Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site hao.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!hao!acad From: acad@hao.UUCP (Dan Packman Acad Bob Chatfield) Newsgroups: net.periphs,net.micro Subject: Re: Want advice on small printers Message-ID: <1347@hao.UUCP> Date: Tue, 22-Jan-85 00:36:34 EST Article-I.D.: hao.1347 Posted: Tue Jan 22 00:36:34 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 01:35:58 EST References: <450@digi-g.UUCP> <1650@fritz.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO Lines: 29 Xref: dcdwest net.periphs:351 net.micro:4547 > For under $600 you will have a tough time getting a dot > matrix printer to come very close to letter quality. > > ... I do not consider a dot matrix > to be acceptable letter quality unless I cannot tell the > difference between its characters and those of a daisy > wheel printer. The only printers which came even close to > meeting this specification cost more than $1000. > I'm pretty happy with the Toshiba 1340, which retails for around $750, and in one add for under $700. In some ways, it appears superior to daisy wheels -- the letters appear more uniform, more like a good typewriter. Daisy wheels seem to degenerate to produce rather uneven impressions with their letters, and eventually wear and look like a dirty typewriter. The Toshiba typeface is not perfect, but the dots appear much harder to find than with the LQ-1500 of Epson and perhaps the TI. However, you must put up with a graphics description that differs from the Epson MX/FX standard. Anyone programmed up an Epson -> Toshiba dot-graphics translator? Robert Chatfield seismo!hao!acad National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado 80307