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From: samalone@athena.mit.edu (Stuart A. Malone)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: StyleWriter questions
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.201113.4368@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 27 Mar 91 20:11:13 GMT
References: <1404@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 56

In article <1404@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> Martin Davies writes:

>Speed:  Speeds for the SW and PLW-LS are 1/2 and 4 ppm,
>respectively.  What is the speed of the DW?

The DeskWriter prints 1 ppm in "Best" mode and 2 ppm in "Faster" mode.

>Ink:  The SW is said to use non-waterproof ink.  What
>about the DW?

Same for the DeskWriter.  Pages smudge if they get wet, but they are still
readable.

>Power supply:  The SW uses an external power supply, which could
>be replaced for use in the UK or Australia.  I gather that the
>PLW-LS uses an internal power supply that could be replaced by a
>dealer.  What kind of power supply does the DW use?

The DeskWriter uses an external power supply that sits on the floor, with one
end plugging into an outlet and the other into the DeskWriter.  HP sells
foreign power supplies, but you'd have to ask for prices.

>Fonts:  All printers come with four fonts, and the Apple printers
>use the '4 x fonts' system.  Does the DW use this system too?
>How does one get around the problem that the fonts supplied do
>not include my font of choice - Palatino - and of course do not
>include customized fonts?  Where does one obtain giant-sized
>versions of other fonts such as Palatino, and what is the likely
>cost.  And is there any way to scale up customized fonts?

There are currently three ways to get best-quality text out of QuickDraw
printers like the SW and PLW-LS: install the appropriate 4x or 5x bitmapped
fonts, use Adobe Type Manager and the appropriate PostScript fonts, or use the
Apple TrueType INIT and the appropriate TrueType fonts.  With the DeskWriter
you have a fourth option: use the font software and fonts provided by HP
specifically for the DeskWriter.

TrueType has the advantage that it's free, and by some accounts, fast.  ATM has
the advantage that a large number of fonts are available, including Palatino.
I've read that BitStream is selling TrueType fonts, but I don't know if
Palatino is one of them.

>ATM 2.0:  What, if anything, is the relevance of the Adobe Type
>Manager here?  Does it enhance the performance of any of these
>printers?  Could it help get around the problem of scaling up
>fonts?

ATM will not make your printer faster, but it will allow you to use PostScript
fonts on a QuickDraw printer.  If your favorite font is available in PostScript
format but not in TrueType format, then buying ATM and the PostScript font will
allow you to print the font in best-quality on any QuickDraw printer.

I hope this helps.

				--Stuart A. Malone
				samalone@athena.mit.edu