Smith-Corona TP-1 Printer

Personal Computer News

Ian Scales

WHEELS REVEALED If you're in a spin over printers, Ian Scales will straighten you out with the lowdown on daisywheels. Daisywheel printers are designed to copy the output of good-quality typewriters. This is especially important in business correspondence where dot-matrix output, though readable, has yet to achieve the acceptance of the typewriter. People are used to typewriter-style text while its dot-matrix counterparts are more commonly associated with electricity bills and bank statements. Whatever the reasons, daisywheel printers are still an important segment of the computer peripherals market, and they're likely to be with us for some years yet. Far from fading out, there have been a couple of notable daisywheel printer releases over the past couple of months which have broken new price/performance ground. Manufacturers, it seems, are tailoring the products to be more price-compatible with the computers they serve. After all, who wants to buy a computer for a few hundred pounds and then have to spend more than twice as much on a printer to go with it. There are now a number of high-quality daisywheel printers around £500, four of which have recently featured in PCN Peripherals Pro-Tests. Here we round up the Juki, Smith Corona, Triumph Adler and Brother HR 15 printers and compare their features side by side. MECHANICS A daisywheel printer stamps a fully-formed character shape through a ribbon and onto paper in the same manner as a typewriter. Instead of using individual print arms, however, all the characters are on a single wheel made up of small print arms radiating from the hub - giving it the appearance (if you have enough imagination) of a daisy. The printer continually rotates the wheel back or forth. When the required letter arrives at the 12 o'clock position it is quickly struck through to the paper by a small hammer mechanism. The entire assembly (hammer and wheel) moves across the length of the paper as opposed to the carriage moving as in a conventional typewriter. In many ways, the cost involved in manufacturing a daisywheel printer as opposed to a dot matrix, reflects the disadvantages of trying to merge an old concept with a new technology. Not only does a daisywheel printer tend to cost more because of its reliance on a multiplicity of precise mechanical components, but it is also slow and inherently inflexible. Unlike alternative methods of getting marks on paper you are generally limited to a set number of characters. To change character sets you have to change daisywheels. It also means that you can't generate graphics or easily change typestyles or sizes within a page. All this means little if you want a printer to turn out letters and high-quality documents. But it's definitely worth bearing in mind if you can see yourself wanting to branch out to other applications. Most daisywheels communicate with their host computers through a Centronics parallel interface. If your computer's I/O limits you to, say, an RS232 serial interface it is worth bearing in mind that having to switch interfaces on either the printer or the computer is likely to cost extra. SPEED The thing to consider is the volume of text you are likely to want to put through in a day, or, perhaps more importantly, how quickly you require each document to be printed. The less costly daisywheel printers achieve their economy at the expense of speed - they are very slow. For applications which require a large volume of output but have a long lead-time - you know what you want to print and when you need it by (form letters for instance) - you only require to be well organised. Here a sheet feeder can pay dividends. If you want to produce one-off letters in a reasonably short space of time it can be a remarkably irritating procedure, especially if you want to work on the computer to do something else, in this situation a spooler can be a valuable aid. The spooler acts like a large buffer. The computer quickly down-loads the contents to the spooler which then feeds the text to the printer as it needs it. This enables you to get back on the computer again while your text is printing out. The trend in computer products generally is for the cost of micro-circuitry to fall dramatically in relation to the more static cost of mechanically-based components. Spoolers have therefore become viable for a slow daisywheel, especially as the alternative method of getting your computer to spend less time looking after the printer is to buy a faster printer - costing at present two to three times as much. The ease with which you can feed in the paper (assuming you aren't going to buy a mechanical sheet feeder) has a direct bearing on its speed. It's also important that it feeds in straight first time. If feeding in a sheet usually involves a manual realignment because the press-button 'top of form' function feeds it in crookedly then there's not much point having one in the first place. The same applies to the ease with which you can replace the ribbon and daisywheels. Noise is another thing to watch out for. Daisywheel printers vary considerably from brand to brand in the racket they make. Sound can be generated from the drive method of the printing mechanism in addition to the expected tap-tapping from the daisywheel itself. As these printers are so slow it's worth remembering that you are likely to have to put up with extended periods of (hopefully) background noise. FLEXIBILITY The printer's flexibility is another important criteria. First make sure you can get a full range of daisywheels. It is useful to have a varying number of pitch options. The pitch relates to the number of characters per line. By combining different-sized characters and pitches it is remarkable the different textual effects you can create. A normal range of pitches could offer you 10, 12 and 15 (characters per inch). Have a good look at the manual. The way the printer is controlled to set such things as page length, pause between pages and so on is normally set up by a set of 'dip switches'. These are a row of small on/off switches - configuring the switches to combinations of on or off enables you to permanently set the printer to work the way you require it. The directions for setting the dip switches should be clearly explained in the