tomj@snowking.Eng.Sun.COM (Tom Jacobs) (04/11/91)
I'm looking to purchase a printer for a 386 home system that I will be using infrequently, but when I do use it it will be for printing both simple text documents and graphics. I'm used to high-speed/high-quality laser printers at work, but can't really rationalize spending a lot on something that I won't be using much. Therefore, I have been looking mostly at the HP DeskJet 500 which seems to have nearly laser quality. I can get it for ~$489 at Fry's and it comes with a 3/yr HP warrenty. $500 is my maximum. Are there any other ink-jet type printers that I should look at? Are there any 24-pin printers that have nearly the same print quality and font flexibilty for less money? How about inexpensive laser printers? Thanks! --- Tom Jacobs ARPA: tomj@Eng.Sun.com UUCP: sun!tomj
zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Ross Alford) (04/12/91)
In <1991Apr11.095612@snowking.Eng.Sun.COM> tomj@snowking.Eng.Sun.COM (Tom Jacobs) writes: >I'm looking to purchase a printer for a 386 home system that I >will be using infrequently, but when I do use it it will be for >printing both simple text documents and graphics. I'm used to >high-speed/high-quality laser printers at work, but can't really >rationalize spending a lot on something that I won't be using much. >Therefore, I have been looking mostly at the HP DeskJet 500 which >seems to have nearly laser quality. I can get it for ~$489 at >Fry's and it comes with a 3/yr HP warrenty. $500 is my maximum. >Are there any other ink-jet type printers that I should look at? >Are there any 24-pin printers that have nearly the same print >quality and font flexibilty for less money? How about inexpensive >laser printers? Thanks! I have owned and used several types of 24-pin printers, and now own and use a DJ500. There is no comparison. The 24-pin printers have several pitfalls: o They almost always use nonstandard ribbons which are often quite expensive. o The print quality *with a new ribbon* may approach laser/inkjet quality, but within 50-100 pages it begins to deteriorate as the ink is used up. o This means that to actually have consistently very-high-quality printouts, you end up replacing expensive ribbons quite frequently; ribbon costs may amount to several cents/page. o 24-pin printheads seem to be fairly prone to slight wear, causing slight pin misalignments that might not even be noticeable with a 9-pin printer but are annoying when you want near-laser quality. The DeskJet, on the other hand, has consistently high quality (very hard to distinguish from a Laserjet II) almost to the end of the life of each ink cartridge, and when you replace the ink cartridge, you replace the printhead, so there usually are no problems with deterioration over time. The ink cartridges can be refilled a few times each with some success, using ink available from aftermarket sources. I've worked out my costs, and even without reinking, the DJ is cheaper to operate than a NEC 2200 24-pin printer and gives more consistent and higher print quality. In case you haven't guessed, I'd suggest getting the Deskjet. Ross -- Ross A. Alford Department of Zoology Internet: zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au James Cook University Phone: +61 77 81 4732 Townsville, Qld 4811 Australia
bill@unixland.uucp (Bill Heiser) (04/15/91)
In article <1991Apr12.075506.22771@marlin.jcu.edu.au> zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Ross Alford) writes: > >The DeskJet, on the other hand, has consistently high quality (very hard >to distinguish from a Laserjet II) almost to the end of the life of each Do you have any problem with the ink smudging on DeskJet output? -- bill@unixland.uucp The Think_Tank BBS & Public Access Unix ...!uunet!think!unixland!bill ...!{uunet,bloom-beacon,esegue}!world!unixland!bill 508-655-3848 (2400) 508-651-8723 (9600-HST) 508-651-8733 (9600-PEP-V32)
zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Ross Alford) (04/15/91)
In <1991Apr14.171307.11928@unixland.uucp> bill@unixland.uucp (Bill Heiser) writes: >In article <1991Apr12.075506.22771@marlin.jcu.edu.au> zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Ross Alford) writes: >> >>The DeskJet, on the other hand, has consistently high quality (very hard >>to distinguish from a Laserjet II) almost to the end of the life of each >Do you have any problem with the ink smudging on DeskJet output? Not any more. HP ink cartridges now come with ink that is ~waterproof after it dries (actually, rubbing hard when water is standing on the paper will still produce a smudge, but casual hand contact or people who spit when they talk won't). As far as I know, all suppliers of refill ink are still shipping stuff that smudges more easily. Ross -- Ross A. Alford Department of Zoology Internet: zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au James Cook University Phone: +61 77 81 4732 Townsville, Qld 4811 Australia
lsh@polari.UUCP (Lee Hauser) (04/16/91)
In article <1991Apr14.171307.11928@unixland.uucp> bill@unixland.uucp (Bill Heiser) writes: > >Do you have any problem with the ink smudging on DeskJet output? Not any more. The newest ink from HP is virtually smear-proof. After a second or two to dry, applying a wet finger to the print produces a slight discoloration, nothing like the mondo smears we used to see. -- ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= uw-beaver!sumax!seattle!lsh -- lsh@seattle Lee Hauser If I pay for access, I don't have to disclaim ANYTHING!