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From: prm@pur-ee.UUCP (Phil Moyer)
Newsgroups: comp.laser-printers
Subject: Re: best laser printer for unix system
Message-ID: <9105142025.AA09124@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU>
Date: 14 May 91 11:50:18 GMT
References: <9105132000.AA02310@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU>
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Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
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Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu


I'm in charge of the print systems here at ECN.  We have nearly (it may
be over by now; I don't know what the hardware staff has been up to :-)
500 machines, and a few more than 100 Apple LaserWriters.  We use a heavily
modified Berkeley lpr, and are switching to PLP.

We have no complaints with the Apple LaserWriter series II, except that
it is possible to generate PostScript it can't handle (using SunDraw from
Island Graphics).  A more expensive engine is the Imagen laserprinters with
their UltraScript hardware extension.  We have had no problems at all with
them.  These are the only two printers we have that can handle PostScript.

We also have Data Products and DataPrinter band printers, and some Printronix
dot matrix printers (P300 and P6040 series).  The Printronixes have been
a maintenance nightmare for us, and our band printers are very old.  They
take standard ascii, but can't do graphics.  The Printonixes do graphics,
sort of, but like I said, they're a pain to maintain.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to provide information.

Cheers,
Phil