Re: [ql-users] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?=A3_1000_to_spend!?=

[SMSQ - Jochen Merz]

I have a radical suggestion to make, most non-Windows platforms are 
suffering from the same problem of Win printers. Each platform tries 
desperately to produce new drivers for the ever changing printers, needing 
to reshape it's whole driver system in the process. There is an alternative 
make a non-Win printer, whose supply is guaranteed for years. A printer
is print engine and a controller. 
That's exactly what most printers nowadays are.

Controlled by the computer - just like your ZX printer.
So it is ALWAYS down to the driver if you have "dumb" printer.
>The ZX printer produced for the ZX81
will work on my ZX Spectrum till this day.

Postscript looks better and better as time goes on. Laser use par, have
PCL or postscript and sometimes have Epson emulation.
Same trend: PAR disappears, USB (and network) comes, and the cheaper 
models come without emulations. Wait for another year or two and
the majority of models will come without emulation.

A possible solution to all this would be a box which accepts
PAR input and provides two outputs, PAR and USB.
It accepts, say, ESC/P2 and converts it into PCL or
ESC/Raster - at least this way a larger range of current
printers would be supported AND it would work physically
together with all QL(type) systems ... but again, there
are many, many disadvantages and only a temporary solution
(printer manufacturers tend to modify the "language" of the
different models slightly to make sure they are not really
compatible anymore... and of course, the steps from 180 dpi
over 360, 720, 1440, 2880, and so on always require new
instructions ... and only if you're lucky they will tell you).
Maybe you could sell such a box also to existing ATARI, AMIGA
and whatever users, I don't know.
Disadvantage: a WIndows machine could do the job with a single
program (like QPC Print) - much cheaper, more flexible, and
for every printer.
You need a box for every printer.
There must be ways to update it.
And so on and so on...
...but the printing problem exists, and it there won't be a
magic improvement, especially not for non-USB systems.
Jochen