Tough Choices: Finding the Perfect Printer

The Happy Hacker hates making complicated decisions, such as deciding which computer to buy. Luckily, with computers, there are only two viable choices; IBM Compatible or Macintosh. But, after picking the computer, there are even tougher decisions. Especially complicated is choosing a printer.

There is no best all-around printer for under $2000. (If you have over $2000, stop reading and buy a laser jet.) Buying a sub-$2000 printer involves trading off between two very important features: quality and speed.

Mac owners who want to take advantage of their computer's fonts and graphics don't have much of a choice when it comes to printers. The Imagewriter I or II is the only inexpensive printer which convieniently hooks up to a Mac, without sacrificing any of the Mac's features.

Printer quality refers to the quality of the characters on the page; the better the quality, the more readable the letters. Cheap printers use a small set of dots to make up each letter. The so-called dot matrix letters are more difficult to read than a typewriter's characters.

Recent advances in dot matrix technology allow for more dots to make up each character, therefore yielding a higher quality output. Some printers also improve the characters' aesthetics by printing over each letter more than once, thus blending the dots together.

The multi-pass dot matrix printers often produce what is known as near letter quality (NLQ) or correspondence quality. These are terms indicating how close the printer comes to "letter quality"--letter quality usually is defined as the quality of a typewriter.

Correspondence and near letter quality are supposedly for writing notes to friends or for small papers. Most TF's or professors do not object to receiving papers that are printed on an NLQ printer. But for writing a thesis or other important paper, letter quality is a must.

The drawback of letter quality printers lies not in their expense, but rather their slow speed. Inexpensive daisy wheel printers (the daisy wheel is the typing element which contains all the printer's letters and characters) print at about 10 columns per second (CPS), or about one double spaced page in three minutes. The fastest, and considerably more expensive, prints at about 55 CPS, or a page every 45 seconds.

By contrast, moderately priced dot matrix printers can print at 160 CPS (five pages per minute) in low quality (single pass) load, and about 80 CPS in NLQ mode.

Herein lies the real advantage of dot matrix printers. Drafts can be printed out quickly in a low quality mode and a final paper can be printed more slowly, but with a much better looking result.

Paper Feed

Another important feature to consider is the method by which the paper is fed into the computer. The two basic types of paper feed are friction and tractor.

Friction feed works like a typewriter, allowing the user to print one page at a time. This is especially useful when printing on special paper, such as personal stationary. Tractor feed mechanisms feed in continuous, fan-fold paper, through a set of wheels which grip the holes on either side of the paper.

For those still interested in buying a printer, the Happy Happy suggests that a dot matrix printer, with a NLQ mode, should meet most student needs. However, for students who really care about the appearance of the final product, and don't print many drafts, an inexpensive daisy wheel might be the best bet.

When buying a printer, it is important to consider available service. As printers break down far more frequently than the main computer, a service place near the square is often preferable. There are a variety of specific printer models in the $200-$600 range, with both the daisy wheel and multi-mode dot matrix.

Mail order houses sell 40 CPS daisy wheel printers, such as the Tec or Starwriter F-10 for about $400. The F-10 is fairly rugged, and has an excellent print quality. Slower daisy wheel printers, manufactured by typewriter companies such as Silver Reed and Brother, start at around $200 for a 15 CPS model.

Buying a multi-mode dot matrix printer is far more complicated. Each printer comes with several different print qualities and typefaces.

Two good printers to consider are the NEC P6 ($550) and the Toshiba 321 ($575). Less expensive dot matrix printers with a lower quality print style (and slower speed) include the Epson LX-86 ($349) and the Okidate ML182 ($295). When buying a dot matrix printer, be certain to look at print samples first.

Finally, most printers come with a choice of either a parallel or serial interface. IBM and compatible owners should probably ask for a parallel interface.

In the long run, a printer can be an important purchase, which could outlast the computer it's hooked up to. If you're still unsure about dot matrix versus letter quality, move into a rooming group like the Happy Hacker's--we share printers and get the best of both worlds.