Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!amdahl!pyramid!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!hpvcla!neff
From: neff@hpvcla.HP.COM (Dave Neff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP Deskjet
Message-ID: <4340010@hpvcla.HP.COM>
Date: 9 Aug 88 18:14:40 GMT
References: <560@proxftl.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Vancouver, WA
Lines: 60

To answer a few questions.

TeX drivers are available (I have seen them mentioned on the net but
I don't know how you could get one), but the general belief
is the DeskJet is too slow for graphics to use
with TeX.  A full page of 300 DPI graphics will take about 5 minutes.
Now if you can live with lower resolutions you gen get better speed.

Granted the graphics speed could be better, but ...
the DeskJet is intended primarily as a text printer with occasional
graphics.  Our studies indicated that corresponded to typical printer
usage.  A page of simple text takes about 30 seconds to print.  It is rated
at 120 CPS letter, 240 CPS draft, and I guarantee you that this is
truly the rate at which the print head moves, however you have to pick
paper, move paper, drop paper, etc. so I find pages per minute to be
more useful. As the complexity of the page increases (many font changes,
enhancement chages, etc) the pages per minute will decrease, just like
on a laser printer.

Is it laser quality?  It is pretty darn good, but there is some variability
in print quality with type of paper used.  Good quality copy paper
works well, but be sure to print on the "right side" of the paper
(the one you are supposed to copy on).  Some people put the "right side"
facing up, like on a copier, but on a DeskJet the "right side" must be
down.  On bond paper, I would say the print quality is laser quality or
even better (its blacker, less print contrast variation over a page).

As for cost of ownership, a print cartridge is about $18 which lasts
for 500 pages of text, giving a cost per page of about 3.5 cents.
There is also a draft mode (key selectable) which uses half the ink
so it is about 1.75 cents per page.  If you use draft mode for throwaway
print outs and rough drafts, you can get an average cost per page of
around 2.5 cents, but that depends how you use the printer.  These
costs are comparable to laser printers.  We suggest using the DeskJet
in applications that have a 25 page per day typical usage, so in this
usage a pen would last about 1 work month.  Typically you buy a new ink
pen everytime you buy a new ream of paper.  Note since a pen costs 
$18 and a ream of good paper is about $5, it makes no sense to get cheap
copy paper to save a few pennies and suffer degraded print quality.

The printer is very quiet, and supports multiple fonts via two slots.
A slot can contain a ROM cartridge for fonts or Epson emulation, or a
RAM cartridge which can be used to download fonts.  At this time
only HP supplied download fonts are available and we offer no tools
to make your own fonts, but many third party LaserJet font design
programs are adding DeskJet support.

I am very biased, having worked on the DeskJet, but I have three
DeskJets on my desk in front of me, one at home, use them daily,
and think they are great.  People are amazed at what I am able to
create on the printer.

I hope I answered your questions.  There has been discussion of the
DeskJet on the net, but under the ibm PC category, rather than the
hp or the printer categories.  I will gladly answer any other questions
you might have.

Dave Neff
ihnp4!hpfcla!hpvcla!neff
(206) 254-8110 x2358