LaserPrinters,Scanners
23 messages in this thread
Paul et.al.: Do you have a scanner? What kind? Do you like it? What is a
"flatbed" scanner? Vs. what? Do you know the Migraph scanner? And whatever
other info' you-all can offer re: scanners to use with PgS.
I'm also considering a laser printer. Do you recommend the HPIIP? That's in
the price range I prefer. Anybody know the Sharp that's supposed to be
equiv. to the HPII? What's the diff. really between the HPII and the HPIIP?
Does the HPIIP support PS (with a cartridge, that is)? How about the HPII?
I understand (_maybe_ I understand correctly) that HP has its own language.
How does it compare with PS? I've seen samples of HPII and HPIII – but all
were done on IBM compatibles. How would it differ on the Amiga? How would
it differ using PgS? Excellence!? Or wouldn't it differ at all, since it
gets translated to the HP language?
I'm trying to get this folks.
* db *
Donna;
The HPIIP is a low end LaserJet. Probably a pretty good product as far as
quality and reliability go (that is, normal HP). You will need additional
memory though, probably 2.5 meg. You could print to post scrip file from
Pgs and then use PixelScript to print the postscript file to the LaserJet.
I believe that the postscript aftermarket add-ons are available for the
HPIIP but keep in mind that they push the price up pretty close to that of
some of the PS lasers. Also, the toner cartridges and OPC magazines for
the HP printers are pretty expensive when compared to many of the others.
I believe that the cartridge for the HP's are running about $90 each vs the
$30 that I am paying for the Personal Laserprinter (for example). I really
can't recommend the Personal Laserprinter since the controller was supplied
by C-Ltd, except to say that mine has run many reams of paper, card stock
and the like with great results.
I purchased the Dest PC Scan 2000 which is not a flat bed scanner. While
it works great, I think that in my case it was a mistake. No sooner did I
start using it and I needed to be able to copy from a book! The flat bed
will allow that type of digitizing.
=>73<=, bill =>KB7LX @ K4IWW<=
While HP does not recommend this you can get the toner cartriges refilled
for about half the price of a new one. — Art
Bill: Thanks for the reply. Further questions:
1. When you say I'll need add. memory for the HPIIP, do you mean in the
Amiga 500 or the HPIIP? I have 3 megs total in the Amiga.
2. Will all scanners (flat bed esp.) work with the Amiga, or am I limited
to certain ones?
* db *
Memory in the IIP. At 47th st photo about $250 for 2 meg.
Ron
Thanks for the tip, Ron. If I go that way, I'll buzz you here for the
address.
* Donna *
Donna;
The memory has to be added to the HP LaserJet… basically there has to be
enough memory in the printer to hold whatever is needed for printing a
single page. It is possible (though not likely) to need over 5 meg to
print a single page. In the system that I am using (from the now defunct
C-Ltd) the amiga's memory is used but that is only possible because the
printer is connected to a SCSI bus where the data transfer rate is faster
than the printer needs while actually printing a page. Three meg in the
amy is probably sufficient for most work. However, I just recently
produced a 20 page document that required about 2.5 meg for the doc alone.
Naturally, it could have been split into segment if I did not have enough
memory in the amy.
As far as I know, all scanners COULD work with the amy. The question is,
do they have a driver/software for the amy? Unfortunately, I can't shed
and light on that question.
=>73<=, bill =>KB7LX @ K4IWW<=
Thought so, Bill. About where the mem. has to be added. Thanks for giving
me the right question to ask re: scanners.
* Donna *
Ok Donna lets see;
1.) To adjust line spacing choose "Line/Char Spacing" under the "Format"
menu. If you have the PgS 1.8 manual check out pages 4.18 and 4.19 for more
info. If you don't have it send $25.00 to SL and they will send you a whole
new package with manual and disks (same as if you bought PgS 1.8 at the
store). If you are still using the old manual pages 4.6-4 and 4.6-5 have
the same info.
2.) Sorry I have no scanner experience. I use digiview for image capturing.
Sure would like one though!
3.) I have heard good things about the HPIIP. As Far as I know the diff
between HPII and HPIIP (personal) is speed and price. Since I already own a
personal copier, and have unlimited (within reason) access to large very
fast copiers at school, I decided to get an HP deskjet plus. It is slower
but has identical (to my eyes) 300dpi output to a laser, and it only cost
me about $530 with rebate! I just use the DJ+ to produce the originals and
do the mass production on the copier.
4.) You don't have to worry about HP's printer control language. Both the
PgS and PxS printer drivers communicate with HP printers just fine! There
is also HP preferences drivers so all your other programs will also print
to the HP.
-Paul-
Paul: Thanks. 1. I'll try to figure out how to do the line/char spacing. 2.
Do you think it's worth it to send for the manual update? 3. What's the
diff. between digiview (what is it?) and a scanner? 4. Good. You cleared up
a major ? I had re: the HP. Is the output on the HP deskjet plus smooth
edges like most laser printing? I don't care about mass production. But I
DO need to have professional, smooth CLEAN fonts – better than I can get
with PxS and my 24 pin dot matrix!
Donna;
It appears as though the HPIIP is even better than the HPII as far as
smooth fonts go. The density is still 300 DPI but they are doing something
special inside the box — very impressive.
=>73<=, bill =>KB7LX @ K4IWW<=
Thanks, Bill. I'm leaning towards the HPIIP.
* Donna *
Donna;
It sure looks like a great printer. The HP stuff is something that you can
usually count on too.
