CompuServe Thread

#PS Printer for $700?

6 messages in this thread
#98539From: Jerry ThompsonMay 6, 1993 10:27 AM
Anyone out there used a LaserWriter+ with an Amiga? It is an older PostScript printer with 1.5 meg of RAM and a serial port connection. Is $700 a good price? If not, anyone selling something like a QMS 800 or 810? Any other recommendations? I would be using this with PageStream and WordPerfect mostly.
#98560From: Jonathan HirschmanMay 6, 1993 5:00 PM
The LaserWriter+, though old and slow, will still output a nice page. I think that $700 is a tad high, considering that I've been getting faxes offering me reconditioned (and warrantied) LaserWriter NTs for about $1000, and NTX's for $1200. These are *much* better printers, especially the NTX's. As long as you feed it serial via a null modem cable, and with an XON/XOFF handshake (can't do hardware handshaking), you should do OK. Jonathan
#98652From: Steve WolffMay 7, 1993 9:09 AM
I had a NEC silentwriter that I sold for $800 and it had a parallel connection, serial and appletalk. Great printer. I would advise getting sonething with a parallel printer interface. I was using a A500 with the above printer and things were slow enough on the computer side. I couldn't imagine slowing it down further with a serial connection.
#98673From: Jerry ThompsonMay 7, 1993 2:54 PM
I really wanted to get a parallel port. The LaserWriter+ serial connection is a little slow for bit-mapped graphics (like 10-20 min per page) but the regular text and PostScript graphics are plenty fast enough. Now if I can just get the power company to run another trunk to the house… -Jerry
#98990From: Chris ScheersMay 9, 1993 5:51 PM
The LW+ is a decent printer, but it is missing a parallel port and it has a fairly early version of PostScript. I have seen demo TI MicroLaser PS35s going for $675. I would recommend this printer. Although it has a slower print engine (6ppm vs. 8ppm), the PostScript interpreter is noticably faster. The net result is generally faster output. If you are willing to go a little higher, refurbished NEC SilentWriter 95s go for about $1100. This is the printer that I currently recommend to my clients. Good luck – Chris
#99101From: Jerry ThompsonMay 10, 1993 11:36 AM
Thanks, Chris. I bought the LW+ for $600. More than I had hoped but it was a fair price. Just not a great price :^(. But the engine is in fantastic shape and delivering better quality prints than I had expected. -Jerry