davidyu@cory.Berkeley.EDU (David Yu) (10/19/88)
I just purchased an NEC P5300 24-pin printer and wanted to mention a couple things about it in case anyone was considering getting one: Although it has very good print quality, lots of resident fonts, is fairly compatible with most of my software (I can't use some of its special features if I use an epson LQ driver), and is fairly nice to look at, I was a bit surprised by its quality and packaging. After opening the box, the first thing I saw was a letter from NEC which starts with the usual thank you's for buying their wonderful product. However, the rest of the letter tells me that some of the standard equipment which includes a multistrike ribbon and reference card aren't available yet and will be mailed to me when they finally get them. Seems like they could have got it all together before launching a new product (has been out about a month or so). After unpacking the printer I tried out the controls and got the impression that the general feel was kind of plasticy. For example, the lever that selects how close the head is to the platen leaves a big gap when pushed all the way forward. The cable slot is off to the side which makes loading paper easier. Also, its paper handling features are great. However, when I tried to roll the paper forward using the platen knob, it broke off!!. I assumed that the knob would have been reinforced and fastened rigidly to the platen. Wrong! For me anyways, its probably the most used control. It's got plastic clips which hold onto the metal rod which goes through the center of the platen. It's so wobbly that when the platen rolls, the knob wiggles. And if your not careful, it'll pop off completely. Oh well, at least it prints nice. Just thought this might help prospective buyers. For NEC's sake, I hope they get their act together. Best regards, David Yu
mvolo@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (10/20/88)
[deleted stuff about the NEC P5300 being plasticky This is approximately what I found ith an EC P2200 I bought through my university. The platen know came off in my hand, and I was afraid it would break eventually. The whole printer seemed a little flimsy. I returned it for refund and bought an Epson LQ 850, an extremely solid printer. Michael Volow mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP Dept of Psychiatry, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27705 919 286 0411 Beeper #550 or Ext 6933