🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug19.030637.19197@schaefer.math.wisc.edu>
mueller@schaefer.UUCP writes:

> In article <714102154snx@n5ial.chi.il.us> I wrote:

>> [I] make a photocopy of my printer's output (to take care of
>> the fact that the darkness isn't 100% uniform), and you basically can't
>> tell which is which [....]
>> [....] and those who refuse to believe that my documentation was
>> printed on a dot-matrix printer, period.

> I know this doesn't belong here, but I HAVE to say this.  A laser printer 
> IS a dot matrix printer.  360 dpi is 360 dpi.  The photocopying to make the
> darkness uniform (assuming that it is a high quality copier) should make the
> outputs fairly indistinguishable.

true.  and yes, that isn't as well-known as it should be.  but there are
still issues involved that make it less common for a impact dot-matrix
printer (better?  :-)  ) to have the same print quality as a laser.

for the remainder of this post, when I refer to a ``dot-matrix''
printer, I refer to the impact variety, as opposed to the laser
variety.  I do know the difference, but I generally use the term
``dot-matrix'' in its more common sense, referring to impact printers.

fact is, most of the impact dot-matrix printers don't have that kind
of resolution, and on top of that, outside of the TeXnical community,
most people don't have drivers that even drive their printers anywhere
close to what they can do.

thus, the simple fact that most people consider dot-matrix (again,
impact-based) to be vastly inferior to even the desktop lasers, which
default to a higher resolution w/o the extra effort.

of course, once you look at the really high-end laser printers, the
comparison dies completely, but that's another issue.  actually, from
what I've gathered, 300 dpi (HP LJ IIID) isn't really all that good
for a laser printer, but then, it also doesn't take a cooling system,
raised floor, and half of a decent sized room, either.  :-)

on to the next post on this issue....  :-)
   --jim

--
Standard disclaimer....Ever since my cat learned to type, there's no telling
whose thoughts these really are....         73 DE N5IAL (/9)
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