cwc@mhuxd.UUCP (10/28/83)
We in the AT&T BTL libraries have need of QUIET printers for our publicly available systems. I presume this limits our choice of technologies to either thermal or ink-jet since I haven't heard of electrostatic much lately and I have never heard an impact printer which could qualify as quiet. Sound-proof hoods are impractical. Other criteria are a throughput in the range of 100cps, serial interface and price under $1000. I have seen several slower thermal printers which are otherwise fine, but as soon as one talks about 100cps, the price seems to skyrocket, or the equipment is untrustworthy (I had an Olivetti dealer advise me NOT to buy their product at this time). Oh, yes, I've seen the Perkin-Elmer 650, but it prints sideways, wasting LOTS of paper unless you've got 24 line slugs to print. Anyone have any ideas? I'm getting desperate! If you can't get back to me at ...!mhuxd!cwc my (U.S.) mail address is C. W. Christ AT&T Bell Laboratories 600 Mountain Avenue, Room 6B336 Murray Hill, NJ 07974 Thanks in anticipation-- Chip
cwc@mhuxd.UUCP (10/28/83)
Not that I'm ungrateful for the good intentions of those who have responded thus far to my request for help, but please do NOT waste your time with ideas to circumvent my need for a quiet, fast, cheap printer. The criteria stated in my request are not a result of ignorance of alternatives, but a realistic evaluation of constraints. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. Chip
cwc@mhuxd.UUCP (Chip Christ) (11/15/83)
A number of people whom I can't mail to directly asked if I had any success with the above query. Hope this reaches you folks! The most frequently, and enthusiastically, recommended printer was the Seimen's (Siemen's ??) PT88 ink jet. I first saw Seimen's ink jet technology about 3 years ago and was very impressed. Trouble was that the package reminded me of a tty33 and cost ~$3000. From what I've learned (thanks to a lot of you out there) is that it has evidently been repackaged into something resembling the C.Itoh Prowriter at a cost under $1000 (depending on quantity discounts, etc.). Only draw-back, as far as I can see, is the recommendation that a "high absorbancy" paper (sold with Seimen's name on it, naturally, at premium price) be used. I've got a unit on order to see just how well it fits the bill. I'll post any disaterous turn of events to the net. BTW, the first thing I'll do with the paper is to have our purchasing/standards people check for alternate sources-- that'll bring the price down! Chip