Re: Printer

In article <4fee3535bddave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Dave Plowman (News) <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <4fee2b7406Spambin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Stuart <Spambin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <4fee2484cddave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Dave Plowman (News) <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If so, which one? Mono is fine. Using an RPC with 4.39. And a Unipod
for USB - if needed. And would I be better using a driver prog that
shares it with my PC? Details would be nice.

Helping Chris Evans out with some stuff after the Christmas show, I
moved a laser printer which he had had on sale and was quite tempted but
by then we were all to busy.

His website lists a number of re-furbished printers, as well as new, at
various prices so it might be worth having a word with Chris.

Right - I will.

If you are lucky you may find find one with dual ports. My canon inkjet
has both parallel and USB so the RPC feeds the parallel port and the PC
is connected to the USB port - works a treat, no additional software or
hardware required.

Yes - that's how I use the i865. But was making provision in case I could
only get a USB one. Not had much success with some USB stuff with unipod.

According to Brian - he's well up with all this - the
UniPod's USB should not be a problem when installing
a new (usb) printer with !Printers. He gave simple
instructions in this group a few weeks ago ..but read
on.. :))

The HP 4P I was given a few days ago seems to have serial and parallel
and I know you can get USB-Serial converters.

Right.

Maplin, if any are interested, also does a usb to parallel
conversion cable at 24.99gbp. (Son2, who's just taken
over my 14yr old HP LaserJet 5L, says it works a treat with
his usb only outlet Apple).

The HP LaserJet III, like it's junior but equally reliable
cousins the 5L/6L, has parallel and serial ports. The
HP III I think was current around 1988-1990, but is still
being sold today as a very cheap 'new' and warranted device,
built from stocks of original parts. As said it was (and
remains) a reliable workhorse.

However...

It is possible to pick up an HP Color LaserJet at a quite
reasonable price ..HP's CP1515n is one such at starting at
145.99gbp from Misco.co.uk (next day delivery if ordered
before 17h00). Yes! That's 145.99gbp and not the 1445.99gbp
that might have been asked for a couple or three years ago!

HP's CP2025n, CP2025dn, and CP2025x start at a higher price,
roughly double at around 300.00gbp to 450.00gbp+, but with
greater capacity OEM toners, which does diminish the cost
per *** somewhat - even when including the greater purchase
price as part of the equation. The HP CP2025 starts
at around 300.00gbp, rising to 425.00gp or so for one with
fully operative ports.

For general use, it is possible that HP's 3035n, 3035dn or
3035x is also well worth condsidering if one can afford them
as the initial purchase price includes, OEM, /full/ 6000
*** capacity toners. Cuts the overall cost per ***
(inc printer purchase price), down quite considerably.

I did supply a lttle of the relevant info, as well as a
run-down of HP's CP1515n and my learning curve with Chika
and Brian's help in installing it a few weeks ago to this
very group. The thread,

"Printing: RiscPC to HP Colour LaserJet"

should be available somewhere.

The designation n, dn and x at the end of HP's identifying
marks denotes respectively, 'N'etwork, full (automatic)
'D'uplex printing and 'x', (serial/parallel ports?).

(The CP1515n entry model,btw, is described as a 'manual'
duplex printer ..ie it will do it, I think, but with the
oversight of the User to shift it's paper about)!

The network 'n' option was surprisingly easy - albeit in
the end(!) - to achieve with the help of Stefan Bellon's
'JetDirect' and Net printing modules and free software -
setting up via any of the !Printers with the Postscript 2
driver available for RISC OS.

The RiscPC even drives the CP1515n (although in b/w only),
from it's PC Card using a 15yr old HP LaserJet 5L driver
PC driver and on out through the !Printers network. Again,
details have already been supplied in the thread within
this group as mentioned above.

Connecting to the network? A simple matter of connecting
one end of a 12.99gbp Cat6 10m twisted cable from Maplin
into an already up and running 4 port router, (used for DSL
connection to Orpheus) - with the other end to the new HP
CP1515n and, Presto!.. even the RiscPC's on-screen colours
are reproduced just about perfectly!

Stefan Bellon's network printing additions for !Printers,
together with his 'JetDirect' module ..(also a proprietary
HP module pretty well included with all new HP Lasers), is
easily reachable and available from around our RISC OS
network.

As I understand it, there should be no problem connecting
to at least UniPod's USB ports - Brian has already outlined
the equally simple method of connecting the usb port.

