mig@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Meir) (05/15/91)
What printers give the best quality output at the most reasonable price? Should I get an ink jet or a laser? It seems that drivers may not be available for the newer printers to go with older software. And, if I go with a laser, will I have to make expensive upgrades? This is for a home, and shouldn't be tremendous or noisier than a dot matrix. What is a good, cheap laser printer, anyway, which I should be able to get drivers for for some time? * * * * * * * ======================= Meir Green * * * * * * * * ======================= mig@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu * * * * * * * ======================= N2JPG
ksteele@epas.toronto.edu (Ken Steele) (05/20/91)
In response to Meir Green's question: There is no question that Laser printers offer superior print resolution, on less expensive paper stock. The printers themselves, however, are generally twice the price of the new HP DeskJet 500 (taking student discounts into account) and replacement cartridges are considerably more than the $19 for a DeskJet cartridge. So I believe that there is also no question that "the best printer FOR THE MONEY" is an inkjet. The DeskJet 500 is about a third the size of a laser, draws CONSIDERABLY less electricity, and offers much more trouble-free operation. And just the other day, I was reading an article on magnetic fields and possible connections to cancer. Now, granted, this whole subject is a little controversial, and I'm no expert, but the figures are quite astounding for laser printers and electric shavers, not to mention colour monitors. The conclusion: laser printers are not appropriate to the home environment. (I know, I know, many will disagree). I've found the DeskJet produces some remarkable output, with the right software, and I have only wished for a laser when preparing camera-ready copy for offset printing. (The DeskJet/PageMaker output looks just great in photocopies, but in offset printing the resolution seems to be a problem). Of course, if I owned a Laser printer, I'd want a full-fledged linotronic typesetter when it came to offset printing, anyway... As I've said before, the DeskJet 500's output, with Lazer paper and using Windows 3.0 and Adobe Type Manager, is truly astounding. You'd have to see it to believe it wasn't laser... Ken Steele University of Toronto [This space intentionally left blank.]
dahosek@biivax.dp.beckman.com (05/24/91)
In article <1991May20.131241.13043@epas.toronto.edu>, ksteele@epas.toronto.edu (Ken Steele) writes: > I've found the DeskJet produces some remarkable output, with the right > software, and I have only wished for a laser when preparing > camera-ready copy for offset printing. (The DeskJet/PageMaker output > looks just great in photocopies, but in offset printing the resolution > seems to be a problem). Of course, if I owned a Laser printer, I'd want > a full-fledged linotronic typesetter when it came to offset printing, anyway... Actually, 300dpi output in general looks very bad when offset print. I don't work with that end of the printing business directly, so I only have the vaguest notion of the reasons for this (problems with the dot coding in the offset process, I believe). Anyone thinking about offset printing something should seriously consider paying the few hundred dollars it would cost to typeset their book instead of just laser printing it. -dh -- Don Hosek // Quixote Digital Typography 714-625-0147 dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu On contract to Beckman Instruments 714-961-4562 dahosek@beckman.com
mheyda@heyda.austin.ibm.com (Michael Heyda) (05/24/91)
> > There is no question that Laser printers offer superior print > resolution, on less expensive paper stock. The printers themselves, > however, are generally twice the price of the new HP DeskJet 500 > (taking student discounts into account) and replacement cartridges are > considerably more than the $19 for a DeskJet cartridge. > It is true that the cartridge cost considerably less. However, a study was done and it was found that it cost about 4 cents/page to print on an inkjet printer and only about 2-3 cents/page to print on a laser printer. This was of course before the $5 refils for inkjets were offered (hey... now I can get several different color ink cartridges and do some color separations....) Mike Heyda
gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) (05/25/91)
Now most electronics houses in New York are offering the HP deskwriter for $499. I bought mine this week from 47Th Street Photo ($524 including shipping). It is WONDERFUL. It is much faster than any macintosh printer I have ever used (well, I have a Mac II). The quality is very good, especially on Xerocopy 4024 paper. The print driver acts like a laserprinter! 25-400% magnification is available, just like the laserwriter driver! They even substitute some 300dpi patterns for a few of the 72dpi grey patterns stored in the system file (but not for the pie, or the diagonal line patterns, unfortunately). Not even the laserwriter driver does this! My only regret is that color quickdraw doesn't produce grey patterns when in b/w mode for mathematica 3-D plots. I'm thinking about trying to write a patch to quickdraw to do this: polygon fills really should try to produce greys on the mac screen. If quickdraw would only do this, users could have all the features of the system 6.1 printing tools with only a deskwriter. Thanks, apple for the stylewriter. It caused HP to reduce the price of its deskwriter, and will make thousands of new HP customers very happy. Don Gillies | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign gillies@cs.uiuc.edu | Digital Computer Lab, 1304 W. Springfield, Urbana IL --
sammy@cbnewsd.att.com (Sammy) (05/25/91)
In article <7940@awdprime.UUCP> mheyda@heyda.austin.ibm.com (Michael Heyda) writes: >> >> (taking student discounts into account) and replacement cartridges are >> considerably more than the $19 for a DeskJet cartridge. >> >It is true that the cartridge cost considerably less. However, a study >was done and it was found that it cost about 4 cents/page to print on an >inkjet printer and only about 2-3 cents/page to print on a laser printer. >This was of course before the $5 refils for inkjets were offered (hey... now >I can get several different color ink cartridges and do some color >separations....) > Mike Heyda $5 refills for inkjets? Where? Is this offered by HP, or some other company? Have you used them? How do they work? Will they work in my DeskJet? Inquiring minds ... etc. -- Sammy=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The enemy of women...is not men, just as the enemy of blacks is not whites. The enemy is "the tyranny of the dull mind." Carol S. Pearson, _The Hero Within_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
dbullis@cognos.UUCP (Dave Bullis) (05/27/91)
Does anyone have numbers on per-page operating costs for various printers.
In particular cartridge/toner lifetimes and costs?
Any there other things in a laser printer that need replacing from time to
time?
For example (gross estimates: better numbers welcome):
DeskJet HP IIP IBM 4019e
cartridge
cost $18 $80 $180
lifetime(pages) 250 3,500 15,000
(assuming ordinary paper will do:)
paper $.01 $.01 $.01
per-page $.082 $.033 $.022
Any number for the Cannon Bubblejets?
--
Dave Bullis Cognos, Inc VOICE: (613) 738-1440 FAX: (613) 738-0002
3755 Riverside Dr. P.O. Box 9707 WORK: uunet!mitel!cunews!cognos!dbullis
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA K1G 3Z4 HOME: dave@sillub.ocunix.on.ca
"I didn't know the terminals were haunted. The salesman didn't tell us."lsh@polari.UUCP (Lee Hauser) (05/28/91)
In article <9679@cognos.UUCP> dbullis@cognos.UUCP (Dave Bullis) writes: > >Does anyone have numbers on per-page operating costs for various printers. >In particular cartridge/toner lifetimes and costs? > > DeskJet HP IIP IBM 4019e > >cartridge >cost $18 $80 $180 >lifetime(pages) 250 3,500 15,000 Hmm, my DeskJet experience is somewhat different than your estimates. My DeskJet+ gives me well over 500 sheets (closer to 1000) when 75% or more of my pages are printed in draft mode (it is SILLY to print drafts in non-draft mode; it uses less ink and is twice as fast). The cost per cartridge is about right. I think your IBM estimates are right, or at least go along with IBM's own estimates. I'm not sure about the IIP yet, but I'll be getting a lot more experience over the next few months... -- ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= ------- ======= uw-beaver!sumax!polari!lsh -- lsh@polari Lee Hauser If I pay for access, I don't have to disclaim ANYTHING!