Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!batcomputer!horan
From: horan@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Frederick Horan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: HP Deskwriter and System 7 incompatablities?
Keywords: Deskwriter PLP system7
Message-ID: <8768@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: 3 Sep 89 22:11:08 GMT
Reply-To: horan@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (Frederick Horan)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 22

Several people in the department I work for are interested in the HP Deskwriter
(also the GCC Personal Laser Printer).  The printer produces great text and
graphics at slow but acceptable speeds.  Also, the printer is cheap ($730 with
discount) and the operating cost is roughly equivalent to that of a
laserprinter (less then a $.05/page).

I am concerned that this and other Quickdraw based printers may be (at least
initially) incompatable with the Outline fonts used with System-7.

The HP Deskwriter comes with screen and printer (AGFA Compugraphic) fonts. 
These screen and printer fonts are similar to each other (WYSI almost WYG). 
What happens when the underlying software used to produced the screen fonts is
changed to support outline fonts instead?  Will the old (bitmapped) screen
fonts continue to be supported?  Will we require drivers for bitmapped printers
that are different from what we now get from HP (or GCC or other companies)?

I may be worrying needlessly but I do not want to throw thousands of dollars
away on 'good' printers only to be stuck in the ugly amorphous muck of
incompatablity down the road.  WSYI Fuzzy.

	Thanks in advance
	Fred (horan@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu)