printed the same file on
a LQ-500 and obtained about 83 cps, which compares closely with the print
speeds listed in an article in PC Magazine Oct. 31, 1988. For my purposes
the print speed is adequate.
Graphics
The advertised graphic resolution of 360 x 360 is a little misleading.
Actually, 360 x 360 is not easy to plot. The center to center distance
between adjacent pins is 1/180" (0.14 mm). The diameter of a pin is 1/127"
(0.2 mm). To obtain a vertical resolution of 360 you must first print a
line (24 dots) at 180 resolution and then move the carriage 1/360" and print
the next line. Furthermore, while the printer has a mode for a plotting at
1/360" adjacent horizontal dots cannot be plotted, remember the pin diameter
is 1/127". Therefore to plot a 360 x 360 bit map requires four passes per
print line. One other disappointment, if you try to plot a vertical line
of more than one print line it will appear slightly wavy. It looks like the
printer fires the pins in succession so that the line is slightly slanted.
The overlap between the bottom pin of one line and the top pin of the next
line is about 75% so you have to look close to see it (100% overlap would be
perfect). I would appreciate it if those of you with different 24-pin printers
would check the quality of its vertical lines and post your observations.
Summary
Basically, I am pleased with the printer. From what I have read, the only
other printer I would consider in the same price range is the Star NX-2400.
I would be interested if someone with a NX-2400 would post a similar review.
--
Terry Raymond
Raytheon Submarine Signal Division; Portsmouth RI; (401)-847-8000 x5597
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