mtoy@there.sgi.com (Michael Toy) (02/03/90)
I have a HP DeskWriter, it is a great printer, everybody should have one. I want to know, exactly what kind of paper do I buy in order to get the best quality output. So far I have experienced three different kinds of paper: 1) 20lb Laser Printer Paper which I bought at Price Club: Results: Ink holds thin lines, but tends to spread out in thin spidery wisps. 2) I went to a copy store and bought a ream of High Quaility High Speed Laser Printer paper. It is a very heavy (~60lb) paper, which doesn't have the spidery line problem of the cheaper paper, but the ink does tend to spread out a bit, making everything a little fuzzy. Good for certificates, where all the text is big, but too fuzzy for normal text. 3) The magic paper that the tech pubs people here at SGI use for printing their masters. This stuff is perfect, makes the DeskWriter output as good as a LaserWriter (maybe better because of the blacker blacks). Problem: It has non-photo blue printing all over the back side. I know nothing about paper. Would somebody who does tell me: 1) What kind of paper to buy 2) What kinds of places sell it or (ideally) 3) Where in the South SF Bay area can I buy it? Thanks --Michael Toy Michael Toy
bh11+@andrew.cmu.edu (Braddock John Hathaway) (02/03/90)
Michael (and the net):
The very best kind of paper that I have found for use with the
DeskWriter (after *MUCH* experimentation) is that with cotton
fiber in it (better known as cotton bond).
For every day printing, I use 25% cotton fiber, 20 lb paper.
If you buy this a ream at a time (500 sheets), you should be
able to get it for between 2 and 2.5 cents per sheet ($10 - $12
per ream). When printing on this type of paper, I have found
the output to be TRUE 300 dpi ... pretty much indistinguishable
from laserwriter output (I've checked).
The main difference in paper types seems to be the cotton fiber.
I guess that it doesn't absorb the ink or something.
Types of paper I've tried:
Normal photocopying paper -- good for draft stuff, but the ink
definitely bleeds into the page. The letters look fuzzy
around the edges, although the bleeding is in a fairly
uniform manner.
25% cotton bond -- works great!
100% cotton bond -- also works great ... use it for resumes in
a heavier weight!
There is one exception to the 25% cotton bond (the only one I
have found) ... it's made by Southworth, and the specific title
of the paper is: "Watermark Electronic Paper". I have no ideas
or theories as to why this prints the way it does, but there is
a kind of streaky bleeding when using it with the DeskWriter.
The bleeding is very uneven.
In case you were wondering:
The weight of paper (eg: 20lb stock) refers to the paper's thickness
I hope this helps!
--Braddplatt@coherent.com (Dave Platt) (02/04/90)
In article <3538@odin.SGI.COM> mtoy@there.sgi.com (Michael Toy) writes: > I have a HP DeskWriter, it is a great printer, everybody should have one. > I want to know, exactly what kind of paper do I buy in order to get the > best quality output. I've had excellent results using "CASCADE OD/Xerographic" 20-pound paper from Boise Cascade. Our company buys it in quantity (a dozen cases at a time) for use in our laser-printers and copiers. I purchased one case out of the last lot (about $46/10k sheets)... should keep my wife and me in DeskJet and typing paper for the next few years! This paper is far superior to the generic Price Club 20-lb paper, which I've also tried... it jams far less frequently in our LaserWriter Plus, is more opaque and feels heavier (although it's nominally of the same weight) and seems to have a better coating. On this paper, DeskJet output is almost indistinguishable from LaserWriter output... 300 dpi graphics and text are very crisp, with no bleeding. On cheaper paper, the output looks like it came from a dot- matrix printer with a worn-out-and-reinked ribbon. There's no contest.. the OD/Xerographic paper is definitely work the extra bucks. I have no connection to HP or Boise Cascade, save as a very happy customer of some of their products. -- Dave Platt VOICE: (415) 493-8805 UUCP: ...!{ames,apple,uunet}!coherent!dplatt DOMAIN: dplatt@coherent.com INTERNET: coherent!dplatt@ames.arpa, ...@uunet.uu.net USNAIL: Coherent Thought Inc. 3350 West Bayshore #205 Palo Alto CA 94303
ubi@ginger.sri.com (Ron Ueberschaer x4399) (02/04/90)
We have a DeskWriter, & I've done a bit of experimenting with different kinds of paper. For everyday decent quality, a good typewriter bond works quite well. For even better results, go to a stationery store and ask for "Resume Paper." They have all different styles, colors, weights, prices. The grey paper my wife got is really good--it is Eaton PRIVATE STOCK typewriter paper with laid finish, 24-lb, 25% cotton fiber, and "archival quality" (acid-free). It cost $4.79 for 80 sheets. --Ron Ueberschaer SRI International ubi@unix.sri.com
fiddler@concertina.Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (02/06/90)
In article <8802@unix.SRI.COM>, ubi@ginger.sri.com (Ron Ueberschaer x4399) writes: > We have a DeskWriter, & I've done a bit of experimenting with different kinds > of paper. For everyday decent quality, a good typewriter bond works quite > well. For even better results, go to a stationery store and ask for "Resume > Paper." They have all different styles, colors, weights, prices. The grey > paper my wife got is really good--it is Eaton PRIVATE STOCK typewriter paper > with laid finish, 24-lb, 25% cotton fiber, and "archival quality" (acid-free). > It cost $4.79 for 80 sheets. It had better be *good*...that's $29.94/ream. ------------ "...Then anyone who leaves behind him a written manual, and likewise anyone who receives it, in the belief that such writing will be clear and certain, must be exceedingly simple-minded..." Plato, _Phaedrus_