Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!ptsfa!moss
From: moss@ptsfa.UUCP (MiniComputer Ops Support)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: NEC Silentwriter LC-890 Printer -- comments?
Summary: positive experience with NEC LC 890
Keywords: NEC LC890 Laser Printer, LONG COMMENTARY
Message-ID: <4045@ptsfa.UUCP>
Date: 21 Jan 88 20:23:21 GMT
References: <1524@ilium.UUCP>
Reply-To: moss@ptsfa.UUCP (MiniComputer Ops Support)
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Lines: 75

Peter Greenberg asks about NEC's new LC 890 printer...

[ some of Peter's commentary deleted ]

> Seems pretty good. Sales person mentioned some problem with
< Centronics from PC's but I want to run off Sun3 on serial. Are the
< operating costs as low as advertized? As a side, anyone know how
< these non-LW machines do with Mac boxes which I think sometimes do
< strange things, like down load machine code? Anyone know the
< processor? Is this better than an LW+, or worse, for the $$$ ? Is it
< selling well enough that the carts. will be long available?

Peter,

Our group did some software evaluation for Pacific Bell on the NEC,
along with the ditroff 'devps' package. We now have our own 890,
used both in the Postscript and LJ+ emulations. It's on a Bell
Technologies 386/387 box, running SYS5, as a line printer on the
serial port. We had the NEC on an ICC card in the Bell box to
offload some of the CPU interrupts, this has caused REAL PROBLEMS!
(see below).

We run amazing amounts of troff, tbl, pic, grap, etc thru it, plus our
own locally-developed LJ+ emulation filter and HP downloadable
fonts. (The line printer interface file toggles the printer between
emulations)

Comments pro and con:

PRO
--------------------------------------------------

Price was our main objective, NEC cost us less than retrofit of HP
LJ+, and/or Apple LJ (not practical in our UNIX environment without
more $$ :-) ) Postscript and built-in 35 fonts vastly superior to HP
cartridges, unlimited point sizes, etc.

Consumables appear to be cheaper than HP, we were NOT getting our
HP cartridges refilled, cost ~$130.00 each, due to one-at-at-time
ordering. We haven't had the NEC long enough to tell....

NEC has been FLAWLESS in print quality, ease of use, and etc.
The LaserJet+ emulation works perfectly for us. (as does Postscript)

CON
--------------------------------------------------

The HP was capable of finer lines than the NEC. This is a very minor
complaint, we're too fussy :-) Shows up with grap and pic.

Our vendor out here in Northern Californis was very poor on shipping
dates, returning calls, etc. This is hopefully a local problem, as
they're a VAR for NEC. You may have better luck...

A truly weird problem exists with this NEC printer and the Bell
Technologies smart ICC card. After a few hours, the ICC card hangs
and the printer stops working. Reboot the box, still have same
problem. Let the box (and ICC card) cool for 15 minutes, all's fine
and wonderful until tomorrow, same failure. Put the NEC back on the
standard dumb HUB card, no failures. Put the HP LJ+ on the ICC, no
failures ever.  We've even moved to a different port on the ICC and
lost that one too, but only if the NEC is on it. We simply don't
know what's the matter. (Yes, we tried another ICC card, same thing,
Bell finds nothing wrong with the ICC, and cannot duplicate the
problems...)

--------------------------------------------------

Overall, very good printer - I highly recommend the NEC LC890, but
don't put it on a Bell ICC card for a while!!!


   John R. Trinterud 	   Pacific Bell Minicomputer Operations Staff
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 Pillage, THEN burn!!	{dual,ihnp4,lll-crg,ames,pyramid}!ptsfa!pt05a!john