bparsia@eagle.wesleyan.edu (11/17/90)
Hello. I'm interested in buying a low cost (presumbly QuickDraw-is) laser printer. By "low cost" I mean under $1000--well, under $1000 (if possible). Now, I am well aware of the seemingly excellent GCC printers. But, the cheap version goes for about $1200 if you're lucky (and I haven't been). The Apple PLP SC sells for around $1500 (which is ridiculous; on the back page of the New York Times Tues. Science section is an add containing a price quote of $16** for a TI Microlaser *35* [in the back pages of MacWhatever, this printer usually sells for about $2000), which is a full postscript printer rated the best for personal [and all around DTP] use by the recent MacUser postscript printer roundup--thus, if you're spending anything near $1400 to $1500 for a QuickDraw printer, spring the extra however much for the MicroLaser). However, I've noted that there are numerous IBM world Laser printers which sell for much less. Now, granted, their typographical prowass is laughable, but I want to do all my typographical prowrassing on my Mac (buy the printer cheap, have enough to buy an accelerator which will speed up *everything*). In particular, I note that the OkiLaser 400 sells for $640. I believe that this printer is essentially the same printer (same engine anyway) as the GCC mentioned above. I ask: Is this so? If so, how much will it cost to hook that sucker up to my Mac. Obviously I'd need to use some third party connector (a Grappler LS?--these can't cost more than a couple hundred). I think that the Oki is LaserJet II compat. Obviously I am forgoing all sorts of goodies included with such printers as are designed for the Mac market (excluding, of course, the Apple), but for $400-600 I can afford to do that (ATM costs $60; System 7.0 is 'free'; QuickEnvelopes is $49--Yah, I'm well ahead, plus an accelerator for my SE, plus some minor printing annoyance that I can work around). So, any advice? Anybody tried this? Anybody want to try it first and then tell me about it? By the way, I am most certainly *NOT* interested in a HP Deskwriter. I already have a WriteMove and I really don't want another inkjet printer. Any advice about the OkiLaser 400, Grappler type thingys and the like, or about my crazed plan and the apparant *huge* markup of such companies as GCC and Apple (fine companies, 'tis true, but expensive) for comparatively little value, would be greatly appreciated. E-mail is nice. Posting is nice. E-mail *and* posting is a little silly. Thanks. Bijan J. Parsia