From: guiyu@spectra.eng.hawaii.edu (Kui Yu Chang)
Subject: Re: Request for info from DeskWriter owners
Keywords: Quadra, problems, hardware, software
Organization: University of Hawaii, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 08:25:21 GMT

In article <1992Oct30.160843.7819@gvl.unisys.com> dave@prc.unisys.com (David Lee Matuszek) writes:
>In two or three weeks I expect to buy some kind of HP DeskWriter,
>with estimated probabilities:
>
>	20% DeskWriter
>	50% DeskWriter C
>	30% DeskWriter 550 C
>
>Questions:
>
>1)  Why do these come with fonts?  I thought they worked more like an
>    ImageWriter than a laser printer; that is, dot matrix rather
>    than PostScript.

********* ANSWER *********
The OUTLINE fonts provided are for NICER looking printouts on this 300 dpi
printer. The DeskWriter is a QUICKDRAW printer allright, no POSTSCRIPT, but
it can still print great TEXT documents and non-POSTSCRIPT graphics, e.g. 
drawings in your MACDRAW, EXCEL, POWERPOINT,etc. and in COLOR also!
*************************

>2)  With an ImageWriter II, I need to buy a special printer driver to
>    print in color, because the Apple-supplied printer driver can only
>    print B&W from most applications.  Does the HP printer driver
>    support color printing from any color application (like
>    MacPallette II does)?  Or am I going to have to fiddle around with
>    GIF Converter or its ilk?

********* ANSWER *********
The DeskWriter 550/500 C printer DRIVER supports FULL COLOR printout of every
software that supports color. At least, I got BEAUTIFUL printouts from EXCEL,
WORD, QUARKXPRESS, PAGEMAKER, POWERPOINT, CANVAS, ULTRAPAINT, etc.
***************************

>3)  If I can't do color *easily*, a StyleWriter is still a possibility.
>    When first introduced, these were much slower than an HP
>    DeskWriter, but I understand that a new printer driver has made
>    them somewhat faster.  How much faster?  With the new driver, how
>    does it compare to the DeskWriter?

********* ANSWER *********
(1) You CAN do color EASILY but be aware that a full color page could take 10
    mins (using the 57.8 Kbps SERIAL connection; it might be faster if you use
    the APPLETALK connection - 230.4 Kbps)
(2) The souped-up Stylewriter is still AT LEAST 50% slower than the Deskwriter.
    If I remember correctly from a MacWorld report months ago.
(3) The Deskwriter has a 20,000 Hrs MTBF(Mean Time Between Failure rate) BUT
    the Stylewriter has BUT 6000 Hrs MTBF (please correct me if I am wrong, it
    might be 3000 Hrs, can't remember). ===> Your Stylewriter is more likely to
    DIE earlier than the DeskWriter. You can't blame Apple because the OEM (
    Original Equipment Manufacturer) of the Stylewriter is CANON, and it was 
    modified from the CANON portable BJ-10 bubblejet printer(with sheet-feeder
    integrated into the Apple Stylewriter). Portable HARDWARE usually HAVE
    lower MTBF.
(4) By the way, the original BJ-10 was graded at 83cps(EXTREMELY slow even when
    compared to dot-matrix which has 200 cps or more). The DeskWriter can print
    3 page per minute (TEXT and BLACK) in DRAFT and 1 ppm in HIGH-QUALITY mode.
(5) The DeskWriter 550C prints **BEAUTIFUL** transparencies on the special HP
    Transparencies (approx $1 per sheet). I just gaved a class presentation with
    printouts from my Deskwriter 550C, you will want to see the faces of the 
    class, they were completely taken in awe by the beautiful transparencies.
    I tried printing on normal transparencies and it did NOT work, ie. you get
    horrible smudges.
(6) DeskWriter has a nice output "bay" to hold your printouts(up to 100 sheets)
    AND a 100-sheet paper feeder to hold your paper. Stylewriter has NO output
    tray/bay, so if you left your Stylewriter unattended, your printouts might
    be blown away by the wind when you return. The Stylewriter has a 20(or 50)
    sheet paper feeder, though. 
(7) The stylewriter has a 360 dpi output which is BETTER than the Deskwriter
    series of Ink-jets. But this may be a problem if you use the OLD method of
    printing high resolution FONTS on the laser printer. i.e. if I print a 12
    point EXOTIC font, I would put a 48 point EXOTIC font in my System so that
    the printer can use the 48 pt FONT(4 times the 12 pt, which is also the no.
    of times the printer 288 dpi is greater than the screen 72 dpi). THIS 
    PROBLEM WILL EXIST IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THE "PRECISION BIT-MAPPED" OPTION.
    In the case of the Stylewriter, if you choosed this option, you would need
    to have a 60 pt EXOTIC FONT in your System, and 60 pt size is not that 
    popular, 48 was the de facto standard. For my case I will have a problem if
    I use my CHINESE Appletalk OS on the Stylewriter, because I only have the 48
    and 64 pt of the CHINESE fonts!
(8) Cost of Deskwriter BLACK INK Cartridge:
	TYPE		COST(approx)		WILL LAST(TEXT OUTPUT)
       normal BLACK	$18		   	500  pages
High Capacity BLACK	$30			1000 pages
	CMY   COLOR	$34			300  pages colour GRAPHICS
						each page with 15% coverage.
************************** 

>Those are the major questions.  Minor questions are:
>
>4)  Any recommendations for where I should buy from?

******** ANSWER *********
I got my DeskWriter 550C from a local computer shop for $789, includes both 
color and black ink cartridges. Perhaps you can get one from a authorized HP
dealer(mine was one) or a Mail-order house. Sorry, don't know much about this.
*************************

>5)  What sort of paper is best?

******* ANSWER *********
This you must ask the people staying in your AREA, I could not find  
the brands and types of the paper that the nets guys told me. In the end I asked
the Univ.Bookstore rep and he gave me pretty good recommendation. JUST in case
you have access to this brand, I use the LEE COPY BOND, $5.60 for 500 sheets.
In General, SOME of the photocopy papers work fine, you just have to find the 
right one. I posted a simple pre-test to test the paper without actually 
printing it out a while ago, see if its useful.
************************

>If you have any opinions on this, I'd love to hear them.  I've
>generally gotten some pretty good advice from the net (when I can get
>any responses at all).

********************* CONCLUSION *******************
(1)	if you want color, NEVER buy the DeskWriter C, composite BLACK looks
	HORRIBLE. Get the DeskWriter 550 C instead, it can print TRUE Black AND
	color on the SAME page.
(2)	I got the DeskWriter 550C over the Stylewriter(DeskWriter C) because
	(a) Color capability (and TRUE BLACK)
	(b) longer lifespan
	(c) better paper handling
	(d) 35 standard laserwriter outline fonts included
	(e) FASTER
	(f) better paper feeding path(i.e. I can put it in a shelf, but not the
	    Stylewriter because it takes in paper vertically.
	(g) 3 yr HP warranty
*****************************************************

>Thanks.

********** ANSWER **********
Don't mention it.
****************************i

>  --dave


							Sincerely yours,
							Julian CHANG
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