dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com (David Langhorne) (09/28/90)
Saw an ad in the Computer Shopper for one of these ink jet printers for $199. Do any of you net.laptop.users have experience with one of these printers? Specifically: Can it handle continuous forms? How is the print quality? How often does the ink cartridge? have to be replaced? Are replacement/refills easily available? Reasonably priced? Does it have graphics capability? Any clue on reliability? Clogged ink jets? Thanks in advance for any info... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Langhorne | WITH Std_Disclaimer; USE Std_Disclaimer; HARRIS-ESS -- Melbourne FL | dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
poser@csli.Stanford.EDU (Bill Poser) (10/03/90)
In article <4399@trantor.harris-atd.com> dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com (David Langhorne) writes: >Saw an ad in the Computer Shopper for one of these ink jet printers for >$199. Do any of you net.laptop.users have experience with one of these >printers? I have a Kodak Diconix 150 Plus Printer, which may be the same one you are asking about. It cost me a good deal more than $199 though, so if they are the same, that is a real bargain. (I paid around $400.) So far I have been very happy with mine. It is surprisingly small and light, and the manual is surprisingly informative. >Can it handle continuous forms? Yes. >How is the print quality? Very good. It gives you a choice of Draft, Near Letter Quality, and Quality, selectable by pressing a button. It isn't as good as what I get from a laser printer, but it is quite readable. >How often does the ink cartridge? have to be replaced? >Are replacement/refills easily available? Reasonably priced? I don't know. I haven't had to replace it yet. >Does it have graphics capability? Yes. Horizontal resolution is 96 dpi. >Any clue on reliability? Clogged ink jets? I haven't had any problems so far.
markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu (10/03/90)
In article <4399@trantor.harris-atd.com> dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com (David Langhorne) writes: >Saw an ad in the Computer Shopper for one of these ink jet printers for >$199. Do any of you net.laptop.users have experience with one of these >printers? Specifically: Yes, I have had both a 150 and 150 plus of the Diconix, I like them both. > >Can it handle continuous forms? Yes, as well as cut sheet. >How is the print quality? It can print on plain paper, and it looks as good as most non-24 pin dot matrix printers. If you use special ink-jet paper the quality (in non-draft mode) is really nice, since the ink spreads out a little bit and fills in the dots. If you then are duplicating it it looks even better. I only use the ink-jet paper if I really need high quality. >How often does the ink cartridge? have to be replaced? That all depends on how much you print. I have had some last a few months, when I am only doing text, and some go in a few weeks with a lot of graphics. Your use will depend on how much ink sprays out. Draft mode lasts a long time. >Are replacement/refills easily available? Reasonably priced? They are very easy to get, and the same cartridge that fits the HP Thinkjet fits the Diconix. The price is about 8-12 dollars, but it is about the same as a ribbon for my other dot-matrix printer. >Does it have graphics capability? Yes, both high density and regular density. (80X96 dpi in normal mode (regular) and 60X192 in expanded. If you go to quadrupal density the manual says you can get 240X192 dpi or 320X96 dpi). >Any clue on reliability? Clogged ink jets? I have had two (I sold my first one to get the 150+) and never had any trouble or clogged jets. I used mine in Thailand during rainy season, so to say the least the conditions were not optimal. Still, I never had any trouble. They seem to be very reliable and rugged. > > >Thanks in advance for any info... >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Dave Langhorne | WITH Std_Disclaimer; USE Std_Disclaimer; >HARRIS-ESS -- Melbourne FL | >dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com | >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure you get the 150+ if possible. The 150 is the older model and doesn't support as many fonts. The only limitation is that you cannot print to the edge of the paper, and need 1 inch margins. This is no problem for me, and you can get the same resolution if you kick it into the expanded mode. I really like mine, and don't know of anothre portable printer that is as good (the new Canon doesn't take continous forms.) Mark Ritchie markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu
len@lsicom2.UU.NET (Len Rose) (10/03/90)
