ali@navajo.STANFORD.EDU (Ali Ozer) (01/20/87)
--- I just saw an ad on a local bboard for a "barely used" EPSON MX80 MT dot matrix printer for $150. Not knowing much about printers, I have a couple questions: Is this compatible with any of the printer drivers in the Amiga (like JX80 or whatever -80 Amiga has a printer driver file for...)? What *is* the difference between the various prefixes on Epson printer names? (JX, FX, MX, etc...) And, finally, the grand question, if I were to want to buy a printer for my Amiga, and wanted to spent less than, hmm, say $400, what's the "best" choice? Note that "text" is more important than graphics for me, but I wold like to be able to print monochrome dot-matrix graphics if possible. Ali Ozer, ali@navajo.stanford.edu
stever@videovax.Tek.COM (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) (01/21/87)
In article <1323@navajo.STANFORD.EDU>, Ali Ozer (ali@navajo.ARPA) writes: > . . . > What *is* the difference between the various prefixes on Epson printer > names? (JX, FX, MX, etc...) > . . . The MX is a text-only printer. The FX is text and graphics. The JX is text and graphics in color. The number after the dash (e.g., 80, 100, or whatever) is the print width in tenths of an inch. You could use an MX-80 for text (choose the FX-80 printer selection in Preferences), but couldn't print graphics. Steve Rice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- {decvax | hplabs | ihnp4 | uw-beaver}!tektronix!videovax!stever
ee173way@sdcc3.ucsd.EDU (John Schultz) (01/22/87)
I just bought an Epson EX-800 for $500. It's fast- 300 cps, has 2 excellent NLQ modes, and will do color for an extra $70 (up to 240 dpi). Configures as an Epson or JX-80 in preferences. Check it out, it's worth the extra expense... John 7OHN
hsgj@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Dan Green) (01/22/87)
In article <1323@navajo.STANFORD.EDU> ali@navajo.ARPA (Ali Ozer) writes: >And, finally, the grand question, if I were to want to buy a printer for >my Amiga, and wanted to spent less than, hmm, say $400, what's the "best" >choice? Note that "text" is more important than graphics for me, but >I wold like to be able to print monochrome dot-matrix graphics if possible. > >Ali Ozer, ali@navajo.stanford.edu I wound up buying a "SEIKOSHA SP-1000A" printer for my Amiga. Never heard of it, eh? Well it is a $250 printer that is pretty robust and has been working since I bought it 3 months ago. It emulates an Epson; at least using the plain Epson entry on Preferences it works fine. Some features: 1. Comprehensive 88 page manual with examples 2. ONLINE, NLQ, FORM FEED, LINE FEED switches on console 3. Power, Paper Out, Online, NLQ lamps on console 4. Proportional, Condensed, High Quality (NLQ), Double Strike printing 5. Super Script, Sub Script printing 6. Bold, Elite, Pica buit-in fonts. 7. 2K Buffer 8. Dip Switches for language, paper empty, zero character, page length 9. Dips for cr/lf, skip-over-pref, italic, downloadable chars. 10. 100% Compatible with Epson: A. Notepad can print out fonts on it B. GraphicDump (V1.2) works. As you may guess, I am quite satisfied with it. It also came with its own Printer->Amiga cable. No software is necessary to get it running. I have no connection with Seikosha Co. Ltd. -- Dan Green -- ARPA: hsgj%vax2.ccs.cornell.edu@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu UUCP: ihnp4!cornell!batcomputer!hsgj BITNET: hsgj@cornella
mwm@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike Meyer) (01/22/87)
In article <4172@videovax.Tek.COM> stever@videovax.Tek.COM (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) writes: >You could use an MX-80 for text (choose the FX-80 printer selection in >Preferences), but couldn't print graphics. Sorry, but not true. The MX-80 did black&white graphics quite nicely, thank you. 218 dpi vertically by 17? horizontally, if I remember correctly. Of course, there were two versions of the MX-80; the original had scummy graphics, you could add the Graftrax option to get much better graphics. The MX-100 did had a slightly different graphics command set than the MX-80/Graftrax. This command set later became standard on the MX-80, and you couldn't get the Graftrax version anymore (a minor loose). So there are at least THREE different flavors of MX-80. All of them supported a "8 bit wide graphics slice" mode, similar to that found on the newer printers. The FX-80 has a graphics command set similar to the MX-80, but with some restrictions removed. If the "Epson" driver is for that, it'll give the MX-80 fits. You couldn't use that driver to do graphics. "There was something GROWING in your MX-80!" <mike P.S. - all data in this article dates from the time that Epson introduced the MX-100, and could well have suffered from neuron rot.
