Smith-Corona Fastext 80 Printer

Personal Computer News

Kenn Garroch

PRINTS OF THE REALM Finding the right printer for your computer can be as difficult as winding your way through a maze. But, there's hope on the horizon - simply consult Kenn Garroch's guide to what's what and for how much. Printers range from cheap thermal narrow-paper machines to large expensive daisy wheels. The in between ground is held by the dot matrix, Epson lookalike printers. There are also colour printers which range from the cheapest pen plotters to the ribbon and ink jet machines that produce high quality prints. The bottom end of the printer market is generally held by the thermal printers, and the pen plotters. Thermal printers need either special paper, available from many stationers, or carbon transfer ribbons such as those in the Brother range (EP22/44/HR5). The pen plotters use one of four coloured pens which move horizontally across the paper. The paper moves vertically allowing characters and graphics to be drawn on the paper. They tend to be slow and are generally limited to narrow (4.5in) paper. Dot matrix is the most common type of printer these days. A vertical line of needles presses an inked or carbon ribbon onto the paper. At the bottom of the range the capabilities are limited but usually include bit image graphics and a choice of character sets. At the top end, features such as proportional spacing, near letter quality (NLQ), buffers, and downloadable character sets are available. But you pay for the extra facilities. For the more serious users, the daisy wheel type of printer may be necessary. These use a spoked wheel with a letter on each spoke. The letters are stamped against a ribbon just like a typewriter. The main problems are inflexibility, as you are limited to the characters available on the wheel. They also tend to be slow, roughly 10-20cps, and very noisy, which irritates some people. INTERFACES A snag you may run across is the type of interface that connects the printer to your computer. The most common is the Centronics parallel connection. The other main type is the serial or RS232 interface. This is usually available either as an alternative to Centronics, or as a separate adaptor for more cash (denoted by the £ sign in the list below). When buying a printer, you will probably be spoilt for choice. The first thing is to decide what you need a printer for - letter quality, listings, graphics, colour, etc. Next, decide what you can pay, and see which printers are in your price range. Once you have a selection, think of what you may need the printer for in the future. This should narrow the choice down to one or two. At this point, you should scour the advertisements in the computer press for the company that offers the best deal for the printer you want. Now you have a printer that should last for years without any problems. In case of hitches, make sure the dealer you buy the printer from has some kind of backup and guarantee policy. THERMAL PRINTERS NAME: TC600 PRICE: £577.25 SPEED: 16cps INTERFACES: RS232 PRINT METHOD: Carbon ribbon/thermal PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Plots graphs, built-in keyboard and RAM, disk drive available. SUPPLIER: Jones Brother [redacted] NAME: HR5 PRICE: £180.85 SPEED: 16cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Carbon ribbon/thermal PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Battery powered 4xU2s, similar to EP-44 without keyboard. SUPPLIER: Jones Brother [redacted] NAME: EP22 PRICE: £169.95 SPEED: 16cps INTERFACES: RS232 PRINT METHOD: Carbon ribbon/thermal PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Battery powered 4xU2 SUPPLIER: Jones Brother [redacted] NAME: Epson P-40 PRICE: £109 SPEED: 10cps INTERFACES: Optional Centronics or RS232 PRINT METHOD: Thermal PAPER SIZE: 4.5in COMMENTS: Cheaper but paper is narrow SUPPLIER: Peripheral Hardware [redacted] DOT MATRIX PRINTERS NAME: Smith-Corona D200 PRICE: £483 SPEED: 160cps INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Includes NLQ, 2K internal buffer, IBM compatibility. SUPPLIER: Smith Corona dealers NAME: Walters WM-80 PRICE: £228.28 SPEED: 80cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Bog standard Epson lookalike. SUPPLIER: Walters Microsystems [redacted] NAME: Shinwa CPA-80 PRICE: £228.85 (Centronics), £251.85 (RS232) SPEED: 100cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Pretty well Epson compatible SUPPLIER: Micro-Peripherals [redacted] NAME: Cana PW1080A PRICE: £320 SPEED: 160cps draft/75cps NLQ INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Includes NLQ option. SUPPLIER: CJE Micros [redacted]/Maplin [redacted] NAME: Brothers M1009 PRICE: £199 SPEED: 60cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: A compact printer, almost completely Epson control code compatible. SUPPLIER: Jones Brother [redacted] NAME: Riteman Plus PRICE: £260 SPEED: 120cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Tractor fee mech available SUPPLIER: KODE [redacted] NAME: Smith Corona Fastex 80 PRICE: £224.25 SPEED: 80cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Tractor feed available. SUPPLIER: Smith-Corona dealers NAME: OKI Microline 80 PRICE: £229 SPEED: 80cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 9.5in SUPPLIER: X-DATA [redacted] NAME: Epson RX80 F/T PRICE: £328 SPEED: 100cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Taken as standard SUPPLIER: Epson dealers NAME: Mannesman Tally 80 PRICE: £299 SPEED: 80cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Mannesman Tally [redacted] NAME: Star Gemini 10X PRICE: £286 SPEED: 120cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in SUPPLIER: Keyaki [redacted] LETTER QUALITY PRINTERS NAME: IBICO LTR-1 PRICE: £175 SPEED: 12cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: Letters on cylindrical roller - a bit like a rubber golf ball. PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: Interfaces available for Commodore 64, and Spectrum at £29.95, and £39.95 respectively. SUPPLIER: IBICO [redacted] NAME: Silver Reed EXP500 PRICE: £378 SPEED: 18cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Daisy wheel PAPER SIZE: 10in SUPPLIER: C/WP Computers [redacted] NAME: Juki 6100 PRICE: £385.25 SPEED: 17cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Daisy wheel PAPER SIZE: 13in COMMENTS: Takes Triumph Adler wheels. SUPPLIER: Most printer dealers NAME: Smith Corona L1000 PRICE: £368 SPEED: 12cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Daisy wheel PAPER SIZE: 13in COMMENTS: Replacement for the TP1 SUPPLIER: Smith-Corona dealers NAME: Turbo-20 PRICE: £497 SPEED: 18cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Daisy wheel PAPER SIZE: 15in SUPPLIER: Office Efficiency Machines [redacted] COLOUR PRINTERS NAME: Seikosha GP700-A PRICE: £488 SPEED: 50cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: 7-colour ribbon dot matrix PAPER SIZE: 8.5in SUPPLIER: DRG Business Machines [redacted] NAME: Integrex Colour Jet PRICE: £654.35 SPEED: 40cps INTERFACES: Centronics/RS232(£) PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix ink jet PAPER SIZE: 8.5in COMMENTS: No tractor feed available; interface for viewdata system. SUPPLIER: Integrex [redacted] NAME: CGP 1154 PRICE: £149 SPEED: 12cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: Pen plotter PAPER SIZE: 4.5in COMMENTS: One of many 4-colour pen plotters, all the same design and roughly the same price. SUPPLIER: Tandy shops NAME: Tandy CGP-220 PRICE: £499 SPEED: 37cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: 7-colour ink jet PAPER SIZE: 8.5in SUPPLIER: Tandy dealers NAME: Canon PJ1080A PRICE: £497 SPEED: 37cps INTERFACES: Centronics PRINT METHOD: 7-colour ink jet PAPER SIZE: 8.5in SUPPLIER: Canon dealers, Keyaki [redacted] NAME: Commodore MPS-801 PRICE: £395.95 SPEED: 38cps INTERFACES: CBMIEEE PRINT METHOD: Dot matrix coloured ribbon PAPER SIZE: 8.5in SUPPLIER: Commodore [redacted]