=>73<=, bill =>KB7LX @ K4IWW<=
Donna
Digiview will let you digitize a video signal. I point my camcorder
at the image I want to capture. A scanner works like a copier, but the
image is digitized instead of just copied. Scanned images are usually
sharper and more accurate than digitized video. But scanners are also much
more expensive!
The DJ+ has the same resolution (300dpi) as the laser printer. So
they produce output with the same degree of "smoothness". Now some will
give the lasers a slight edge on quality, and that may be true to the
trained eye, but I can't see the difference.
Now you may be saying that my printer has 300dpi or better resolution
and a laser is much better. But the claims of high resolution for 24 pin
dot matrix printers have to be qualified by the fact that most if not all
of them obtain their highest resolution by making multiple passes and
overlapping the dots. For example if I gave you 8 one inch dots and asked
you to place them all on a four inch line you would have to overlap each
dot over half of the preceding dot to fit them all on. On the other hand if
I gave you 8 half inch dots then you could line all 8 up side by side on
the four inch line. Both methods can claim to produce 2 dpi (dots per inch)
since 8 of them "fit" into 4 inches, but only the latter method gives you
the true precision you would expect at the claimed resolution. Both the DJ+
and laser printers give you a TRUE 300dpi.
-Paul-
Paul,
i have 3 HP Series II Laserjets at the office and i just bought a Deskjet+
last week. It may be 300dpi but i can see the difference in one split
second. It probably has to do with the particles (their size and how they
bond to the paper) but I find it's not QUITE as good as the laserjet. But
it is Infinitely cheaper and it does look GREAT (well, better than anything
you will get impact).
Also, the Deskjets are touchy; if you are printing a bitmap DONT go near
the printer in case the table vibrates even a little you will get a
messsup! You can see the "passes" made by the printhead if you are printing
a lot of greay/black areas, and the paper will crinkle badly from the
moisture of the ink (a problem that does not exist on a laserjet). If you
print a lot of grey/black and then print text you might have problems with
smearing since the ink sometimes gets on the cartridge/print-head.
If you have the money or are serious about DTP buy a laserjet series II or
the new series III, but if you just wanna print nice a deskjet plus is very
nice indeed!
Also, set the print densities on the deskjets on the low end of the
spectrum (in prefs, software, etc.).
-Scott
Scott,
I believe I said that many give the HPIIp the edge on qualitity, and I
agree with your evaluation, but I disagree with your comment about "or are
serious about DTP".
What some seem to forget is that the term DTP covers a wide range of needs
from the casual home user to the professional publisher. In my case I am a
teacher. As such I must produce a myriad of activity sheets, forms, report
cards, certificates, PPT forms, memos, charts, and an occasional
newsletter. All of this is duplicated on our school's large Xerox copier.
That is unless I want to subsidize to school budget by using my own paper &
toner. I am very "serious" about DTP and page design, and I am devouring
everything I can get my hands on concerning the subject. The point here is
not everyone who is serious about DTP has the same needs.
I would not recommend the DJ+ as your only output device unless that output
will be copied anyway. But I'll bet you could not tell the difference
between a copy of a DJ+ original and an HPIIp original.
BTW I may upgrade to a laser someday (maybe when 600dpi printers are
affordable) but since I just ordered an 030 board and I will need a
multisinc when 2.0 arrives, it won't be for a while!
-Paul-
Paul, sorry about the "generalization"……rather, I should have said
"professional" applications. I can tell the difference with a xerox,
though….but not a fax!
heheh
I also think it's every red-blooded Americans right to have an '030, a
multisync AND a 600DPI color printer. Best Of!
-Scott
I agree! BTW while my 030 board has not yet arrived but my dealer loaned me
one (liberated from an A2500) for a workshop I was giving. With the 030
installed pagestream is TRANSFORMED! Screen updates are fast!, and PgS blew
out a full page of text and graphics (640×400 IFF) in about 40 seconds!!!
Boy I can't wait until mine gets here!
-Paul-
Man, I WANT ONE!
heheh
-Scott
Just got a phone call from my dealer (For those in CT it is Infotronics in
Woodbury. Ask for Nick, tell him I set you.) and my 030 is in. I'll pick it
up tomorrow. I'll run some PgS tests and post them here.
-Paul-
Paul, You buy the CBM or the GVP? I heard fropm GVP that they are putting
out a 33mhz one…..with 4MB RAM to boot…..
-Scott
PauL: That was a helpful explanation of the dot matrix, DJ+ and the laser
printer. I'm going to investigate that and the HPIIP and compare output.
* db *
I've been using the Sharp JX-9500 laser for a couple of months now with my
A1000. I mostly output with Scribble! and PageStream. For the money, I'm
really impressed. The blacks are actually black…and the output from
PageStream is outstanding.
The JX-9500 has more emulations built in than the HPIIp. I output from
Scribble! using the FX-80 emulations and from PageStream using the HPLJII
emulation.
The JX-9500 also comes with a 250 sheet tray and you can add another. It
has two slots for font cards and one for memory cartridge. I am using it
with the stock 512K memory…although, now that I've seen the output, I'd
would like to get an additional 2.5 meg of ram.
Again, I can't tell you how great the PageStream fonts look coming off this
printer. I mean you can actually READ (not just see) 8 and 9 point fonts!
I paid around $1300 for the JX-9500 w/toner & cart etc. So far, I'm pretty
happy with the advantages it offers over the IIP. (faster, more paper
capacity, more emulations)
Michael exit
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