Public PC printers -Reply

[Dan Lester]

>>> "George Emery" <emeryg at canisius.edu> 08/15/97
08:54am >>>
Public PC printers have continued to be a major problem in
our reference department and the printers connected to our
web workstations are the worse. Our web workstations have
HP DeskJets 520 and 540s connected and there are constant
problems. We have HP ThinkJets connected to our CD-ROM
network PCs and our OPAC terminals. They seldom have
problems but are expensive to maintain. I also fear
that they will all start failing at the same time.
-----
My comments come as a spouse of a longtime HP employee
and as an HP stockholder.

I agree with you on the differences between the "old"
ThinkJets and the newer DeskJets.  The new ones are much
less expensive, particularly if you take inflation into account. 
Some of that is due to increased volume of sales, some due
to improved technology and manufacturing.  But, though HP
might not say this publicly (nor have they said it to me
privately), the newer ones just aren't as solidly built and won't
last as long IN YOUR TYPE OF USE (or mine).  The
ThinkJets were built as business tools.  DeskJets are built as
consumer products, and are thus less durable and less
expensive.  I think of it as the difference between IBM
Selectrics, which were built like battleships, and the
consumer electric typewriters of the same era, which were
about a fourth of the cost.  The consumer models just didn't
have the construction or features of the Selectric.  Why has
HP changed this?  Becuase they need to compete in the
marketplace.  As inkjets became less expensive, as people
wanted to be able to print color, they started to compete with
the inexpensive dot matrix monsters most of us messed with
at home, and often in the office.  To the average consumer
the message is clear.  It looks like Laser (for most purposes),
but is much faster and cheaper, so buy it.  So, to survive in
that business, HP has to change the products.  
===========

This week I placed an order for a HP LaserJet 5N to network.
We looked at the 5si but the price was too steep for our
budget. The 5N is under $1300. Because of the many
problems with networking printers for student workstations
that Dan illustrates we decided to proceed slowly. At this
time we will connect only the web workstations and leave the
CD-ROM network and standalones with dedicated ThinkJets.
--------------
We too will proceed slowly for a variety of reasons.  I'm
currently recommending a 5si for reference area, and at first it
will only print from about eight of the 24 workstations.  The
rest will remain DOS based 386s that each have their own
workhorse LX300 attached.  We don't plan to charge, at least
at first.  This has been an easier decision since a number of
the campus computer labs that used to charge for laser
output will quit doing so as of the start of school in ten days. 
We had been afraid that people would bury us with printing in
order to avoid the dimes in the labs.  That issue should be
gone now.  
==================
We do not plan to have a person in attendance at the
networked printer but we will be starting out with only four
web computers attached to it. If all goes well then we will add
four more from the CD-ROM network but never more than 12
for this particular printer.  

Our reference librarians are glad that the DeskJets are going
but there is concern for the issues that Dan has raised. We
shall see  next month.
-----------
We'll also report back, but it may be a month or two until the
higher levels approve the plan and it gets implemented.  I just
want it going before this semester is over (there are always
WAY too many demands that things can "only change at the
beginning of a semester", which I consider silly since 95
percent of the user population is the same between fall and
winter.

dan



Dan Lester, Network Information Coordinator
Boise State University Library, Boise, Idaho, 83725 USA
voice: 208-385-1235   fax:  208-385-1394
dlester at bsu.idbsu.edu     OR    alileste at idbsu.idbsu.edu
Cyclops' Internet Toolbox:    http://cyclops.idbsu.edu
"How can one fool make another wise?"   Kansas, 1979.