Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!usc!ucsd!sdd.hp.com!hp-pcd!hpvcfs1!neff
From: neff@hpvcfs1.HP.COM (Dave Neff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Low cost printing?
Message-ID: <19640020@hpvcfs1.HP.COM>
Date: 3 Jul 90 19:04:50 GMT
References: <1990Jul2.165323.16031@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Vancouver, WA
Lines: 32

If you want to print 50,000 pages per year the DeskWriter is not for
you.  The printer has a lifetime rating of 60,000 pages and at about
1 to 2 minutes per page for the DeskWriter you would be doing a  lot of
waiting for printouts.

As for cost per page, with current pricing, DeskWriter in LQ mode
is about 1 cent per page more than a laser printer, but a DeskWriter
in Draft mode is about 1 cent per page less than a laser printer.
So you can see if you do half your documents in draft and half in
LQ the cost per page of DeskWriter and most laser printers are similar.
If you refill toner cartridges or ink cartridges (not recommended by
HP) the pricing is totally different.  An HP LaserJet IIP toner
cartridge is about $100 and good for 3500 page, giving a cost per
page of $.028 and a DeskWriter cartridge is about $19 for 500 pages (LQ)
and 1000 pages (draft) giving cost per pages of $.038 in LQ and $.019
in draft.

Of course different laser printers have different toner cartridges.
When I did the math for the above comparison, I used the retail prices
of HP consumables.  Other laser printers have different prices of toner
cartridges.

Given the volumes you are describing, I would think a laser printer is
the only way to go.  All the quickdraw laser printers I have seen
are in the same 1 to 2 minute per page range as the DeskWriter (speed limit
is imaging the page and transmitting the data not the actual printer
mechanism in most cases).  I would suggest you get a PostScript laser
printer due to your volume.  Of course, I just design printers, I
don't buy them :-).  I do use them occasionally ...

Dave Neff
neff@hpvcfs1.HP.COM