user manual. A second level of control commands is usually available to set such features as underlining, shadow or bold printing. The commands to set these features into the text often have to be sent down from the computer as 'control characters'. Make sure the printer has all the features you are likely to require. Last but not least, pay special attention to the level of support offered from the dealer. Can it be fixed quickly if it breaks down? Printers are as prone to a good old fashioned breakdown as any mechanical device. TRIUMPH ADLER TRD 170S PRODUCT: Triumph Adler TRD 170S daisywheel printer PRICE: £725 plus VAT INTERFACES: Choice of Centronics, Qume parallel, RS232 and Diablox emulation. EXTRAS: Optional tractor £125 plus VAT, mechanical sheet feed £595 plus VAT DISTRIBUTOR: Triumph Adler [redacted] The Triumph Adler TRD 170S comes at the top of this round-up price-wise. A few months ago a £723 plus VAT daisywheel was a pretty good buy, but now there are other similar-featured printers on the market. The TRD is rated at 16 cps. It has the bonus of a wide range of daisywheels available and a wide range of pitches which can be chosen by the user. The ribbons are available in fabric, carbon or multistrike carbon. As an added bonus the ribbon carrier has a lever to set the amount of ribbon transport to suit the pitch of the wheel being used. Paper loading is easy and accurate and there is little noise generated by the printer and its fan. On the minus side the control codes offered are sparse and there is a tendency for the first character on the line in 'double-strike' mode to be off-centre. BROTHER HR15 PRODUCT: Brother HR15 daisywheel printer PRICE: £540 plus VAT, Tractor feed £80 plus VAT INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics parallel DISTRIBUTOR: Thame Systems [redacted] The Brother HR-15 is a very solid, 'ownable' sort of printer. At £540 plus VAT it offers a bumper package of features in exchange fora very slow speed of 11 cps. To compensate for this it has a 2K buffer (expandable to 5K) and an automatic 'copy' function so you can leave it to churn out multiple copies while you use the computer to do something else. It has a full range of control functions available through a full set of dip switches (easily accessible at the rear of the machine) and a comprehensive range of control codes. Printing features include proportional spacing, auto-underline, shadow or, red print. Parallel Centronics and RS232 interfaces are both standard and the printer is very quiet. There is also a wide range of wheels in 10, 12 or 15 pitch. The ribbon and wheels are very easy to change. The HR 15 has the added bonus of a sheet feeder at the relatively low price of £220 plus VAT. SMITH CORONA TP1 PRODUCT: Smith Corona TP1 daisywheel printer INTERFACE: Centronics or RS232 Speed 12 cps PRICE: £485 plus VAT CONTACT: Smith Corona [redacted] The Smith Corona TP1 is a 'no frills' model costing £485 plus VAT. It comes with either Centronics or RS232 interfaces and the idea of 'either/or' is continued in pitch choice. You must specify whether you want a 10 or 12 pitch model. Friction feed comes as standard and there is a friction operated tractor upgrade available. Cost-cutting exercises include the elimination of dip switches. There is a single switch to set the printer into 'top of form' mode or 'normal' mode. Line spacing is set with a lever, like a typewriter. Changing the ribbon and print wheels are simple exercises and the manual is clear and concise. This printer is only capable of 12 cps but it is not bidirectional or logic seeking and because the print-head transport uses a rack and pinion system it is very noisy. The ribbons and wheels, however, are cheap: at £2 and £7.50 respectively. JUKI 6100 PRODUCT: Juki 6100 daisywheel printer INTERFACE: Centronics parallel PRICE: £399 plus VAT MANUFACTURER: Juki DISTRIBUTOR: Microperipherals [redacted] The Juki represents the major price breakthrough with its retail price of £399 plus VAT. On price/performance considerations it would appear to be the best buy in the round-up. With a print speed of 17 cps it operates in 10, 12 or 15 pitch modes, with an added proportional spacing option. There is a useful 2K buffer which enables you to down load about 2 pages of text and use the computer for something else. The ribbon is an IBM type and can be a bit mucky to install, although for economy it uses top, middle and bottom in turn. There is a wide range of control options available, both from a 10 dip switch panel and a comprehensive number of control codes. On the minus side however, the manual is a little confusing in places and the mechanism produces a rather irritating whining noise, Juki as a company is a newcomer to the UK market. It would therefore be wise to seek assurances on spare parts availability. QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK It's always useful to have the questions ready to fire at the dealer before you get, your printer home and discover them for yourself. Compatibility: If the interface isn't the same as the one on the computer get an assurance on how much money a change involves. The same applies to your word processing package: will it work without an endless amount of fiddling about with control codes? Speed: Try and determine the 'real' speed of the printer. If the machine can run in bi-directional mode, this increases the speed considerably; as does logic seeking where the printer doesn't waste its time tracking over white space at the end of a short line of text. Cost: If you are likely to need a sheet feeder, get an assurance on price and availability. Consumables are also an important factor. Do a calculation on ribbon life and cost and print wheel cost and include it in the equation - all this can add up. If you don't regard yourself as a business, remember about VAT. Noise: Remember you have to live with it. Carriage width: If you're likely to need wide output make sure the carriage is wide enough. If you don't, don't pay for features you won't use. Flexibility: Ask to see the range of print wheels. Remember you will probably want different sizes as well as styles. Documentation: This is more important than it sounds. There is nothing more frustrating than a manual that doesn't make any sense. Have a good pore through it in the showroom.

