Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!mtuxo!mtfmi!mec
From: mec@mtfmi.att.com (M.CONNICK)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: DeskJet, PaintJet and DeskWriter
Keywords: Printer HP DeskWriter
Message-ID: <1302@mtfmi.att.com>
Date: 7 Aug 89 13:36:52 GMT
References: <9291@pwcs.UUCP> <434@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: mec@mtfmi.UUCP (79153-M.CONNICK)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Middletown NJ
Lines: 40

In article <434@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Michael J Kobb) writes:
>In article <9291@pwcs.UUCP> brucer@pwcs. (Bruce Alan Riebe) writes:
>>What Success/horror stories can you share regarding the: DeskJet,
>>PaintJet and DeskWriter?  What about grappler and MacPrint
>>interface?  Which of the above is better?
>
>If you're using this thing for a Mac, I'd say go with the DeskWriter for sure.
>I don't own one, but I tried one out at a dealer yesterday with some really
>nasty specially-prepared files.  It worked great, and it was even faster than
>a LaserWriter Plus on one of the documents (a Word 4.0 doc w/lots of different
>text sizes and styles)!  The DeskWriter is specially designed for the Mac and
>comes with a driver and Mac fonts.  The other printers are originally for the
>IBM world, and can be used with a Mac with a special interface.  They use the
>same engine, though.  The hook:  The DeskWriter is supposedly faster than the
>DeskJet+ with an interface, and it should cost the same or less!  (Including
>the cost of the interface...)

The DeskWriter has a list price of $200 over the DeskJet +, so I
seriously doubt that you're going to get one for the same or less. You
can run a DeskJet or DeskJet + quite satisfactorily with the
completely free HPDJ driver, or spend only $79 for the really excellent
MacPrint driver.

We went the "real cheap" route and bought a lowly DeskJet. They can now
be had for $500 or even less. With the MacPrint driver they offer
everything we'd use in the MUCH more expensive DeskWriter except for
speed. Our printing demands are simply not high enough to justify the
much greater expense. Since MacPrint supports both the built-in and
cartridge fonts of the DeskJet (neither of which are available on the
DeskWriter), we can actually get the same speed out of our DeskJet as
a DeskWriter by using them.

So if money is a concern, I'd recommend seriously shopping around for
a DeskJet or perhaps even a DeskJet +. I'm sure the DeskWriter is a
fine printer, I'm just not sure if it's worth spending that much more
money for it.

-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Connick    att!mtfmi!mec        201-957-3057
AT&T Bell Labs     MT 3F-113	        (Dept. 79153)