However, for my purposes and as I already had a four port
router connected and had no desktop or floor space for an
18kg printer, the 10/100/1000 network facility of the UniPod
means a /very/ high speed and reliable transfer under
!Printers Postcript2 driver to a point some 10m away,
with the cable tucked invisibly around the walls.

I understand that the Cat6 cable can even be extended up
to 100 metres without any detriment - but not needed as I
have no intention of installing the beast in the middle
of my neighbour's barbecue! By comparison, a USB connection,
evenwith a 'powered' ten metre extension, may already be
slowing down at that distance.

The PostScript2 driver, by the way, also sit's quite happily
within !Printers alongside the on-board and PC Card driver
for the HP 5L, the driver for David Pilling's ArcFax and the
!Printer Manager's latest in !PDF driver/manager. I've also
installed Ian Hamilton's 'Print Spooler' which adds to the
overall usefulness of the !Printer Manager setup.

Incidentally, HP recommends that with the USB connection
the software (CD PC only!), is installed prior to the
setting up of HP's LaserJets - there is no such recommendation
with the network drivers. HP suggests that merely connecting
the cable and switching the machine on will suffice. For me
the network connection did exactly as stated on the tin!

You merely need to try any and all of the above to see just
how easy it can all be ..but /don't/ confuse a '0' with
an uppercase 'O'! I did ..and it took Chika a verrry looong
time, (sweating with tea and over the 'phone), to work out
what it was that I had managed to 'do' wrong! Once realised,
btw, the printer was up and running in seconds! ;'))

Now, after a few weeks running..? HP's CP1515n seems to
be, (at least momentarily!), as reliable as HP's LaserJets
have always been - they are almost the industry standard.

Done again ..which I might do anyway when it comes time to
replace the toner cartridges.. I might well have opted for
the apparently more expensive CP2025dn, or HP's slightly
larger CP3035dn as the cost per *** of these latter
printers, (including believe it or not the purchase cost of
the printer), works out somewhat more cheaply than the CP1515n
with it's initial purchase cost from Misco of 145.99gbp.
Depends on available dosh ..and just how much printing one
actually intends to do.

Just to add here a note about HP's on board chipped cartridges
with their counters and what not. HP have recently been
taken to (legal) task over this method of 'ensuring loyalty'!

The net result is that although the black (k) cartridge
has an onboard counter - and apparently a strain gauge
'weighing' the remaining mass of toner - it can be simply
overridden from either the software or directly from the
printer's own input panel - thus there should be no
occasion when it's not possible to use every last little
drop of toner. It also should mean that 'after market'
cartridges from the likes of Cartridge World are also
still useable.

The colour cartridges, so I'm informed by HP, although having
counters will nevertheless now just keep on printing until
they are completely exhausted. I've not been able to test
this as yet - I still have 83 percent toner remaining in each
of the three initially 750 page (Y, M, C) colour cartridges -
with about 60pc remaining in the black (K) introductory
cartridge. Interestingly, as the black is being used,
(the black cartridge being the main 'counter' used for
calculations), the overall page count seems to be increasing!
After 450 pages I've still got 60pc/83pc toner remaining
with a suggested remaining *** of greater than 600+ ..out
of a start figure of 750 introductory page-outs!

Of course it is also possible, via the network, for the
printer to be setup to email it's details directly to
Hewlett Packard - including requesting new toner for
itself! - which HP will happily courier to it via next day
post. ;')))

Other thoughts: yes ..it is certainly probably that with
only occasional printing, the lasers have an advantage over
the inkjets in that in a stable temperature environment the
cartridges last almost indefinitely ..whereas inkjet heads
can dry up - and cost a lot of ink in cleaning themselves.

The cost per page between inkjet and laser may also be a
lot cheaper with lasers - and with a more stable fused
non-fadeable printout. This has always been my experience,
having used both sorts of printer - and including the
half-way house of solid ink printers as well.

However, the inkjets do seem to score if one wants a fully
photo-real printout. Perhaps, if one is into pinning piccies
up on the fridge in the kitchen, then a simple inkjet just
for that purpose is easily added, with a laser for reliable
general printing as and when required. Personally these
days I tend to keep piccies on machines, on dvds, in
memory sticks or on 'phones! Transfer via mobile phone
and email or web does not seem to be a problem any longer.
Photo albums seem to be almost a thing of the past!

I'm sure I've missed loads ..but continuing on might bore
you all, so hope what I've added sort of helps.. :))

Bill ZFC

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