[Ti] Portable Printer for the Ti G4 PB

[William R. McMunn]

In response to Daniel Kegan's questions:

(1) As already noted by Steve Wozniak, there IS a Mac OS X driver for 
the Canon BJC-85, available as an OS X installation package from the 
Canon web site. It was first issued in October 2001 and nothing new 
has come out since then. As mentioned in my previous post, it has 
worked for me in several versions of OS X 10.1 and now continues to 
work well with Jaguar/10.2.1 and 10.2.2 on my TiG4 667/1 GB/combo 
drive. A different driver is available for use with OS 9 and Classic, 
and that driver also works well on my Powerbook under those operating 
systems.

(2) I haven't heard from other BJC-85 users about problems from 
inactivity, and my experience may not answer your question because I 
have used the printer at least once a month since I got it last 
March. I suppose that the BJC-85 is subject to all the ills of any 
inkjet printer. The mechanism has a removable "cartridge" that 
contains the nozzles and holds the ink tanks, which are separately 
removable and available. In fact there are 3 styles of cartridge/ink 
tank combinations: Black only (BJI-10), "Color" for spot color work 
(BJI-11), and "Photo" (BJI-12). The printer comes with the Black and 
Color cartridges, but the Photo cartridge must be bought separately. 
The software includes a cartridge cleaning sequence that I have never 
used, though I suppose eventually I should try it on suspicion. The 
fact that the ink tanks are small means that they need to be replaced 
frequently, which probably helps to keep them fresh. Air-tight 
cartridge holders made of molded plastic are available (one comes 
with the printer), and I use them to store the open cartridges that I 
am not currently using. New cartridges and ink tanks come in sealed 
wrappers. If all else fails, it would be easy (though more expensive) 
to replace the entire cartridge assembly instead of just the ink 
tanks. See the Canon web site for prices on all these items. With 
these qualifications, I do not think that inactivity will present any 
major problems.

(3) I know of no plans from Canon for a new model, but that does not 
mean they are not planning one. My impression is that the BJC-85 and 
BJC-55 portables are made for a small niche market and hence less 
subject to frequent cosmetic marketing upgrades than desk model 
printers. Canon does make another portable ink-jet called the BJC-55, 
but the word I got from discussion lists before I made my decision 
was that though smaller and lighter (and more expensive), the BJC-55 
does not print as well as the BJC-85, and it is slower and requires 
even more frequent ink changes. I have no experience with the BJC-55, 
but my BJC-85, which I bought factory reconditioned at a significant 
discount, has served me very well, both at home and on the road.

I hope this helps.

Bill McMunn



>1. If I read correctly, BJC-85 not yet print native in OS X.
>Any hint of OSX driver delivery date?
>
>2. Do you (BJC-85 users) have any experience with how printing works 
>after a period of
>inactivity? I'm thinking of BJC-85 for (infrequent) travel use, with perhaps
>2-5 months between, then maybe a week daily use.
>Desktop inkjets seem unhappy if not used for a while,
>need special attention in cleaning cycles etc
>(at least Epson 800 etc)
>
>3. BJC-85 has been out for a while Many other printers get
>some kind of upgrade every few years, at least change model
>number and color of case. Have you picked up any such impending
>discontinuance/ upgraded model.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Daniel Kegan * daniel at KeganLaw.com * Kegan & Kegan, Ltd