Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!decwrl!shelby!meldal@bach.Stanford.EDU
From: meldal@bach.Stanford.EDU (Sigurd Meldal)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: HP DeskWriter question
Message-ID: <145@bach.stanford.edu>
Date: 13 Aug 90 00:48:36 GMT
References: <8120@ucrmath.ucr.edu>
Sender: meldal@bach.STANFORD.EDU (Sigurd Meldal)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 78

I have just researched the DeskWriter a bit, and can answer some of
the questions posted:

In article <8120@ucrmath.ucr.edu> bball@hubbell.ucr.edu (alvaro monge) writes:
>
>		1 -- Is it an Inkjet printer, or what?

It is.

>		2 -- Does it come with its own driver?
>			a. if yes, how good is it (i.e. compatibility)

It comes with its own driver.

>		3 -- How good is this printer, since this is one printer I can 
>			actually afford that seems comparable to a
>			laser printer (is it??)

I have not purchased one yet (I will though, see below), but a few
hours of testing one leads me to the conclusion that it is worth its
price to me. To get an acceptable version, I will add Adobe Type
manager, the Adobe Plus Pack of fonts and the SuperLaserSpool software
to my configuration. The ATM stuff in order to get reasonable font
compatibility with postscript output, the spooler in order to (you
guessed it) spool. The Apple supplied backgrounder does not work with
the DeskWriter. In that configuration it is a memory hog, which can be
alleviated with either lots of real memory (more than two MBytes seem
necessary) or by using Virtual (the latter will slow things down a
bit, I guess).

The output is quite good looking, at least for text and PICT graphics.
Postscript is a no-no, of course (unless you buy a RIP like Freedom of
the Press).  The ink is watersoluble, and may cause the paper to warp
a bit wherever you have areas of solid black (because of the water).

The output in "faster" mode (150 dpi) is also quite acceptable.

It is not fast, but fast enough - 1 ppm claimed in "best" mode, 2
ppm in "faster" mode.

The duty cycle of the printer is a claimed 60 000 pages, with 25 pages
per day max on the average and an absolute maximum of 50 pages in any
one day.

It has a separate external power supply, and the move to a different
power situation (e.g. I shall move to Europe soon) entails only the
purchase of another little power box (Fry's claims to price them at
ca. $60).

>		5 -- What is the "BEST" price that I can get it for?

Things are in transition. HP has just announced a $200 price cut, and
I think this is for a new model which does not have the AppleTalk
interface - i.e. the cheaper model runs off the modem or printer port
and is usable for a single machine only. All mail order companies that
I have ckecked are still selling the previous model, at the old price
(the best being $829, I seem to recall). The only place I know of
which carries the new model right now is ComputerWare in Palo Alto, CA
(I can dig up their phone number if you need it - drop me a note
tomorrow). They're selling it for $695 + shipping (plus tax if you
live in California). I shall probably wait till the mail order
companies get on-line (because of the tax).

The warranty was a number of years, but I forget...


Best regards,

Sigurd-- 
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