Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!wtm From: mattioli@took.dec.com (John R. Mattioli) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Re: new Braille printer introduced Message-ID: <12952@bunker.UUCP> Date: 20 Jul 90 04:48:06 GMT Sender: news@bunker.UUCP Reply-To: mattioli@took.dec.com (John R. Mattioli) Distribution: misc Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 73 Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference Index Number: 9342 In article <12786@bunker.UUCP>, David.Andrews@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Andrews) writes... >Index Number: 9183 > > MA> Actually, the new Braille printer I wrote about is not the > MA> Pixlemaster, though I'd like to see that one. It sounds pretty > MA> neat. This one is not from enabling technologies it is, as my > MA> message said, from Howtek and it is an in-jet printer, not a > MA> laser printer. It would be interesting to compare graphics > MA> from both printers. Maybe someone will get to see one or both > MA> of them at one of the conventions. > Marda, I suspect there's lots of confusion over exactly what this printer is because of the way it works. Perhaps Howtek has made two printers, although I doubt it. A "normal" laser printer uses "toner" to place characters or graphics on the page. Toner is a sort of powdered ink that is melted down and stuck on the page in the form of the pictures and characters. The pixelmaster uses a much different material in place of the toner. It is like crayon. It is melted down like the toner, but several layers of it are placed on the page. This layering gives it thickness so you can actually feel what's been printed. The additional modification is a new font. The new font is a braille font. This font redefines the look of all the characters so that they come out like braille instead of print. Howtek makes the printer and ETC is selling it. Now for a little bit of bad news: 1. If you're looking for good quality braille, this is not the printer for you. You want an embosser. The dots on the pixelmaster are not high enough and seem to wear quickly. Buy this printer for it's graphics ability. It's graphics are fantastic and can be far more complex then your average finger can resolve. 2. The control panel is a flat panel with lights. The "buttons" are not raised so you have to know where they are. I don't believe the printer beeps when you hit a button, so you really need to know what you're doing. The sales guy at ETC told me to buy a light probe (add that to the cost of the $6000 printer). 3. As I said, you should buy this printer for its graphics. It has been marketed (by Howtek) as being able to deal with postscript (a standard typesetting and graphics language for graphical output devices). The problem is that ETC has no idea how this works. I asked several questions of ETC around the postscript issue and they were unable to answer any of them. So, as I said, buy it for it's graphics, but only if you can find someone who knows something about how they work. Enough ETC bashing for one message. It really is a nice printer (although a tad expensive but what's new in this field). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Mattioli Most improved skier (american blind skiers association 1989) and humble to! (DEC E-NET) TOOK::MATTIOLI (UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!TOOK.dec.com!MATTIOLI (ARPA) MATTIOLI@TOOK.dec.com MATTIOLI%TOOK.dec.com@decwrl.dec.com (US MAIL) John Mattioli 550 King St. LKG2-2/BB9 Littleton, Ma. 01460