cmcmanis@sun.uucp (Chuck McManis) (01/22/87)
stever@videovax.Tek.COM (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) writes:
*>
*> The MX is a text-only printer. The FX is text and graphics. The JX is
*> text and graphics in color. The number after the dash (e.g., 80, 100,
*> or whatever) is the print width in tenths of an inch.
*>
*> You could use an MX-80 for text (choose the FX-80 printer selection in
*> Preferences), but couldn't print graphics.
*> Steve Rice
Hmm, I have an FX-286 hooked up to my Amiga and it sure ain't 28.6" wide!
The only consistency I have been able to find with Epson printers
(besides most of their escape codes) are that all print on paper.
Remember there is also the LX, DX, LQ, EX series as well.
--
--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.afo@s.cc.purdue.edu.UUCP (01/23/87)
In article <4172@videovax.Tek.COM> stever@videovax.Tek.COM (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) writes: >The MX is a text-only printer. The FX is text and graphics. The JX is > . . . >You could use an MX-80 for text (choose the FX-80 printer selection in >Preferences), but couldn't print graphics. > Uhh, excuse me Stever, but I have an MX100 and I have always been able to print graphics. The key here is that the MX series is text-only unless the printer is equipped with GRAFTRAX(tm) ROMs which allow graphics equal to the quality of their other printers. As a matter of fact, GRAFTRAX is included in all Epson printers now as standard goodies. Also, most MX printers had GRAFTRAX installed also. They just costed a little more. The newer MX models had GRAFTRAX III installed. This came out about a year before they released the RX series and allowed italics, super/subscript, underlining and all of those other neat little features we have grown to expect as standard. Anyone who has an MX but does not have GRAFTRAX can upgrade by installing the ROMs (3 I believe) for ~$70. PPPPPPPPP Alan Davis PPPPPPPPPP Purdue University Computing Center PP PP PP PP Usenet: {backbone}!pur-ee!s.cc.purdue.edu!afo PPPPPPPP BITNET: ADAVIS@PURCCVM PPPPPPP PP PP Disclaimer: I don't agree with Purdue's opinions, PPPPPP they don't agree with mine. PPPPPP
eve@ssc-vax.UUCP (01/23/87)
> > What *is* the difference between the various prefixes on Epson printer > > names? (JX, FX, MX, etc...) > The MX is a text-only printer... > > You could use an MX-80 for text (choose the FX-80 printer selection in > Preferences), but couldn't print graphics. > The MX-80 models can do graphics if they have the appropriate ROM. The first, early models were shipped with text-only ROMS; many(all?) of the later models had graphics ROMs standard. I know; I upgraded my early MX-80 to graphics with the GRAPHPLUS ROM. The FX is a newer model than the MX.
stever@videovax.UUCP (01/26/87)
In article <43@s.cc.purdue.edu>, Alan Davis (afo@s.cc.purdue.edu.UUCP) writes: > . . . > Uhh, excuse me Stever, but I have an MX100 and I have always been able > to print graphics. The key here is that the MX series is text-only > unless the printer is equipped with GRAFTRAX(tm) ROMs which allow > graphics equal to the quality of their other printers. As a matter of > fact, GRAFTRAX is included in all Epson printers now as standard > goodies. . . . Must be a sign of advanced age (mine!). We had an MX-100 here two or three years ago that had no graphics capability. At that time we were told that to get graphics, we had to buy an FX-whatever. (We bought a VAX and a LaserWriter, instead. . .) Steve Rice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- {decvax | hplabs | ihnp4 | uw-beaver}!tektronix!videovax!stever inews > 50 % filler inews > 50 % filler inews > 50 % filler inews > 50 % filler inews > 50 % filler