#NEC P2200
12 messages in this thread
I need to replace my Epson FX 80. I want better graphics for desktop
publishing. The NEC P2200 looks good in price for a 24 pin printer. Is there
any reason why it would not be a good printer for my A1000? Also I can't find
a driver for it on here. The advertisement says that the printer is "Epson LQ
compatible". Does that mean I can use my Epson driver? Thanks for your help.
The NEC P2000 is a nice printer. I prefer the Alps ALQ/224. Both use the
Epson LQ2500 printer driver.
Why do you prefer it over the NEC? I'm trying to make a decision and have a
hard time convincing sales people that the Amiga is a serious computer. How
does the Epson LQ 500 stack up? Thanx fer the help.
The ALP is faster, it's color, and it's much sturdier. It's also a couple of
hundred dollar more. I don't know anything about the LQ500.
Kurt: I have both an Epson FX-80 and an NEC P2200, so I hope I can answer
some of your questions.
I really like the NEC. The fonts are sharp, you have a good variety of them
(I particularly like the ITC Souvenir), and the choice of paper feed systems
is great (I'm currently using the front loading system–it works fine).
As for printer drivers, I have been using the P6 driver from the data
libraries
here. It has worked fine for text –word processing, database, etc. For
graphics, tho, I've run into problems, primarily with PageSetter. PageSetter
won't accept the P6 driver (I have an early version of the program) and so I
have a choice of printing elongated copies with the Epson printer driver, or
using the FX-80. I haven't tried the printer driver with other graphics
programs, such as DPaintII, so the jury's out. As for PageSetter, I may be
replacing it with another program anyway. Hopefully, Workbench 1.3 will help
solve some of this.
The NEC has proven to be reliable so far. It's not built for heavy-duty use,
but it has handled everything I've tried so far (including a 200-piece
mailing).
The bottom line? I'm glad I got the NEC. I'm optimistic about using it for
graphics in the long run (as long as I can't afford laser printers, I'm
staying with what I've got). The quality of output is certainly fine for my
purposes, and has surprised many folks who think you just can't get quality
type out of a dot matrix printer.
===Ken Roberts
Thank you for your reply. The NEC really sounds great. The only thing that
bothers me is the graphics. I like the old epson FX 80 but the graphics stink
and thats why I want a new printer. Wonder if anyone is working on a driver
for it. I really like the front single sheet loader. I'm always switching
papers in my FX-80.
dO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE P6/P7 AND THE 2200? I finally
broke down and wrote a driver for the P7 which has some features that so far
i have only seen in Joergen thomsen' s PDG program (allocates only one buffer
in b&w mode, lays down black last instead of first so you don't dirty your
ribbon, 4 different densities, and some extendded commands) I also made a
good attempt to set up a full amiga character set (extended 160+) I will
upload the source and object as soon as I get a chance. I have one caution
though, I used backspacing to uverprint on some of the international
characters which will look great in normal fixed width font but messes things
up terribly in proportional spacing mode because it backspaces a fixed amount
but the width of the character previously printed is variable. -Lance Pearson
Thanks for all the information. I broke down and bought an Epson EX 800. The
graphics aint bad and I sorta liked the color option. Now to find a driver to
let me use the color….
Kurt,
Use the JX-80 drive that comes on the WorkBench disk…it will work
fine with the EX-800.
Don
Thanx. ex
Lance: The difference between the P2200 and the P6/P7 is considerable. They
all should take the same printer driver (the one by Juergen in the data
library is the only one I'm aware of right now). The P6/P7 are sister
printers, the basic difference being the width of the platen. They have a
heavy-duty print head, capable of handling high volumes of work. The basic
model comes with a unidirectional tractor feed; a bidirectional feed is an
option (not cheap–I think it's $200). The P6/P7 are designed for heavy use
. The P2200 is a lighter-duty machine, made for home use. It has a
versatile feed system, with rear or front paper loading, push or pull
tractor, single sheet feed. It does not have the "solid" feel of the P6/P7
(more use of plastic parts), but for the type of use I have for printers,
it's just great.
Right now, any 24-pin printer has problems working with graphics on the Amiga
(at least to my experience), even with the nice printer drivers developed so
far. As I said to Kurt, I'm optimistic that Workbench 1.3 will solve the
printer problem once and for all. In the meantime, my use of PageSetter is
highly curtailed.
===Ken
Kurt: Please see my reply on this subject to Steve. I meant to send it to
you (sorry).
===Ken Roberts 70027,2136