Suzy B Software 2/Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso/extras/textfile/laserpr/laserpr.txt

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REVIEWS
September, 1993

LOW-COST LASERS:
POWER PRINTING AT BARGAIN PRICES
Laser Printers Entice With Premium-Quality Output, Speed,
And, Now, Low Prices

BY HENRY BEECHHOLD


Unless you love the sizzling sound of a dot-matrix printer or
need to print multipart forms, you've run out of excuses for not
buying a laser printer: Prices have fallen to the basement. Today
you can pick up a 4-, 5-, or 6-ppm (page per minute) laser for
under $1,000.
  You don't have to make big trade-offs for low prices, either.
Bargain lasers lag behind their more expensive 8- or 10-ppm
siblings mainly in print speed, but they're still faster than
most impact printers. Put most bargain laser pages alongside a
premium laser page, and you probably won't notice much difference
except, perhaps, with respect to certain text and graphics
subtleties. For example, some more costly units may support 600-
by-600-dpi resolution or build in technology to sharpen
halftones, or both.
  But low-cost lasers do take some action to improve the quality
of their standard 300-dpi output -- the resolution-enhancement
technologies offered by most of the products in this review
polish the "jaggies" of curves and diagonals to create smoother
text and line art. For producing formal correspondence,
newsletters, or almost anything else, a low-cost laser will do
the job well. Just about the only reason you wouldn't want one of
these printers is if you're planning to produce camera-ready work
for high-quality production printing, or if you need serious
speed.
  The eight printers in this review are all priced under $1,000
on the street. Most of these products -- with the exception of
Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet IIIP -- are new to the market within
the last 12 to 18 months. We tested the printers both for the
quality of their text and image output and for their speed. Our
review process also turned up a variety of productivity-boosting
extras in these products, such as automatic port and emulation
switching.

FONTS FOR THE MASSES
All of these printers include a selection of built-in fonts. A
font is an organized collection of characters in a certain style
of a particular typeface: Times Roman Bold or Courier Italic, for
example. Almost all of the printers in this review speak one
version or another of Hewlett-Packard's PCL (Printer Control
Language). Four support PCL 5 and generally include the expected
14 bitmapped, or fixed-size, fonts and eight scalable fonts,
which are adjustable in size. The HP LaserJet 4L supports
Enhanced PCL 5 and includes 26 scalable fonts.
  Three of the printers include PostScript, previously found only
in more expensive offerings. (The number of built-in, scalable
PostScript fonts varies from printer to printer.) That's a plus
if you want a printer for proof work before sending files to a
professional image-setting service -- where PostScript is the
lingua franca -- for output to higher resolution devices.
Additionally, with a PostScript printer, you can readily take
advantage of PostScript font cartridges and the multitude of soft
(downloadable) typefaces in the Adobe Type Library. (Even if your
printer does not build in PostScript, you can use PostScript Type
1 fonts under Windows if you have a utility such as the $99 Adobe
Type Manager.)
  As much as PostScript has to offer, you don't necessarily need
it to create ooh- and ahhh-inspiring output. You can do just fine
with the 15 downloadable TrueType fonts that come standard with
Windows or the nine you get with the Mac System 7 operating
system. If you want more TrueType fonts, you can turn to
Bitstream Inc. ([800] 522-3668), the Agfa Division of Miles Inc.
([800] 424-8973), SWFTE International ([800] 237-9383), and a
host of others.
  As a rule, a graphics-intensive printout in PostScript mode
takes a fair bit longer than a similar printout using PCL. Even
in PCL mode, multifont text pages take longer than single-font
text pages, as do pages with a lot of formatting diversity.
Almost all the printers we tested came close to their claimed
page-per-minute specifications when printing a text-intensive
test document with few formatting or font changes.

THE MEDIA AND THE METHODS
The multipurpose paper trays that come standard on most of these
printers allow you to stockpile the paper size of your choice:
executive, letter, or legal, for example. The standard automatic
paper cassette on the TI microWriter PS 23, however, can't
accommodate legal-size sheets. The Star Micronics LS-5 EX adds a
50-sheet multipurpose paper tray in addition to its 250-sheet
letter-size paper cassette. None jammed up while processing
paper, envelopes, or labels, and all allowed face-up or face-down
paper ejection.
  All of the printers come with at least 1MB of RAM. With almost
all of them, you'll probably want to get a minimum of 2MB, enough
for most printing jobs. But remember that heavy graphics printing
can slurp up large chunks of memory.
  Just one year ago, it was rare to find so many laser printers
selling for so little money. The trend promises to continue: By
the time you read this, other companies -- such as Okidata,
Sharp, and Brother -- will have delivered new low-cost lasers
while prices for some older, still viable products -- such as the
IBM LaserPrinter 4029-6 and the C. Itoh ProWriter CI-4 -- will
have also come down to under $1,000 on the street. One thing is
eminently clear: There's never been a better time to get more
printing power for your money.

