Gathering printer info

[mhackett@vaxxine.com (Mike Hackett)]

My wife and I are planning to pool our Christmas money and add to that
whatever needed to get an inkjet printer.  We're hoping to find a
bargain after Christmas.  In preparation for that, I'd like to get a
handle on which printers we should be considering.

I've started working on this chart, which may be of some use to others
too when it is finished.  I'd like to ask your help in confirming or
correcting the information therein, and in filling in the unknowns.  My
ideal printer would have colour (with no cartridge swapping), built-in
fonts, AppleTalk, and fairly straight paper path.  From what I have seen
so far, this printer does not exist.  This printer is to be used by both
a Mac and a IIgs, so having only a parellel port is a real pain.  It can
be used, but only with an additional piece of hardware for both systems,
and to share it without swapping cables, I'll need to add either a
switch box, or perhaps a better option (if it works with the II) is the
printer sharing software I have seen for the Mac.  (Does anyone have any
experience with this type of program?  If not, maybe I'll check in over
in the Mac RT.)

My Canon information is pretty sketchy, and the ones I know about all
seem to be aimed at the IBM system.  Are there Canons with AppleTalk
and/or serial?  Or are these the StyleWriters?  (Canon makes the engine
in those, right?)  If anyone has contact info (email or phone number)
for Canon, could you post that too?  Thanks.  The two things I like
about the Canon printers I've read about is the straighter paper path
(about 30-45 degrees instead of 180 as in the HPs) and the separate
cartridges for each colour (a little thing, but a nice bonus).

OK, here's the chart.  Please post corrections and additions, including
other inkjet printers that you might be using on you Apple II.  Thanks
for your help.


Printer                 Resolution   Colour?   Ports   Fonts?   Drivers
-------                 ----------   -------   -----   ------   -------

HP DeskJet 500           300x300       No       S,P     Yes       H,I
HP DeskJet 500C          300x300      Yes *     S,P     Yes        H
HP DeskJet 520           300x300       No        P      Yes       H,I?
HP DeskJet 540           600x300       Opt.      P      Yes       H,I?
HP DeskJet 550C          300x300       Yes      S,P     Yes        H
HP DeskJet 560C          600x300       Yes       P      Yes        H

HP Deskwriter            300x300       No       S,A      No        ?
HP Deskwriter C          300x300      Yes *     S,A      No        ?
HP Deskwriter 540        600x300       No       S,A      No        ?
HP Deskwriter 550C       600x300       Yes      S,A      No        ?

Canon BJ200e             360x360       No        P      Yes?       ?
Canon BJ600              360x360      Yes **     P      Yes?       ?
Canon BJ4000             720x360      Yes **     P      Yes?       ?


Legend:
------
Ports: S = Serial, P = Parallel, A = AppleTalk
Drivers: H = Harmonie (Vitesse), I = Independence (Seven Hills)

*  Must manually switch between colour and black cartridges.
** Separate cartridges for each colour - 4 in total (black + 3 colours).

========================================================================
Michael Hackett       Internet: mhackett@vaxxine.com    GEnie: M.HACKETT
Some Assembly Required    Voice: (905) 687-1729      BBS: (905) 687-9987