Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!usc!csun!srhqla!nrcvax!neg
From: neg@NRC.COM (Neal Goldsmith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: HP Deskwriter and System 7 incompatablities?
Keywords: Deskwriter PLP system7
Message-ID: <328@nrcvax.NRC.COM>
Date: 7 Sep 89 03:56:33 GMT
References: <8768@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Reply-To: neg@nrcvax.UUCP (Neal Goldsmith)
Organization: Network Research Corp., Oxnard CA
Lines: 39

In article <8768@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> horan@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Frederick Horan) writes:
>
>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 took delivery of my Deskwriter today and enclosed with the manual was a
thick paper card from which you could remove a 3.5" floppy sized corner.

The corner said "Store with System Software" and went on the explain the
when upgrading your system software you should contact your dealer to determine
if a new version of the HP software is required. If so, then you are supposed
to take the original disk to you dealer to copy the new version onto it (sound
familiar?).

I can only assume that HP is very committed to supporting the printer into
the future.

You do bring up an interesting question about font support. It appears that
the fonts are stored on the Macintosh, and not in a cartridge on the Deskwriter
as with the Deskjet. HP is actually asking $398 for the extra font library.
Based on current font library prices from third partys for postscript printers
this seems pretty out of line. I have called a couple of font makers and they
are still trying to determine if it will be worth it to produce Deskwriter 
fonts. One suggested buying their oversized bitmap fonts. (the Deskwriter does
4x reduction in the same way the LQ does 2x) providing reasonable but not
great quality.

I would think that it will be in HPs best interest to support system 7 outline
fonts, however it does not say anywhere in the documentation that they
will and I imagine they will lose money on font sales. If indeed they are 
actually selling many at that price.

							--- Neal