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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!edison!steinmetz!davidsen
From: davidsen@steinmetz.UUCP (Davidsen)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Heavy-duty dot-matrix printer recommendations requested
Message-ID: <294@steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Oct-85 11:14:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: steinmet.294
Posted: Thu Oct 24 11:14:26 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 20:06:17 EDT
References: <2124@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: davidsen@kbsvax.UUCP (Davidsen)
Organization: GE CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 23
Summary: 


A number of us at GE have been using Tally printers (160L) for several years.
We got them for the following reasons: [1] we couldn't get Epsons, [2] they
speak both serail and parallel, a bonus in a group wich does software support
for both Rainbows and IBM's, [3] the only switch to set is the power switch.

The infant mortality has been rather high, although all were fixed in a few
weeks under warantee. After infant mortality, no failures in several years.
There are at least eight of these around now. The ribbon life is about fairly
independent of the use, and they tend to dry out every ten weeks or so even if
lightly used. They also last that long in fairly heavy usage. The near letter
quality is good enough to use for almost anything, including a resume.

There is also a new Cannon "Epson clone" out, cost about $299 in this area.
It's too early to tell about reliability, but they are rated at 100% duty
cycle, and one of the local stores has put a few boxes of paper thru one
without problems. That constitutes a lot of months use for most people. The
head design is massive, with more fins than a shark.
-- 
	billD	(..seismo!rochester!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen)
		(davidsen@GE-CRD.ARPA)

"It seemed like a good idea at the time..."