jamesglewisf
10-22-2000, 12:17 AM
Ink Jet Printers
Epson's Stylus Color 980 costs just $249, but offers a maximum resolution of 2880 by 720 which is higher than most scanners and digital cameras deliver. You'll get about half of its rated text output speed -- 6.6 ppm instead of 13 ppm. The 980 should please small-business users.
For a lower-priced model, the Lexmark Z42, with it's $149 street price, delivers 2400 by 1200 resolution with real world 4.5 ppm speed text. It's lower-priced cousin, the Z12, only costs $59. With 2.4 ppm text speed, it is very slow; and it's output isn't anywhere as good as the Z42. Neither Lexmark printer is well-suited for business-quality color output, but will probably satisfy the home user.
Should I buy an ink jet printer?
Most people will be disappointed by an ink jet printer. Their real-world speeds never match their vendor-rated speeds, so don't believe the 12 ppm hype. Most will print at 1/3-1/2 the speed advertised.
Ink jet printers are also expensive to operate. Although the printers themselves are cheap, the consumables are expensive. Both the cartridges and high-quality paper are going up in price, not down.
The last problem with ink jet printers is that their color prints don't last very long. Many begin to fade after just a few months, and most will not last more than three years. The problem lies in the dye-based inks. Better quality paper helps, but not much. Pigment-based ink jet prints should last decades, but they have not been thoroughly tested yet.
If you can afford the extra cost, look for a pigment-based ink jet like the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P which costs $899. It is an excellent photo printer whose output rivals the photo lab, but it is not good for black and white images or text. It can print 3x5 up to 13x44-inch pages. It connects via parallel or USB ports, and it has options for Ethernet or Postscript 3. In photo mode, the resolution is 1,440x720. The cost for an 8x10 print ranges from $1.40 to $1.89.
Epson's Stylus Color 980 costs just $249, but offers a maximum resolution of 2880 by 720 which is higher than most scanners and digital cameras deliver. You'll get about half of its rated text output speed -- 6.6 ppm instead of 13 ppm. The 980 should please small-business users.
For a lower-priced model, the Lexmark Z42, with it's $149 street price, delivers 2400 by 1200 resolution with real world 4.5 ppm speed text. It's lower-priced cousin, the Z12, only costs $59. With 2.4 ppm text speed, it is very slow; and it's output isn't anywhere as good as the Z42. Neither Lexmark printer is well-suited for business-quality color output, but will probably satisfy the home user.
Should I buy an ink jet printer?
Most people will be disappointed by an ink jet printer. Their real-world speeds never match their vendor-rated speeds, so don't believe the 12 ppm hype. Most will print at 1/3-1/2 the speed advertised.
Ink jet printers are also expensive to operate. Although the printers themselves are cheap, the consumables are expensive. Both the cartridges and high-quality paper are going up in price, not down.
The last problem with ink jet printers is that their color prints don't last very long. Many begin to fade after just a few months, and most will not last more than three years. The problem lies in the dye-based inks. Better quality paper helps, but not much. Pigment-based ink jet prints should last decades, but they have not been thoroughly tested yet.
If you can afford the extra cost, look for a pigment-based ink jet like the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P which costs $899. It is an excellent photo printer whose output rivals the photo lab, but it is not good for black and white images or text. It can print 3x5 up to 13x44-inch pages. It connects via parallel or USB ports, and it has options for Ethernet or Postscript 3. In photo mode, the resolution is 1,440x720. The cost for an 8x10 print ranges from $1.40 to $1.89.