bobsr@pnet51.cts.com (Bob Alberti Sr.) (03/05/89)
Recently, I've been looking through some old PC mags for evaluations of
various 24-pin printers. One of the best (based on relatively low cost and
features) appears to be the LQ850.
I'm wondering if any of you has this model or has seen in it operation. If so,
is it as good as it would appear in print? Also, what's the lowest price in
the various mail-order markets? The lowest I've seen (granted, from 1988
magazine ads) is around $499.00.
Any comments (good, bad, or indifferent) re performance etc. would be
welcomed. Thanks in advance!
UUCP: {rosevax, crash}!orbit!pnet51!bobsr
INET: bobsr@pnet51.cts.comStar-Raider@cup.portal.com (Jack Wahoo Pettrey) (03/06/89)
I've got an Epson LQ850 in my office and an Epson LQ500 in my office. Both are excellent 24 pin printers that truly give NLQ copy. Not sure why you'd want to spend the extra $200 or so to get the 850, tho. Having both, I can tell you that the only principle differences are that the 850 has a push tractor feed i/o a pull, which theoretically saves that extra sheet you lose each time ya print, but the first sheet is usually so twisted from being in the printer you toss it anyway. Other improvement of the 850 is better controls from the console, but that can be overcome by setting options from your word-processor and forgetting the console altogether. In any event, both are excellent printers as well as being the industry standard. As they say, "Nobody ever got fired from buying an IBM -- or an Epson printer."
beaucham@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (03/08/89)
I've been using the LQ850 for about a year now and must say I'm basically very happy with it. Initially, I was very dissatisfied with the print quality (too light), but discovered that this was a fault with the ribbons supplied in 1987/88. After purchasing a new ribbon last summer, the print quality improved remarkably, and after a xerox it almost looks laser. Moreover, the quality of a ribbon holds up for a long time (months). One of my problems with switching from the Epson FX80 (9 pin) to the 24 pin LQ850 was that it wasn't supported by very many graphics programs. I hear that even AutoCad doesn't support 24 pin printers! However, I recently obtained a product from Foresight (619-743-5315) which intercepts printer data and makes the 24 pin printer simulate a 9 pin. The graphs aren't any better, but this at least eliminates the stretch problem which occurs when sending 9 pin Epson graphics to the 24 pin version. One exception is ChiWriter, a scientific word processor, which does support 24 pin printers, including the LQ850. Output which was substandard with 9 pin now looks quite professional with the 24 pin printer. I am sold on the LQ850 for its economy ($500 is a good price -- I paid about that, but had to shop around). It would be nice to have more speed and quieter operation, e.g., a fast ink jet, but I don't think this is available in this price range. I would be interested in hearing about other people's experience in using 24 pin printers, especially for graphic output. Jim Beauchamp beaucham@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu