CompuServe Messages

Patricia: I don't have the specs beside me, but yes, I believe the HP4MP is a 4ppm printer and the HP4M is an 8ppm printer. (If the numbers are off, they're still about the correct ratio. They are both PostScript. The HP4 series printers are, off the top of my head: HP4: 600 dpi, full size. HP4M: 600 dpi, full size, PostScript. H4P: 600 dpi, personal size. HP4MP: 600 dpi, personal size, PostScript. HP4L: 300 dpi, personal size. HP4ML: 300 dpi, personal size. PostScript. As you can see, M is for PostScript (actually Multiplatform), P is for Personal or something like that, and L is for who knows, Light? The page throughput speed isn't always that important. It depends on the job you're doing. If you're writing 50 pages at a time and printing it all out at once, then maybe you need an 8ppm printer. Similarly, if you work in a workgroup environment, maybe you need the 8ppm printer. Larger offices usually prefer the extra solidity of a full size printer with larger paper trays and more paper tray options. If you're working out of your home and writing short documents, go with a smaller printer. If you're doing graphic intensive work, like DTP, the extra paper speed is meaningless because most of the print time is spent generating the page, so it will never print at 8ppm. I have a 300 dpi QMS410, which is similar to the HP4ML, at home, and it's great. It's only 4ppm but I never notice that because it takes a while to image the page and to actually send the page to the printer. If I was going to buy one today, the HP4MP would be my first choice. If you can at all justify it, buy PostScript. It's a decision you will never regret. It will save you so many hours of your life, which would have either been wasted for the darn thing to print, or spent leaving the room to get a drink. The HP4MP is selling at Office Depot for $1419 I believe. Cheers, Michael @ Soft-Logik Publishing Corp.