Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!orstcs!nucthy.physics.orst.edu!sagen
From: sagen@nucthy.physics.orst.edu (Milt Sagen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: A few Deskjet+ observations
Keywords: Deskjet+, DataPak driver, Grapper LS
Message-ID: <10452@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 8 May 89 10:01:00 GMT
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: sagen@nucthy.physics.orst.edu (Milt Sagen)
Organization: Dept. of Physics, Oregon State University
Lines: 38


This weekend I had the opportunity to work with a Deskjet+ and two of 
the commerical drivers available for it, namely the DataPak driver and 
the Grappler LS.  

Three things in the Grappler LS's favor was it supplied three fonts, 
worked with TeXtures (although to get 300 dpi I had to manipulate the 
fonts supplied with TeXtures), and seemed to be a bit faster at 300 dpi
printing than the DataPak.  

However, the DataPak can print at three different resolutions; 300, 150 
and 75 dpi; I could get the Grappler to print at 300 and 75 dpi only 
(actually I think its 288 and 72).  This ability to print at 150 dpi is 
a strong plus in favor of the DataPak.  The Deskjet is no match when 
compared to a postscript printer but with the 150 dpi printing it is a
definite alternative to the Imagewriter.  I haven't used a Deskjet but 
if, as some people have suggested in this group, there is no improvement 
in speed between the Deskjet and the Deskjet+ when run from a mac, then 
for approximately $210 dollars more you can get a printer that is 2 to 3 
times faster than an Imagewriter.  This price difference is based on a 
price of $410 for an Imagewriter, $520 for a Deskjet, and $100 for the 
DataPak driver (although the HPDJ may be just as good and free).  The 
price for the Imagewriter is bOSo U's.

The times quoted above are not concrete, they were obtained by watching 
a digital clock.  When I printed a page of a document in Nisus the time 
on the Imagewriter was approximately 5 minutes whereas with the Deskjet+ 
at 150 dpi it took about 2 minutes.

Printing at 300 dpi the page took about 7 minutes.

Just thought someone might be interested.


Milt Sagen                    Internet: sagen@nucthy.physics.orst.edu
Department of Physics
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR  97331          Tele: (503) 754-4631