Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!attctc!torch
From: torch@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Jay Finger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: HP DeskWriter
Keywords: DeskWriter ATM Word
Message-ID: <10705@attctc.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 22 Dec 89 06:21:21 GMT
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 75

Here's the responses to a group of questions that I asked about the HP
DeskWriter about three weeks ago.  Thanks to those who responded:

       truesdel@ICS.UCI.EDU (Scott Truesdell)
       robertt@hpvcfs1.hp.com (Bob Taylor)
       ngo%tammy@harvard.harvard.edu (Tom Ngo)
       
>With Draw type packages (esp Canvas 2.0) does the DeskWriter offer any
>advantages, or do I still get 72 dpi?

The output will be at 300 DPI, and if the software can produce hairlines
the the printer should be able to handle it.  In general, the DeskWriter
should work well with anything that works with the ImageWriter or the
LaserWriter IISC.  

>What kind of incompatibilities are there when using the DeskWriter
>(e.g. applications that only support ImageWriters and LaserWriters)?

"The DeskWriter does not support PostScript. Therefor, any program 
that produces pure PostScript output (Adobe Illustrator comes to mind)
will yield unsatisfactory results. Other than that, the DeskWriter
behaves as if it had the Apple logo."  See below for other programs
that don't work.

>Does ATM work well with the DeskWriter, or is it merely superfluous?
>I'm not too interested in ATM's screen font's, just on getting
>PostScript fonts onto paper.

ATM works (Adobe used the DeskWriter for ATM demos at MacWorld-Boston).
The performance is about the same as what you would get with HP's fonts.
One person commented that he thinks ATM is superfluous because HP's
fonts look better than Adobe's.  I think I've heard that elsewhere on
this board, too, so if you don't care about the screen fonts and don't
explicitly need the Adobe fonts, you may be able to skip ATM altogether.

>How well do MS Word 4.0 and Excel 2.2 work with:
>    a:  The DeskWriter by itself?
>    b:  The DeskWriter and ATM together?

Great.  Word's problems with ATM arise when you're using an ImageWriter.
It explicitly checks for an ImageWriter, and if it finds one it
decides that you can't do fractional spacing.

Other programs that work:
    PageMaker 3.0, MacDraw II, SuperPaint 1.1, Microsoft Works 2.x,
    Silicon Press

Programs that won't work with the DeskWriter or have problems:
    Don't Print:  FullPaint (v1.0), MacPaint (v1.4 and earlier),
    Red Ryder (v10.3), Microphone II (v2.0)

    Print only at 72DPI:  Hypercard's card prints (reports are OK),
       Illustrator, Freehand (some things work, some don't),
       ImageStudio (v1.5), Digital Darkroom (v1.0 @ 72DPI,
       v1.1 works great)

Negatives about the DeskWriter:
    The ink is water soluble:  The ink is still water soluble after it
    dries.  This is great if you manage to make a mess while installing
    an ink cartridge, but lousy if you're carrying a report unprotected
    on a rainy day or if you spill coffee onto a printout.
    
    The driver is a memory hog.  If you're using ATM it won't help
    your memory situation either.  Recomendations were to expand to
    atleast 2 Meg of RAM.  One person commented, however, that even
    if you add the extra memory onto the cost of the printer, you
    still can't get a 300DPI printer for less money.

I hope this help those of you considering DeskWriters.  I appologize
for taking so long for posting this, as I'm sure three days before
Christmas ruins its usefulness for many people.

Jay Finger,
{ames,mit-eddie}!attctc!torch
ames!torch@attctc