I agree with most of the posters that the Diconix 150+ is a great printer, although I have had difficulty with certain brands of paper. Sometimes I would get ink smears with cheaper grades. However, it is an excellent printer if you are serious about using laptops for what they were designed for-- computing anywhere :-) Now I just wish my laptop's battery would last as long as the bloody printer batteries. Len
Renee@cup.portal.com (Renee Linda Roberts) (10/04/90)
I own a Diconix 150+, and at this point, I can't live without it. One thing to remember though: If you want to use labels in the printer, you need to get 2 or 3 across. The 1 across just slide all over the place. There is no way for the tractor to grab that far to the left. Renee Roberts Renee@portal.cup.com
ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) (10/10/90)
In <15615@csli.Stanford.EDU> poser@csli.Stanford.EDU (Bill Poser) writes: >In article <4399@trantor.harris-atd.com> dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com (David Langhorne) writes: >>Saw an ad in the Computer Shopper for one of these ink jet printers for >>$199. Do any of you net.laptop.users have experience with one of these >>printers? >I have a Kodak Diconix 150 Plus Printer, which may be the same one >you are asking about. It cost me a good deal more than $199 though, >so if they are the same, that is a real bargain. (I paid around $400.) I paid $250 for a remaindered Diconix 150 (the old model) from DAK. Wouldn't suprise me if less fancy mail-order companies were selling them for $200. As David says, it's a good value. My main complaint is that single-sheet printing is a pain: if I'd known the Bubble-Jet would soon be down to $350, I'd've spent the extra $100 for the sheet feeder. But the D's probably the cheapest printer with a good tractor feed (letter-width forms only!). Minor complaint is that the dot are narrower, so even though it's IBM/Epson compatible, graphics come out slightly squished. I still don't know what the difference is between the 150 and 150+. I suspect they just changed the label to call attention to their improvement of the ink. With the new cartridges and "inkjet" paper, it's good enough to do business correspondence on. And it's *quiet*! -- ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch {apple,amdahl,claris}!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA
markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu (10/10/90)
In article <14480@netcom.UUCP> ergo@netcom.uucp writes: [stuff deleted] > >But the D's probably the cheapest printer with a good tractor feed >(letter-width forms only!). Minor complaint is that the dot are >narrower, so even though it's IBM/Epson compatible, graphics come out >slightly squished. > >I still don't know what the difference is between the 150 and 150+. I >suspect they just changed the label to call attention to their >improvement of the ink. With the new cartridges and "inkjet" paper, >it's good enough to do business correspondence on. > >And it's *quiet*! >-- > >ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch >{apple,amdahl,claris}!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA The difference between the 150 and 150+ is that the "narrow dot" problem has been corrected, although if you flip a dip switch you get the old "condensed/high density" graphics. The other differences is that you can have the lid closed using tractor feed paper, and that you also get several more fonts (accessable from the front panel), one of which is a fairly good Courier typeface (not the littler one on the 150). There are probably some other differences that I haven't noticed. Mark markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu
markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu (10/10/90)
Sender:markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu Message-ID: <1990Oct10.160634.18111@agate.berkeley.edu> Summary: just a note on the dif. between the 150 and 150+ Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator) Organization: University of California, Berkeley References: <4399@trantor.harris-atd.com> <15615@csli.Stanford.EDU> <14480@netcom.UUCP> Distribution: na Date: Wed, 10 Oct 90 16:06:34 GMT Lines: 32 In article <14480@netcom.UUCP> ergo@netcom.uucp writes: [stuff deleted] > >But the D's probably the cheapest printer with a good tractor feed >(letter-width forms only!). Minor complaint is that the dot are >narrower, so even though it's IBM/Epson compatible, graphics come out >slightly squished. > >I still don't know what the difference is between the 150 and 150+. I >suspect they just changed the label to call attention to their >improvement of the ink. With the new cartridges and "inkjet" paper, >it's good enough to do business correspondence on. > >And it's *quiet*! >-- > >ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch >{apple,amdahl,claris}!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA The difference between the 150 and 150+ is that the "narrow dot" problem has been corrected, although if you flip a dip switch you get the old "condensed/high density" graphics. The other differences is that you can have the lid closed using tractor feed paper, and that you also get several more fonts (accessable from the front panel), one of which is a fairly good Courier typeface (not the littler one on the 150). There are probably some other differences that I haven't noticed. Mark markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu
