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From: mce@tc.fluke.COM (Brian McElhinney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Cheap laser printers
Message-ID: <1991Jun18.012304.20277@tc.fluke.COM>
Date: 18 Jun 91 01:23:04 GMT
Organization: Software of the Mist
Lines: 37

It's been over a year since I last looked at the Mac printer market.  When
I recently decided to buy a laser printer, I was surprised to discover that
the cheapest QuickDraw/TrueType laser printers are really not very cheap:
over $900 dollars (mail order).  Not cheap at all, actually.

Yet I was pleasantly surprised to see how cheap Postscript printers are
now!  The TI microLaser PS17 sells for $1265 (mail order).  That's not many
more bucks for what seems to be a lot more bang.  Two years ago the
cheapest Postscript printer was over $3000.  That makes $1300 seem cheap.

Has anyone had any experience with the TI PS17?  It is said to be "Adobe
Postscript" so I assume (!) it can:

	* Download Adobe fonts
	* Download non-Adobe fonts
	* Work with Systems 6 and 7
	* In general, has no nasty compatibility problems

All without any further upgrades.  In particular, I'm wondering if the
standard 1.5 Mb is enough.  (I don't do terribly sophisticated work, mostly
using Word and Excel.)  The PS35 is identical, with the exception of more
built-in fonts -- I'd rather not pay the extra $300 if downloadable fonts
are cheaper.

I was fascinated to find that one of the cheapest printers in the PC market
(HP's LaserJet IIP for $575 from a *dealer*) cannot be used with the Mac.
Well, it can, but only after you upgrade it to a total cost of $1500!
Perhaps after System 7 and TrueType have been around a few years Mac users
can have $600 laser printers as well.

Any recommendations on these or other cheap laser printers would also be
appreciated.  Thanks.
 
 
Brian McElhinney	   "Reading, editing or printing of this text without
mce@tc.fluke.com	    the express written consent of Major League
			    Baseball is prohibited."	--Ken Kubey