biggers@wolves.uucp (Mark Biggers(286-1441)) (08/24/90)
Here's a summary on people's HP Deskjet Plus experiences. Any others (like filters for lpr and nroff/troff) I'd like to know about. How about you HP UNIX guys (I suppose you all use LaserJets, sigh)... --mark ..!mcnc!wolves!biggers (mcnc is on the Internet, BTW) (also BTW, I am really pleased with the print quality, speed, envelope handling of the DeskJet Plus; however, I too would like a groovier default font; maybe TimesRoman or such...) Date: Thu, 2 Aug 90 11:09:24 PDT To: wolves!biggers@mcnc.org Subject: Re: questions on HP DeskJet+ Organization: Coherent Thought Inc., Palo Alto CA In article <1990Jul31.125733.10625@wolves.uucp> you write: > I am about to receive an HP DeskJet+, to be used with a > Sun-2 running SunOS 3.4, and soon a Sun 4/110 running SunOS 4.1, > and maybe also a PC clone. Anyway, maybe some of you kind folk > could help answer a few questions I have: > > * What is the best grade/type of paper to use with this > printer, for best printing results? I use Boise Cascade XP 20-pound xerographic paper... the same stuff we buy by the caseload for use with our copiers and our Apple LaserWriter. It works very well, and is economical... I paid $45 or so for a case of 2000 sheets. Any good-quality smooth-surfaced copier paper should work well. Cheap copier/typewriter paper works _badly_... the fibers in cheap paper soak up the ink and spread it, and the output looks as if it came from a 9-pin printer with a worn ribbon. > * How are the ink cartridges refillable, either by me or > by a mail order service (I've seen one in Comp Shopper)? > Any recommendations? Accessories Plus DeskJet Refillable Cartridges 65 Mount Auburn Street $14.00 each, quantity 1 Cambridge, MA 02138 quantity discounts available can be refilled 10 times (617) 497-0262 I've attached a cartridge-procedure below... I've used it several times with good results. It works with ordinary HP DeskJet cartridges. > * How about info on your setup with nroff, otroff, ditroff > or TeX? (TeX may be my preference later, but now I have > what Sun supplies. I can modify nroff driver > tables for a particular printer...) I don't use it in that fashion... mine is hooked to a Mac II. If you want to get really good performance out of the printer, you'll want to use the built-in Courier font, or an HP cartridge font or a downloadable soft-font. You _can_ rasterize the whole page in your computer and send it down as a 300 dpi bitmap... but this is _slow_. I haven't been too impressed with the quality of the HP cartridge fonts, alas. The DeskJet and DeskJet Plus cannot support negative side-bearings or kerning with its internal/cartridge/soft fonts... this has a definite impact on the appearance of the output. If you want to do DTP-quality text output, you'll have to use host-based fonts, rasterize the whole page on the Sun, and send a humongous bitmap down to the printer. *******From malloy@nprdc.navy.mil Thu May 11 14:56:35 1989 In the May 1989 issue of _Personal Systems_, the Journal of the San Diego Computer Society, there is an article by Larry Rymal (Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET) titled "Recharging Your DeskJet Cartridges", which was downloaded from Usenet (where, I don't know -- I didn't see it posted): "Buy Sheaffer's Skrip jet black ink -- about $1.50 for a bottle, lasts about five recharges. "'Recharging the DeskJet cartridge is a simple matter. Take an ink cartridge that is light but is still feeding ink. When the cartridge feels 'light' in weight (less than 1.5 oz), it is a candidate for refilling. If it is totally dry, it seems to have some problem on clearing the nozzles or something -- por candidate. "Ream out the air hole to about the width of a pencil eraser. Make sure that the air hole is much larger than the needle or injector. You do not want pressurization to occur. The nozzle area is very fragile and pressure will destroy the integrity. "Now, using a machinist's hypodermic syringe (typically used for oiling), squirt in no more than two cc's of ink. A sponge inside the cartridge will absorb the ink. Make sure you inject no more than two cc's into the cartridge. "More than two cc's will cause gravity to induce a siphon effect and you will lose all your ink overnight. Inside the cartridge, you'll notice a sponge -- it prevents the siphon. As long as there is no ink pooling on top of the sponge, you are in good shape. Actually, I inject no more than 1cc, just to be sure. [Additional note... after refilling the cartridge, wipe