Apple LaserWriter Select 310
Rating: **1/2
With an eight-pin Macintosh serial port and a parallel port, the
5-ppm Apple LaserWriter Select 310 serves the Mac and DOS worlds
(specifically Windows). The printer has the attraction of
simplicity but some drawbacks.
  The printer supports Postscript only. Although it printed out a
test TIFF photographic image at high quality, it took minutes in
comparison with the 30-to-40-second print time for most of the
other printers set to PCL mode. (The Apple product's speed for
this task is, however, about equal to what you'll get out of the
TI microWriter PS 23 in its PostScript mode.) Text speed was
about par for the course, and the 300-dpi text output is quite
good, despite the lack of print-enhancement technology.
  This printer has no direct means of control beyond that of
turning on the power. Apple's philosophy is that most people care
more about good quality printing and plug-and-play performance at
a reasonable cost -- about $975 on the street. The only external
clues to what's going on are on/print, paper jam, and paper out
LEDs. In Windows and on the Mac, the printer setup dialog boxes
effectively constitute the control panel. This differs from the
only other printer reviewed here with no control panel display,
the HP LaserJet 4L, because the 4L includes a single button
control and HP's Explorer software for more extensive
configuration changes and test prints. There is no utility to
tickle the LaserWriter Select 310 into producing status, font,
and other test sheets or to save different configurations for
different applications.
  Documentation was minimal, and the printer ships with only 13
scalable fonts and no cartridge slots for adding more. If you
need PostScript, other offerings reviewed here may prove better
values.
DECLaser 1152
Rating: **1/2
At $1,000 list (figure 20 percent off on the street), the
DECLaser 1152 is one of the least-expensive PostScript (and PCL
4) printers on the market. In fact, it was the only printer in
this review to include Adobe PostScript Level 2.
Crisp text and rich halftone images distinguish this 300-dpi
unit. But in both PostScript and PCL modes, the 4-ppm DECLaser
was rather slow in printing text pages from a word processor, a
lone photographic image, or simple desktop-published pages with
four fonts and a single TIFF graphic.
  The printer has serial, parallel, and AppleTalk ports, but the
vendor doesn't recommend using the serial port and AppleTalk port
simultaneously. With two computers hooked up, though, the printer
can automatically sense which port is in use. Front panel
controls are well designed, but the standard paper tray handles
only 70 pages. Most people will want to add the bottom 250-page
cassette option. You can also expand upon the 17 internal
PostScript fonts with optional font cartridges.
  The unit takes up more acreage than its small dimensions might
indicate, because input and output paper trays extend several
inches to one side. The first printing of the documentation was
poorly organized, with low-quality photographs. But since the
eventual printout quality is solid, the DECLaser 1152 can be an
acceptable choice for PostScript Level 2 on a budget.

Epson ActionLaser 1500
Rating: ***
The Epson Action Laser 1500 -- about $795 on the street -- offers
a lot of capabilities. Rated at 6 ppm, the printer produces
clean, sharp 300-dpi text and line art, helped along by Epson's
RITech (Resolution Improvement Technology). Halftone images
reproduce well and at a fast clip. You can hook up systems to the
printer's serial and parallel ports, and let Epson's autosense
feature determine which channel is receiving data. A proprietary
Epson Identity Card lets you add Adobe PostScript capabilities;
with it installed, you can automatically switch between PCL 5 and
PostScript modes.
  Documentation is good and the generous two-year warranty is
welcome. What makes the ActionLaser 1500 a good buy isn't a bevy
of gee-whiz features but rather its utter capability.

HP LaserJet 4L
Rating: ****
Without question, Hewlett-Packard sets the standard for laser
printers. The company proves this again with its new 4-ppm entry,
the HP LaserJet 4L, priced at about $699 on the street.
  The printer, which is aimed at PC users, includes a host of
innovative touches. Taking the place of a power switch is
Intelligent On/Off. The printer remains in a sleep state -- a
power-saving mode that uses only five watts -- until you require
its services. When data starts to flow, the 4L comes to life.
  Another trend-setting advance is Memory Enhancement Technology,
a compression technique that effectively doubles the printer's
memory so that most full-page graphics can fit in the 1MB that
comes standard. EconoMode printing cuts toner use by up to 50
percent. EconoMode output is grayer than normal but clear; it's
not for formal documents, but it's a good choice for proof work.
The printer's front panel promises ease of use: A single button
controls everything from self-test prints to page ejects. You can
configure default fonts or other settings through the supplied HP
Explorer software. A bidirectional parallel port also means that
the printer can report status information back to you.
  The 4L's 300-dpi text and line image output is excellent,
enhanced by RET (Resolution Enhancement Technology) and the use
of microfine toner. Halftone images also print sharp and clear.
Documentation is up to HP's high standards. Paper handling is
trouble free, but envelopes must be hand-fed one at a time.
  This extraordinary little unit gets our vote for PC printer of
the year. And if you need an AppleTalk port and PostScript, its
upcoming sibling, the $1,279 LaserJet 4ML, will provide both, in
addition to the parallel port and Enhanced PCL 5 emulation.

