Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!elroy!gryphon!richard
From: richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: color printer recommendations?
Keywords: color printers, Xerox4020,HP Paintjet
Message-ID: <12495@gryphon.COM>
Date: 24 Feb 89 06:43:12 GMT
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton)
Distribution: na
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 47

In article <6056@cbmvax.UUCP> daveb@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Berezowski) writes:
>In article <10205@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> c152-cb@cory.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Vince Lee) writes:
>>In article <12357@gryphon.COM> richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) writes:
>>>
>>>The one that I really like is the Tektronix 4692. Beautiful colours.
>>>I think it's at least $1500, maybe more. You don't see them much though.
>>
>>If its that wonderful printer I saw awhile back, I believe $8000 is more
>>accurate, with about $1.50 cost per page.
>
>	There seems to be some confusion as to various model numbers,
>features and price.  Here is a list of the Tektronix printers I'm aware of.
>
>Name			Price	Type
>----			-----	----
>Tektronix_4692		?	ink-jet, paper rotates on a cylinder
>Tektronix_4696		$1500	ink-jet, looks exactly like a Xerox_4020


Yeah, thats the one.

>Tektronix_4693D		$8000+	thermal transfer, 300x300 dpi
>Tektronix_4693DX	$8000+	thermal transfer, 300x300 dpi

I've never liked colour thermal dye transfer printouts. If you fold
or scratch the picture, you lose pigment and are left with white
space. Plus the pigments are put down in such a manner that they
dont overlap, which can sometimes leave white space between scan
lines. Of course this varies between printer to printer. The
CalComp is about the worst in this respectm the Toshiba TN-5440
is about the best. It's basically how accurate the stepper
motors are in moving the paper.

The paper/ink combination in ink jet printers causes the inl to
smear a bit so you don't get whitespace. (try using paper not
meant for inkjets, and you'll get LOTS of whitespace). Of course
inkjets have another problem too, the pigments fade with
exposure to light. I've heard 6 mos. in indirect sunlight
will pretty much fade an image, but I keep my good printouts
in plastic protective covers in a binder in a bookcase where
it doesnt get much light (if any), and after 2 1/2 years
they havnt faded that I can tell.

-- 
               Lotus Super Seven Series III.  Too fast to race.
   BYTE computer graphics photo layout cancelled.  Too many Amiga entries.
richard@gryphon.COM  decwrl!gryphon!richard   gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.NASA.GOV