Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!think!ames!elroy!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!jeric
From: jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu (J. Eric Grove)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Seikosha printer summary (long)
Message-ID: <7561@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 10 Aug 88 15:47:21 GMT
Sender: news@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu
Reply-To: jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (J. Eric Grove)
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 83


I posted a question several weeks ago about the Seikosha SP1000A
printer, which is an ImageWriter I clone.  I received several
fairly positive responses (2 of which appear below, one from
simkins@ncsa.uiuc.edu, another from ST902564@BROWNVM (poor guy :-))
and one truly negative response (from OWEN@imogen.astro.washington.edu),
which I have appended below.

Nearly everyone mentioned that the Seikosha is very slow (see especially
the note from OWEN below).  Also, most everyone mentioned that the
print quality and transport mechanism are at least as good as the
ImageWriter's.

Lyco Computer (1-800-233-8760) sells them for $159.95 + 4% if payment
is by credit card + an unkown amount for shipping.  I plan to order
one soon.

Disclaimer:  I have no connection with Seikosha or Lyco Computer, not
even as a satisfied or dissatisfied customer.


		J. Eric Grove
		jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu
		...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!jeric

______________________________________________________________________
     

From: simkins@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Daniel Simkins)

FYI, I received my printer, and apart from minor cable problems, it works
quite well.  In fact, I think it has a better paper feed mechanism than the
ImageWriters.  If you haven't yet ordered one, you can count me as another
positive endorsement for the printer.  

Dan Simkins

______________________________________________________________________

From:         "B. David Hammarstrom" 

     A friend got a Seikosha SP 1000 for her Mac at home.  It is *NOT* a
printer for a business setting, because it is *very* slow.  It does,
however, work perfectly; if I had a Mac at home I would get the SP.  The
output is as nice as the IWriter.
     
     Hope this helps.
     
     Dave

______________________________________________________________________

From: OWEN@imogen.astro.washington.edu

I have that Seikosha (SP1000AP or whatever), and have mixed feelings.
It has nice output, but:
- it will not reverse-linefeed past about 1/2"; this can cause problems
  with some software. It hits me when use draft mode with Excel.
- it is VERY VERY VERY slow!!! Much slower than the IW I,
  and agonizing compared to the IW II. Not only does it print slowly,
  but line feed and carriage return are also painfully slow.
     
Don't believe the ads about its speed (some claim 100 cps -- baloney!).
The trick is, it prints different text styles at radically different rates
(it's all in the manual, by the way). One text style prints at nearly 100 cps,
but the one of interest (the one the IW uses) is a horrifying 30 cps.
Yes, only 30 characters in one second. Even draft mode printing on this sucker
can take forever.
     
It works, and the output is very nice.
I find the reverse-linefeed problem only an annoyance
(most programs I use don't do enough to bother it).
However, I wouln't buy it if I had to do over again because it is so slow.
I suggest buying a used IW I, if you want to save money.
     
-- Russell

___________________________________________________________________________


		J. Eric Grove
		jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu
		...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!jeric