Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!captkidd
From: captkidd@athena.mit.edu (Ivan Cavero Belaunde)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: New Personal LaserWriters announced
Message-ID: <1990Jul17.233702.12801@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 17 Jul 90 23:37:02 GMT
References: <90191.015015MAC111@psuvm.psu.edu> <1990Jul11.131926.5416@cbnewsh.att.com> <11227@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 47

In article <11227@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt4586c@prism.gatech.EDU (WILLETT,THOMAS CARTER) writes:
>In article <1990Jul11.131926.5416@cbnewsh.att.com>, brion@cbnewsh.att.com (brion.n.feinberg) writes:
>> Well ... in my opinion (and its only mine - my employer could probably
>> care less) if you want a non-Postscript, cheap laser printer set up, go
>> for the following:
>> 1.  An HP Laserjet IIP (available  now for < $900 after rebate)
>> 2.  The MacPrint printer driver (< $100)
>> 3.  Adobe Type Manager (< $60)
>One more item needs to be added to the list to get the most out of the
>HP LaserJet IIP:
>  4.  An additional megabyte of memory for the printer.
>In order to print high quality text and graphics (300dpi), the IIP requires
>an extra megabyte over the 500k with with it comes stock.  This extra memory
>will cost about $500 if purchased from Hewlett-Packard and about $250 if
>purchased from Pacific Data Products.  That makes the total cost of a
>completely usable IIP about $1300.  If you have to share the printer with
>IBMs, it is a very good option.  If you have only macs hooked up to the
>printer, then GCC makes some good postscript laser printers for about the
>same $1300 which will be much faster than the IIP.  

[Disclaimer: I *do* work for GCC Technologies, so feel free to take the
following with a grain of salt]

Actually, the GCC printer that goes for $1399 is the Personal Laser
Printer II, which, is *not* a Postscript printer. The PLP II is a 
4 ppm SCSI-connected QuickDraw based laser printer. The printing throughput,
is, however, a *lot* higher than the 10 min/page mentioned earlier in this
thread for the Laserjet IIP.  It also includes a driver with Bitstream
outline fonts (similar to the DeskWriter driver, but with more fonts), so
neither ATM nor 4x fonts are required for high quality output.

I believe, however, that the GCC printer that is really competitive with the
LW SC is the PLP IIS, which is like the PLP II but uses the 8 ppm engine
and has 1 meg of RAM on board (making it faster). It also comes with more
fonts than the PLP, and it lists for $1899, ($100 less than the SC).

IMHO, Apple's printers are too little, too late. The one new printer I
like is QMS's new low-end PostScript; of course, we all know the Personal LWs
will sell well anyway (I can see dealers bundling them with systems), just
like the overpriced and underfeatured ImageWriter line sold like hotcakes.

-Ivan Cavero Belaunde
Design Engineer
GCC Technologies, Waltham, MA
captkidd@ATHENA.MIT.EDU

Disclaimer: The above are my opinions and mine alone.