4.2BSD/usr/doc/hints/09.t

.sh PRINTERS
One of the most exciting developments in the area of printers is
the availability of desk top laser printers.
This paper was printed on an Imagen laser printer we have been using,
quite successfully, for several months now.
The Imagen offers high resolution (240 dots/inch), uses plain paper,
and seems to require minimal hardware maintenance.
It is interfaced to one of our VAXes via a 19.2 Kbaud RS-232 line
although a parallel interface is also available.
.LP
Among the problems with the Imagen are the small number of
available fonts and
the incompleteness of some of those which are available.
In addition, the Cannon LBP-10 printing engine used
has only a 200 sheet paper tray.
Since the unit employs a wet process Xerography and
smells a bit, it is not
located in the same room as a person who might be
responsible for refilling the tray.  This inevitably
results in print jobs backing up in a long queue until
someone notices paper is needed.
The Imagen folks were initially TEX oriented and their
\fItroff\fP support contains glitches which are
purported to go away with future releases of the software.
We also hope to eventually interface our printer directly
to the Ethernet; as soon as Imagen provides the necessary
software to do so.
.LP
Another laser printer based on the Canon LBP-10 engine
is produced by Symbolics. 
Symbolics offers both RS-232 and parallel interfaces to
the printer.
The Symbolics software
is known to provide excellent software support for \fItroff\fP.
We are are now evaluating a Symbolics printer.
.LP
QMS in Georgia has apparently solved the mysteries of the Xerox 2700
printer and is distributing an OEM version which might be a good choice.
The major potential advantages here have to do with 
Xerox's size and extensive field support.
The unit is dry process (unlike the Imagen and Symbolics)
and has 300 dots/inch resolution.
With any luck, we will also be evaluating this unit soon.
.LP
We have been using some Printronix 300 and 600 line per minute
dot-matrix printers.
The Printronix printers do point-plotting at 60 points per
inch.  They are not outstandingly
cheap, but are ruggedly built.
.LP
The new Data Products B-600-1 is a 600 LPM
band printer.
We have one and are buying another.
Although we had some initial problems getting the first unit into
service, it now runs reliably and is our heaviest usage production printer.