[comp.sys.mac.wanted] ImageWriter or Seikosha or Epson with Interface ?

roh@gmdzi.gmd.de (Peter Rohleder ) (10/30/90)

A friend of mine is going to buy a mac and he also needs a cheap
printer with good printing quality.

There seem to be different solutions for this problem:

1. Buying an ImageWriter

2. Buying this ImageWriter compatible Seikosha 1000 Printer

3. Buying an Epson compatible(9 of 24 pin) printer with this
Grappler-Interface

4. Buying an Epson printer(9 or 24 pin) with this Epson software
which enables the Mac to print documents on Epson compatible printers.


If solution 1 (ImageWriter) should appear to be the best, I can easily
buy the ImageWriter in Germany

To realize solution 2 I need a shop either in Europe or in the States
which is reachable via telephone line(no 800...-number) or better
e-mail(uucp, CompuServe), accepts MasterCard and can ship this printer
with 220 V power supply(or is it self configurable ?).

For solution 3 and 4 I also need such kind of shop but the printer
itsself is better to buy here in Germany since there will be no
shipping costs. They only need to ship me either the Grappler or the
Epson Software.

What kind of solution would you recommend and what are
the advantages or disadvantages of the different solutions ?

Maybe you know a better solution not listed above(Laser printers
would be too expensive!).

Thanks in advance

Peter Rohleder


  Peter Rohleder, roh@gmdzi.UUCP, (+49 2241) 14-2208
  German National Research Center for Computer Science (GMD)
  Schloss Birlinghoven, P.O.Box 1240, D-5205 St. Augustin 1, FRGermany

wiseman@tellabs.com (Jeff Wiseman) (11/01/90)

In article <3521@gmdzi.gmd.de> roh@gmdzi.gmd.de (Peter Rohleder ) writes:
>A friend of mine is going to buy a mac and he also needs a cheap
>printer with good printing quality.
>
>There seem to be different solutions for this problem:
>

 <<list of possiblities deleted>>

One potential solution missing from the list is one that I know little of but
am very mush interested in.

It involves the use of a program called "Freedom of Press". This program
supports a series of pin and ink printers by converting postscript output into
printer drive.

Anyone had any good/bad/indifferent experiences with this product? Sounds like
a great idea.


--
Jeff Wiseman:	....uunet!tellab5!wiseman OR wiseman@TELLABS.COM

dane@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Dane Spearing) (11/03/90)

In article <3521@gmdzi.gmd.de> roh@gmdzi.gmd.de (Peter Rohleder ) writes:
>A friend of mine is going to buy a mac and he also needs a cheap
>printer with good printing quality.
>
>There seem to be different solutions for this problem:
>
>1. Buying an ImageWriter
>
>2. Buying this ImageWriter compatible Seikosha 1000 Printer
>
>3. Buying an Epson compatible(9 of 24 pin) printer with this
>Grappler-Interface
>
>4. Buying an Epson printer(9 or 24 pin) with this Epson software
>which enables the Mac to print documents on Epson compatible printers.
>
>
 -- much stuff deleted --

Yes, I know a better solution.

Buy an Epson FX-850 dot matrix printer with the serial port option
(preferably with 8K or 32K buffer). It's a good, solid, fast, reliable
9-pin printer with tractor paper parking and single sheet feed slot.
If you want to go even cheaper, get the cheapest Epson compatible 9-pin
printer you can find (maybe even secondhand).

Then buy Point Technologies 'Witch'. It will give you print quality as good as
the Imagewriter LQ on the FX-850 for less than half the price. It gives better
print quality and is more reliable than either Grappler or the Epson drivers.

It's distributed in Europe by:
Accademy Software
Acorn House
74/94 Cherry Orchard Road
Croyden
Surrey
CR0 6BA
ENGLAND

If you write to them they will send you information and sample printout.

--
       Dane Spearing        |  Dept of Geology      |    (415) 723-4092
<---------------------------|  Stanford University  |------------------------>
  dane@pangea.stanford.edu  |  Stanford, CA  94305  |  #include <disclaim.h>