Epson Stylus on a IIgs, will it go?

[frank_frank@my-dejanews.com]

Hello newsgroupies,

I bought a newsletter called "shareware solutions 2" from a good buddy
of mine, and it had a great article about using Deskjet printers with
the Apple II computer.

I have an Epson Stylus Color 600, and I am wondering if it will work
with the Apple IIgs computer.  Does the Epson printer act like any of
the Deskjet printers?  If so, which one?  Which of the below mentioned
drivers shall I use?

Thank you,
Frank

Taken directly in full and as a fair use quote from: Shareware Solutions
II
(Spring,1999 Issue Pages 6, 7, 8 and 9).
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"DeskJet Alert

Incompatible DeskJets

During the past several years, Hewlett-Packard DeskJet printers have
become extremely popular for use on the Apple II and IIGS. primarily
because DeskJets provide incredibly high quality printed output at a
relatively low cost.

With "street prices' starting as low as $99 for the HP DeskJet 420c
model. all current models of the DeskJet offer up to 600 x 300 dots per
inch (dpi) resolution for printing in black and white, and 300 dpi
resolution for printing in color.  DeskJets have finally caught up to
laser printers and now actually offer higher printed resolution than was
available, as recently as just a few years ago, on high end and
expensive laser printers!

Until mid-1997, an Apple II owner who wanted to purchase a Hewlett-
Packard DeskJet could simply purchase any model of DeskJet, and have
complete confidence that it would work on his or her computer.

That changed in June of 1997 when HP released the DeskJet 820c series of
printers, the first DeskJet models designed to be used strictly and
exclusively within the IBM PC-based Windows 95 environment.
Fortunately, those first Windows-only DeskJet models sported a
silk-screened designation on the front of the printer that clearly and
unambiguously displayed: "For Windows".

The "For Windows" DeskJet 820c was a short lived model, but since then
Hewlett-Packard has released a number of new DeskJets which will not
work, under any circumstances, with any Apple II.  The following
DeskJets are simply incompatible with any Apple II computer.

DeskJet 710c
DeskJet 712c
DeskJet 720c
DeskJet 722c
DeskJet 820 series
DeskJet 1000 series

To add slight confusion to the matter, only the printers in the 820
series have the "For Windows' silkscreen designation on the front of
them. However, once you understand the reasons why some DeskJet models
work on the Apple II and IIGS and why others don't, purchasing a DeskJet
should once again become as easy and routine as it was before mid-1997.

PCL vs PPA

Until mid-1997, every single DeskJet model ever produced included
support for HP's own Printer Control Language, otherwise known as PCL.
Programming documentation for PCL was, and still is, readily available
from HP; it was this technical documentation that allowed IIGS
programmers to learn enough about PCL to create the Harmonie and
Independence packages; both of these GS/OS based printer drivers work
with all PCL-based HP printers.

The DeskJet 820c series was in some ways an attempt by HP to lower the
manufacturing cost of producing inkjet printers.  This was accomplished
in part by HP introducing a brand new set of protocols named Printing
Performance Architecture, otherwise known as PPA, which replaced PCL as
the standard protocol.

All HP printers, whether DeskJets or LaserJets, which support PCL have
sophisticated electronic components and circuitry built in which
essentially
control the printer.  Much of that electronic circuitry has been removed
in PPA-based printers, consequently, all of the computational controls
are
now handled by the computer and the printer driver.  Unfortunately, HP
has
not released any technical programming information for PPA-based
printers,
and so those models will only work with Windows 95/98 printer drivers
which
are supplied with the printers by HP.

All DeskJet models which are compatible with the Apple II have two
things in common: they all support PCL Level 3 (and since PCL is
backwards compatible, PCL Levels 4 and 5) and they are all compatible
with IBM PC and clone computers which run under MS-DOS operating system.

Conversely, if a DeskJet supports PPA, it will not work on an Apple II.
If a DeskJet works only with Windows 95/98, then it too will be
incompatible with the Apple II.

Equipped with this critical information, it's still not readily apparent
simply by looking at any particular DeskJet model whether the printer in
question supports PCL or PPA.  Since that determination must be made,
there are several ways available to find out this critical information.

    *  Hewlett-Packard's Customer Information Center can be reached at
    1-800-752-0900.

    *  Hewlett-Packard maintains an informative web site at the
following URL:

    http://www.hp.com/cgi/peripherals/pandi.pl


To locate technical information about all the current DeskJet models
follow the "Personal Printers" link where you will find a listing for
the current models.  The information you will need to find is listed in
the
"Printer Specifications" section of each electronic document.  IF the
specs
for any DeskJet include the following - "Print Languages, Std. HP PCL 3"
-
it will work with an Apple II.

*  Hewlett-Packard states on each model's sales brochure or on the side
of
the shipping carton whether a printer is based on the PPA or PCL
protocol.

Best Buy Models

Conducting the above research, it didn't take more than a few minutes to
determine that both 420c and 697c models are very affordable printers
that will work just fine with the Apple II or IIGS.