off the top, cover the enlarged airhole with a piece of black electrical tape, and puncture a hole in it with a straight pin. This will prevent the ink from drying out in the cartridge, and will still allow enough air into the cartridge to permit the jet mechanism to function correctly. When you need to refill the cartridge again, just peel back the tape... dcp] "Currently, I've only been successful using Sheaffer's Skrip jet black ink. The bottle is really cheap -- about $1.50 (local) US. You can typically recharge the cartridge five times with one bottle. "This cartridge is several months, and several reams of paper, old -- it has probably gone through 1500 sheets of heavy printing (dark pages, DTP work) and is still printing with no fuzzies. There is no way that a regular cartridge would last through that much paper with the amount of dark desktop publishing that I do on the HP DeskJet. "Ok, the obvious question: Can we get rid of water soluble ink and use different colors? "I've had some success on Sheaffer's red ink but it is just not correct. You get streaks. Apparently, the balance of ink concentrate is not as 'correct' for the cartridge as the jet black is. I haven't had the ability yet to find permanent ink for testing. The problem comes from not having any spent cartridges to play with. "Note that India Ink will not work. That is an ink which uses suspended solid particles. No go... There you have it. Experiment, save bucks, and ENJOY!" -- 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 Date: Thu, 2 Aug 90 11:14:18 PDT From: Clarence Dold <dold> X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL15] Subject: Re: questions on HP DeskJet+ biggers@wolves.uucp (Mark Biggers): > I am about to receive an HP DeskJet+, to be used with a > * What is the best grade/type of paper to use with this > printer, for best printing results? My primary source of paper is 'used' blank sheets from the local laser printer. I'm referring to the blank sheets that some print jobs spew out. Due to the heat, they can't be reused in the laser, but the DJ seems to like them just fine. Regardless of what your source is, be aware that there is a major difference between front and back of the paper. The side you want to print is smoother. I can feel it, but I can't see it. If you print on the wrong side, your print will look 'hairy'. > * How are the ink cartridges refillable, either by me or I understand that you can refill them with standard 'Skrip' fountain pen ink, using a syringe. This works about three times. I haven't needed to refill mine yet. --- Clarence A Dold - dold@tsmiti.Convergent.COM (408) 435-5293 ...pyramid!ctnews!tsmiti!dold FAX (408) 435-3105 P.O.Box 6685, San Jose, CA 95150-6685 MS#10-007 -- Mark Biggers Domain: biggers%wolves@cs.duke.edu UUCP: ...!mcnc!wolves!biggers <standard disclaimers apply>
ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) (08/25/90)
Somebody (attribution lost) wrote about what paper to use with a DeskJet+: >I use Boise Cascade XP 20-pound xerographic paper... the same stuff we >buy by the caseload for use with our copiers and our Apple LaserWriter. >It works very well, and is economical... I paid $45 or so for a case of >2000 sheets. Any good-quality smooth-surfaced copier paper should work >well. Cheap copier/typewriter paper works _badly_... the fibers in >cheap paper soak up the ink and spread it, and the output looks as if it >came from a 9-pin printer with a worn ribbon. Just in passing, I want to mention that you *must* use 20-weight paper in any sheet-feed mechanism. 16-weight, which was the standard until just a few years ago, tends to jam sheet feeders. I suppose that's why fewer and fewer stationers even bother to stock 16-weight anymore. But here's why I posted. The BC paper mentioned might well be good with a 300-dpi printer such as the DeskJet. But what about a 180-dpi printer like the Diconix? I bought one of those remaindered Diconix printers that came with the old kind of print cartridge. The printer came with a small quantity of "inkjet printer paper" that gives only fair quality output with the old cartridge, but good (not great, but good enough for business letters) with a newer "plain paper" cartridge. This paper is a little rougher than xerographic, and I suspect it's got a thin clay coating. Suggestions? -- ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch atina!pyramid!apple!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA uunet!mimsy!ames!claris!netcom!ergo Disclaimer: I am what I am, and that's all what I am!