Printer suggestions, networked laser vs. individual inkjets

[Thomas Dowling]

----------
> From: ammons at creighton.edu
> To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>
> Subject: Printer suggestions, networked laser vs. individual inkjets
> Date: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 6:39 PM
> 
> The old dot matrix printers at our reference stations no longer do the
> job. So, should we get one networked laser or start replacing dot matrix
> with individual inkjets? Do you recommend a model that has worked for 
> you? Yes, I searched the archive, but the last time this question was
> asked the replies weren't all that informative, because an off-topic post
> redirected the discussion.

It's probably a topic that should be revisited every couple of months
anyway, as new printers come out and people gain experience with older
models.

I can't recommend any make or model, but I can give some general advice
(vicariously gleaned from watching some of our members discover it the hard
way).  Don't build a new printing environment solely around your current
requirements.  By way of example, we have several databases that are adding
ASCII full text of journal articles; okay, no crisis, a dot matrix or ink
jet printer can handle that, if slowly.  But we also just opened up a
service that provides 170+ journals in full text/full image as PDF files. 
A couple of very patient people actually tried printing one of them on a
dot-matrix printer a couple months ago--I haven't heard if it's finished
yet.

Second, if you're thinking of charging for printing, keep a close eye on
any web services you may be deploying.  We recently rolled out a web
interface to some of our databases that, like its vt100 counterpart, only
displays one record at a time.  Well, with a terminal printing to a d-m
printer with tractor feed, this works.  With a web browser and/or a shared
printer, you'll get a formfeed with each record, which (at some of our
locations) means a dime per citation.  Welcome back to school, kids.


Thomas Dowling / tdowling at ohiolink.edu / http://www.ohiolink.edu/
Ohio Library and Information Network. Please do not perpetuate the GOOD
TIMES virus hoax, started in 11/94 and circulating again in 9/96.  Refer
to: http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/notes/Notes04c.shtml