cdh@bbn.com (Carl D. Howe) (08/01/89)
Hi, I recently purchased a DeskJet for my Mac (I'm currently using the HPDJ public domain driver, but think I might upgrade to Jetlink Express if I can see it at MacExpo here in Boston), and have recently tested some different types of paper with varying results. I thought people might be interested in some of the better papers. First of all, copier paper is ok for drafts, but it does fuzz at the edges. Ditto for duplicator paper. As someone else on the net pointed out, paper designed for lasers may work better; I haven't tried that yet. Now the good news: Crane's (a well-known paper manufacturer) has just come out with a new variety of 25% rag paper called Whisper. This is specifically made for electronic imaging and seems to produce razor-sharp results on my Deskjet; nothing else (save one exception below) seems to come close. However, watch out: it comes in two differing textures: Wove and Basket (I think that was the other name). Wove is a nice satin finish and is the one I used. Basket is a rougher texture and therefore should be avoided. The bad news is that you pay for this nice paper: about $0.05 a sheet. Nonetheless, if you have a document that you want to come out nicely, I highly recommend Crane's Whisper, flourescent white, Wove, 24 lb. It also comes in blue, ivory, etc. The only thing that is better than Crane's Whisper is Crane's 100% cotton rag, also wove finish. I don't think there is any significant image improvement, but the higher quality paper seems to provide a better base for the ink and maybe a smaller dot size (frankly, my eyes can't really see a 300 dpi dot to start with). Besides, it feels great. It should for almost double the price, about $0.10 a sheet. Save this paper for your resume or that proposal that has to just scream quality. For everything else, it seems that Whisper is just fine. Bad news: I tried another 25% rag imaging paper by an off-brand manufacturer that was certified for laser printers (unfortunately, I didn't bring the box to work, so I couldn't tell you which brand). I was very disappointed in this paper because it cost the same as Whisper (I bought it prior to Whisper) and produced images worse than copier paper! So the composition and surface really make a difference. Hope this helps all you DeskJet/DeskWriter owners out there. HP really has produced a great personal printer with this series, but it only shines when you give it a good surface to write on. Carl cdh@bbn.com