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From: patwood@unirot.UUCP.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.laser-printers
Subject: Re: Compugraphic's 9600 laser typesetter
Message-ID: <484@unirot.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-Apr-87 15:09:29 EST
Article-I.D.: unirot.484
Posted: Sat Apr  4 15:09:29 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Apr-87 18:19:15 EST
References: <8703252142.AA15415@oresoft.UUCP> <8703301819.AA16909@brillig.umd.edu> <467@unirot.UUCP> <8704040239.AA28226@brillig.umd.edu>
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Reply-To: gymble!harvard!topaz!unirot!patwood@brillig.umd.edu (Patrick Wood)
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Keywords: compugraphic
Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu

Perhaps Compugraphic is proud of their 9600 typesetter, but the folks I've
talked to that have tried to use them are less than thrilled.  At one trade
show, Compugraphic had a 9600 there, but it wasn't running.  They had a
person running a composition system, but the only thing you could see was
the output they had brought with them.  I have yet to talk to someone who
has used the 9600 and been totally pleased.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the product.  Most new machines have
some problems associated with them when they first come out.  These same
people were just as lukewarm on the Lino 100/300 when they first came out
with the PostScript RIP.  PostScript on these machines is much slower than
the rated print speed of the engine (about a factor of 2-4, depending on
what your doing).  As for the 9600 being available "on time", it seems to
me that it was announced only a little after the Lino Imagesetters came out,
in late 85.  That's quite a lot of lead time.

As for PostScript and/or Interpress on the 9600, I'll wait until it's available
before I express any opinions on what the output looks like.  Still, it seems
that unless the 9600 can produce graphics at better than 1200 DPI, it won't
be able to match the L300 in halftones and color separations.

Pat Wood