A comparison of the speed and capabilities of thermal printers puts the HR5 well in front.

The Brother HR5.

The Brother M1009.

The Canon PW180A.

The Epson RX80 F/T.

The GP-700-A is good value, but the Integrex offers more features. Above, the Commodore MPS-801.

The Smith Corona D200.

The dot matrix market is competitive, and price is not always the best indication of what's best.

With letter quality printers, you get what you pay for.

Sinclair User

LOW COST FOR HIGH QUALITY PRINT A printer is a major expense for most computer users but a number of low cost printers are becoming available. The Fastext 80 by Smith Corona is classed as a budget, Centronics, printer but it has most of the features you are likely to need. RS232 is an optional extra. As well as normal-sized text you can print in Condensed, elite or enlarged type - all with true descenders, change the international character set, underline characters and change the line spacing and form length. An automatic line feed can be set using the single DIP switch on the back of the printer and in graphics mode you can print up to 576 dots. The standard printer can accept paper up to 10in. wide and a tractor feed can be added for fan-fold paper. The friction feed works tolerably well but snags, occasionally. At normal print size it prints at a fast 80 cps. With all that it should be a reasonable buy but there are problems. The first are the instructions. The initial setting up is well documented but the list of control codes is poorly laid out and is a mine-field for newcomers. Although the codes are Epson compatible the common DCA is replaced by ESC W, ESC J executes at n/72 rather than n/216 and ESC C only operates on the number of lines. The front panel has only an on-line button, line feeds and form feeds have to be sent by software or by using the manual knob. There is an LED to show if you are on-line but there is 'no end of paper' warning. All the above could be forgiven if the printer were competitively priced, but at £224.25, plus £17.25 for a tractor feed and £8.20 for extra ribbons, it is not. For the same price you can get an Epson RX80 which has a proven track record and cheaper ribbons.

Personal Computer News

Features 3/5

Documentation 2/5

Performance 4/5

Overall Value 4/5

Leah Batham 4/5

ON THE DOTTED LINE A basic but reliable dot matrix printer from Smith Corona is plugged into Leah Batham's computer. Fastext 80 is the name of a dot-matrix printer from Smith Corona that represents the bottom end of its new range of printers. At £224.25, it is definitely rock bottom. The printer has the standard off-white plastic casing with a black front panel to break the monotony. It is compact, long and narrow, and leaves plenty of desk-space free in front of it. SETTING UP The review Fastext 80 came with the power cable and a paper guide. It had a parallel interface port, but an RS232C serial port can be obtained as an optional extra - at a price, of course. After plugging in the power cable and connecting the interface, all you need do is check the two dip switches. One sets the automatic line feed and the other doesn't appear to do anything. What were they thinking of? Friction feed is the standard on this printer but a tractor feed attachment will soon be available for an extra £17.25. However, the friction feed was quite reliable, even with fan-fold paper. I had to keep the bail lever back so it wouldn't snag on every other crease in the paper, but when it was aligned correctly it ran true. The maximum width of paper Fastext takes is 10in. Installing the ribbon was a most unusual procedure. It comes in a tiny square cassette and the small stretch of ribbon outside the cassette must first be hooked around two ribbon guides to the left of the printing area. The cassette is then pulled over to the right of the printing area, thereby pulling out a length of ribbon. When the cassette has been slotted into place the ribbon must be tightened using a knob on the top. I defy anyone to complete this process without getting ink on their fingers. And at £8.20 a shot these awkward ribbons are also rather pricey. DOCUMENTATION A sheet of unpacking instructions and a 15-page A4 manual were the only documentation supplied. The manual does a reasonable job of explaining how to set up the printer and covers paper feeding and ribbon replacement in detail. Unfortunately, the writers apparently then realised they had only another eight pages to go. The control codes, printing modes and other features are covered in such scant detail that only a diligent computer buff could hope to make proper use of them. I never did manage to get a pound sign out of it. IN USE I thought Fastext noisier than other dot-matrix printers I've used, though this may have been because it is a demonstration model and had taken a few knocks. There is no bell to indicate when the paper is running out but the printer stops automatically before the platen is revealed. The print quality is reasonably good. The descenders are not pronounced but adequate, and the result is even and clear. The matrix is 9x8 and the maximum speed is 80 characters per second. The functions that can be selected via software commands are: condensed print, underlined print, compressed print, enlarged print, 8-pin bit image mode, line spacing of any multiple of 1/72in and national changes in the character set. The only button on the front panel is the on-line button - no form feed or line feed. Line feeds can be incorporated into the software, but otherwise you simply have to feed the paper through manually by rotating the platen. Unsophisticated, but not really a problem. VERDICT The Fastext 80 is a basic machine at an appropriate price. The competition at this end of the market is very fierce but this printer stands as good a chance as any of success. Smith Corona is a well-established company which claims to have an extensive service network, attributes that many buyers look for. One thing I would like to know is how did that bug in the underlining mode slip through?

The bottom end of Smith Corona's new range: a basic dot matrix for a basic price