HP LaserJet IIIP
Rating: ***
Although a little long in the tooth, this extremely reliable 4-
ppm workhorse is alive and well.
  The $1,099 IIIP provides the expected HP benefits: crisp 300-
dpi output, RET, and smooth paper handling. Of particular note is
the manual, which will tell you everything you'll need to know
about the operation of the IIIP -- and laser printers in general.
  With a selection of 26 internal scalable Intellifonts, the
newer 4L surpasses the IIIP in terms of built-in goodies. The 4L
also holds more sheets of paper (100 to the IIIP's mere 70) in
its standard configuration, but the IIIP's advantage is that it
can be equipped for heavier printing tasks with an optional 320-
sheet lower cassette. You can upgrade the printer to Adobe
PostScript Level 1 with a $495 cartridge.
  If there's a reason not to buy this printer, it may be that it
is headed over the hill in terms of model years. (In fact, the
vendor will replace the unit later this fall, though you should
be able to find it in stock in stores for some time after.) But
that says nothing about functionality and performance, which are
solid and reliable, nor does it take into account HP's reputation
for supporting its products. We'd call this an excellent buy,
especially at its current street price of about $850.

Panasonic KX-P4430
Rating: ***
Panasonic is noted for manufacturing reliable, sometimes clunky-
looking printers and marketing them at high list prices meant to
be deeply discounted. The 5-ppm KX-P4430, with a list price of
$1,495, is no exception. It's not an exciting piece of equipment,
but it will get the job done at a reasonable price: $945 on the
street.
  The included 200-sheet paper tray is more generous than what
comes standard with some of the other printers we looked at. Like
the HP 4L, the KX-P4430 is energy conscious, automatically
powering down to a standby mode between printing jobs. The unit
also automatically switches between ports if you have a computer
attached to each. SatinPrint, Panasonic's rendition of Resolution
Enhancement Technology, smoothes the look of the printer's 300-
dpi text and line art, though the printer was less adept at
handling our test photographic image.
  We wish Panasonic would rethink its approach to documentation.
There is something forbidding about Panasonic's 8.5-by-11-inch
books: pages of tables, charts, diagrams, line drawings, but
relatively little explanatory text. Much of what text there is
seems irritatingly short of just that information you'd like to
have. On the plus side, the manual walks you through the various
front panel functions with perfect clarity -- luckily enough,
since the front panel menu is somewhat complex.
  And, for some mysterious reason, Panasonic has chosen to name
but not exemplify the fonts in the Font List test printout. But
that's a small flaw in an otherwise worthwhile choice.
Star Micronix LS-5 EX
Rating: ***1/2
Star Micronics built its reputation on low-cost, good-quality
dot-matrix printers. It continues that tradition in the laser
market with the 5-ppm LS-5 EX, a RISC processor -- equipped
machine that sells for about $800 on the street.
  The LS-5 EX proved to be one of the fastest at printing our
graphics image, handling the task as quickly as the 6-ppm Epson
model. Star's Resolution Enhancement Procedure and microfine
toner aid in the crisp text and line art output. Halftone images
also print out at high quality. A disk with 15 TrueType fonts is
a bonus, as are the included 250-sheet paper cassette and 50-
sheet paper tray. With two input options, you can set one tray
aside for letterhead and the other for plain paper. You can also
connect two computers to the printer's parallel and serial ports;
the printer automatically switches to the appropriate channel.
You can further upgrade this model with a Microsoft TrueImage
PostScript interpreter option.
  The front panel sports more buttons and lights than many
printers, but the extras don't do much to reduce time spent at
the controls. You still have to plod through the menu system to
tweak the printer to your particular needs. The Star was also a
little noisier in idle mode than the others we saw.
  Overall, this is a solid piece of machinery, one that promises
a long reliable life. Documentation is adequate and well
illustrated. Star's two-year warranty is longer than most,
matched here only by Epson. The biggest drawback is that
technical support is not toll free.

TI microWriter PS 23
Rating: ****
The TI microWriter PS 23 is the odd printer out in this
collection for its use of an LED print engine instead of a
traditional laser-beam type. An LED printer's advantage rests on
its ultra-quiet operation and its use of fewer moving parts.
  TI also goes its own way with respect to product cosmetics: The
printer has a rounded cuboid look -- just different enough from
the classic HP design to be distinctive. But it's really
functionality that counts, and the 5-ppm microWriter functions
extraordinarily well. For a street price of only about $800, you
get both PCL 4 and Adobe PostScript Level 1.
  An automatic emulation switching routine detects the computer
output (PCL or PostScript) and switches itself accordingly, or
you can set the emulation from the front panel. If you have both
a PC and a Mac, you'll appreciate the inclusion of both parallel
and AppleTalk ports.
  Like the Panasonic KX-P4430, this printer inexplicably does not
exemplify the fonts -- including the generous selection of 23
PostScript fonts -- it lists on its self-test. Unfortunately,
documentation is too skimpy.
  The text quality of the microWriter PS 23 is excellent, even
without any enhancement technologies, and text files print
suitably quickly in both PCL and PostScript modes. Photographic
images could show finer gradations but are otherwise of good
quality. Altogether, this is a very fine piece of equipment.