Personal Computer News

Barry Miles

NAME: Smith Corona TP1 daisywheel printer INTERFACE: Parallel or RS232C SPEED: 12cps PRICE: £485 plus VAT CONTACT: Smith Corona [redacted]. DAISY DECIBELS Smith Corona's TP1 gives a precision performance, says Barry Miles - if you can stand the noise. The TP1 is a small daisywheel printer, described by Smith-Corona as a simple, low-cost, high-quality printer, delivering executive quality printout, and incorporating a limited number of operator controls. Any daisywheel machine at £485 will attract a lot of interest, so I was interested to test out these claims. GETTING STARTED The machine comes in the usual polystyrene cocoon, with extra packaging around the print-head to protect it from unwanted movement. The case is mainly off-white, with a dark band around. You can get at the mechanism by lifting the lid, which automatically cuts off the power. Similar concern for safety is indicated by the warning about keeping hair, jewellery, etc out of the way of the mechanism. The machine itself weighs only 9.4 kilos but is nonetheless of solid construction, and is compact in size (6.4 x 19.5 x 13.5in). It comes with either a Centronics or RS232C-compatible serial interface as standard. You must specify whether you want the 10 pitch or 12 pitch model when buying. This immediately makes you think that there is something rather unusual about the machine, and you would be right. Friction feed is standard, and there is a tractor feed option available, but this is driven by friction too. Getting the machine going is simple - on power-up it goes into a series of movements for a few seconds, and then is ready to go. There is a single switch to set it into top of form mode or normal mode, and that is all. If you want to switch off the linefeed which is automatically provided you're out of luck. This seems to me to be carrying simplicity to the point of poverty. There are no dip-switches to modify the printer's behaviour, and although there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, it means you must be absolutely sure that the printer will do exactly what you want before you buy it. The manual is clear and gives you all the information you need. Including the maximum cable-length which you can safely use to hook up to your computer. There are also some very pleasant features about the machine. The knobs on the end of the platen are of rubber, and easy to grip. Line spacing can be varied by means of a very simple lever, from 6 lines per inch, through 4.5, to 3 lines per inch. A fourth setting, 0, permits the platen to roll freely. There is also a variable line spacing wheel, on a ratchet, to enable you to set the printing line very precisely to line it up with pre-printed forms. The alignment is further aided by the existence of three rollers on the bail bar - which is calibrated - and by indicators which show where the bottom of the characters, and the next character will print. An Impression Control Lever is also provided. This allows you to adjust for fluctuating voltages. Top of form assumes 11in (66 line) paper, and you may use up to four-part stationery, with a maximum thickness of 0.22in. The ribbon cassettes are compact and very simple to fit. There is a lever which moves the print hammer away - this makes wheel-changing simple. The ASCII "CAN" character controls margin release. You can set up tabs, by sending ASCII "DC2" - ASCII "DC4" will remove a setting. Again, you must move the print point to the right spot first, by spaces or backspaces. There are five different styles of wheel available, and the lack of italics is the only real criticism here. UP AND RUNNING The average speed claimed is 12 characters per second - my tests showed this to be as true as other similar claims. The machine is not bi-directional logic-seeking, so will tend to be slower than a machine which offers that facility. The noise level is appalling. It is rated at 63 to 69 decibels, which does not sound too bad, but this doesn't take the character of the noise into account. The point is that a type of rack-and-pinion transport is employed - which is why you can have only one pitch - and the noise of this is far more penetrating than the usual form of transport. The noise is present whenever the head is moving about, so spaces are as noisy as characters. Having tested printers where the only sound is of a very quiet fan, and light typing sounds, this burst of machine gun fire is a shock. It didn't get any better with time, either. VERDICT The TP1 is a cheap, easy to use printer, which produces very clear, attractive printout, and has been designed to be easy to operate. The ribbons and wheels are very cheap indeed at £2 and £7.50 respectively, if you can live with the noise, and do not require a wider range of facilities than are provided, then the price performance ratio is attractive. For me, the noise makes it a non-starter. I strongly recommend you to listen to the printer, and others, before making a choice.

A high printer capability in one direction will probably cause either a low capability in another or a higher price. If a printer has lots of everything it will close the price/performance gap.