HomeMac Looking For 11 x 17 Laser Printer

[Charles Turner]

On Wednesday, January 15, 2003, at 07:13  AM, Home Macintosh Users List 
wrote:

> Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 05:46:41 -0500
> From: news desk <news at aacug.org>

> Subject: [HM] ISO: Looking For 11 x 17 Laser Printer
> Is anyone aware of or using an 11 x 17 (tabloid) size
> laser printer?

This past fall I shopped for a 11x17 capable postscript laser printer 
with duplexing that could print at 1200x1200 dpi. I decided to buy a 
Minolta-QMS PagePro 9100. Here's a link:

<http://www.minolta-qms.com/products/monochrome/PP9100/index.html>

A part of my decision to buy QMS was that there is a local dealer of 
good repute.

This printer has been fine with my Macs. OS9 works slightly better than 
OSX for printing for me. QMS has PPDs for both OS9 and OSX. Part of my 
situation is that one of my main applications (Finale, music editing, 
printing conductor scores on tabloid sheets) is still not native OSX. 
It seems to run OK in classic mode - except for its postscript 
printing. Native OSX programs print just fine to this printer, and to 
my Brother 1670N laser printer. Running under OS9 bootup, my Finale's 
printing to the QMS and Brother printers is 100% A-OK. I get to them 
via Appletalk over my in-house LAN.

This is an office workgroup level printer, ie. industrial strength. 
I'll never come close to printing the volume that it is capable of. My 
cost from the dealer for this 9100 with duplex feature, no extra paper 
trays, no HD, standard 64MB of RAM, ethernet adapter, was around $2000 
(and he threw in a toner cartridge which costs $199 list price).

HP has comparable printers, probably in about the same price range. We 
have an HP 8100 at my office which has been a good workhorse. There may 
be newer models now. It's been a few months and I don't remember many 
of the details that I looked up about them.

-ct