BVAUGHAN@pucc.Princeton.EDU (Barbara Vaughan) (10/11/90)
In article <14480@netcom.UUCP>, ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) writes: >In <15615@csli.Stanford.EDU> poser@csli.Stanford.EDU (Bill Poser) writes: > >>In article <4399@trantor.harris-atd.com> dlang@su19f.harris-atd.com (David Langhorne) writes: >>>Saw an ad in the Computer Shopper for one of these ink jet printers for >>>$199. Do any of you net.laptop.users have experience with one of these >>>printers? >>I have a Kodak Diconix 150 Plus Printer, which may be the same one >>you are asking about. >As David says, it's a good value. My main complaint is that >single-sheet printing is a pain: if I'd known the Bubble-Jet would >soon be down to $350, I'd've spent the extra $100 for the sheet >feeder. The Hewlett-Packard Thinkjet printer is very similar to the Diconix and uses the same paper and ink cartridges. I have had mine for two years and have been very satisfied with it. I first saw one at a conference in China, where a colleague had brought one to a conference. She sometimes had to replace cartridges that weren't empty; she thought maybe it had problems because of pressurization and depressurization in airplane cargo holds. She always carried a few extra cartridges on trips because of this. I've never had a problem, but I mostly use it at home; it takes up very little room on a desk and is so quiet that the rest of my family can sleep through my late-night printing sessions. I prefer to use plain paper and the cartridges made for plain paper. The printing is a little lighter than on the special coated paper with the regular cartridges, but I don't like the look and feel of the coated paper. I rarely have a smudging problem if I change the little blotter whenever I change a cart- ridge. I usually print a few throwaway pages with a new cartridge before printing a long report or something. The one thing I don't like is that the page feed and line feed work by button switches instead of a knob and you can't roll it backwards. If the print is starting a line too low from the top, you have to either linefeed to the next page and hope you stop at the right spot or reinsert the paper. I'm sure the absence of a knob was intended to save space, but that's the one thing that I find annoying. Barbara Vaughan
markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu (10/11/90)
In article <11852@pucc.Princeton.EDU> BVAUGHAN@pucc.Princeton.EDU writes: >[stuff deleted] The one thing I don't like is that >the page feed and line feed work by button switches instead of a knob and >you can't roll it backwards. If the print is starting a line too low >from the top, you have to either linefeed to the next page and hope you >stop at the right spot or reinsert the paper. I'm sure the absence of >a knob was intended to save space, but that's the one thing that I find >annoying. > >Barbara Vaughan You *can* do a reverse line feed on both the 150 and 150+ (it says how in the manual :-) You take it off line, and then hold down both the LF/FF button and the Font (or whatever the other one is on the 150) and the printer will do a reverse form feed. I just did one on mine sitting here to my left, and I used to do it on my 150. Mark Ritchie markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu
betz@marob.masa.com (Tom Betz) (10/13/90)
Quoth markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu in <4253.2712ef96@infocomm.com>: | | The other differences is that you can have the lid closed using |tractor feed paper, and that you also get several more fonts (accessable from |the front panel), one of which is a fairly good Courier typeface (not the |littler one on the 150). | | There are probably some other differences that I haven't noticed. | I am interested in employing a 150 or 150+ to print labels. 1) Is it bottom-feed capable? 2) Is the tractor-feed width-adjustable, so I can use one-up labels? Thanks. -- -----------------------------------------------------| hombre!marob!upaya!tbetz "Ever since the fateful day when Al heard about | that `Follow Your Bliss' thing, it's been just | Tom Betz - GBS cannoli, cannoli, and more cannoli." - Peter Hannah | (914) 375-1510