Since both models support PCL Level 3, connect to an Apple II via a
Parallel connection, and produce the same 600 x 300 dpi black and white
resolution, what exactly are the differences between a $99 DeskJEt 420c
and
the slightly higher priced $149 DeskJEt 697c?

In a word, convenience.

*  The 420c can accommodate only one ink cartridge at a time, whereas
the
697c can accommodate two ink cartridges simultaneously.  When a 420
owner wants to print using black ink, he or she must first physically
remove the color ink cartridge and replace it with a black ink
cartridge; owners of the 697c simply deselect the Color option in the
Print
dialog box.

*  Both a color and black ink cartridge are included with the 697c. Only
a color ink cartridge is included with the 420c; an optional black ink
cartridge for the 420c retails for an additional $30.

*  The print speed for the 697c is much faster than that of the 420c.
Although the numerical figures used by printer manufacturers to
designate page per minute speeds are theoretical and rarely achieved in
real world applications, the 697c is capable of printing up to five
Black and White pages per minute.  For color printing, the 697c is
capable of printing up to .8 pages per minute, while the 420c can take
4-7 minutes to generate that same one page color document.

*  The 420c comes with 16K of resident RAM memory; the 697c comes with
512K of resident RAM memory.

*  The paper tray on the 420c can hold 50 sheets of paper; the paper
tray
on the 697c can hold 100 sheets of paper.

*  The 697c is a much more rugged and durable printer, rated with a duty
cycle of up to 1000 pages per month; the rated duty cycle of the 420c is
only 416 pages per month.

*  To achieve the best printed results possible on the 420c, the 500c
Harmonie driver should be used for color printing.  To achieve the best
printed results possible on the 560c Harmonie driver is necessary.

In The Future

Hewlett-Packard seems to be releasing new DeskJet models every few
months, and so it's quite possible that both the 420c and 697c will be
available for sale for only a short period of time.

When these current models are replaced, HP is sure to release newer
models, with similar model numbers and similar capabilities, to replace
these older models.  So, if you are not quite ready to purchase a
DeskJet now, just remember the two keywords that define Apple II
compatibility: PCL3 and MS-DOS.

No matter what new features HP adds to DeskJets in the future, the
ground rules which determine Apple II compatibility will remain
unchanged.  So, just make sure that any future DeskJet is designed to
work from MS-DOS (sometimes referred to as DOS 3.3) and PCL, as it will
also work on the IIGS, with the Harmonie or Independence drivers. If, on
the other hand, a DeskJet is designed to work only from Windows, Windows
95, Windows 98 or Windows NT, then it will not work with any Apple II or
IIGS.

Stop The Presses!!

In late January, 1999, Hewlett-Packard issued a press release which
"announced plans to enter the ultra-low end of the inkjet printer market
- printers under $100 - through the formation of APOLLO Consumer
Products, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary.  APOLLO-branded printers will
serve this market, the fastest-growing segment in the industry, with
products combining style and function at a low price point."

Just as this issue of the Shareware Solutions II newsletter was going to
press, the first of the new APOLLO inkjet printers was released.  The
APOLLO p-1200 carries a list price of $80 and because it meets the two
criteria - it supports PCL3 and works from MS-DOS it is fully compatible
with the Apple II and IIGS computers!

The APOLLO P-1200 sports a silkscreened designation on the case:
"Powered by Hewlett-Packard InkJet Technology."  Nowhere else on the
printer nor on the shipping carton is Hewlett-Packard named as the
manufacturer.  Additionally, there is no mention of the P-1200 printer
on HP's web site, nor is any information available from HP's Customer
Information Center.  Several calls to Hewlett-Packard's corporate
offices revealed that not even the corporate telephone operators had
ever heard of HP's newest subsidiary and had no contact information
whatsoever.

In any case, the APOLLO P-1200 looks remarkably similar to the DeskJet
420c, and one look under the front cover of the APOLLO P-1200 reveals a
printer that looks indistinguishable from the DeskJet 420c.
Additionally, the technical specifications of the P-1200 are exactly the
same as the DeskJet 420c, and the P-1200 even uses the exact same ink
cartridges as does the 420c.

The shipping carton of the P-1200 yields but one bit of information that
could possibly explain how the new printer can be less than the DeskJEt
420c: Made in Thailand.

Apparently, Hewlett-Packard has adopted yet another strategy to lower
the cost of their printers and in the case of HP's APOLLO wholly owned
subsidiary, the first of the new DeskJet 'clone' printers sounds made to
order for Apple IIGS owners on a budget who wish to purchase a new high
quality printer that is capable of printing at 300 dpi or higher.

The APOLLO P-1200 is currently available at WalMart and The Office Depot
for $79, and it includes a color cartridge.  According to an APOLLO
spokesperson, the P-1200 in all probability will also become available
in the near future from several other national chains of electronic
superstores, including Circuit City and The Good Guys.

Additional information about APOLLO Consumer Products and the P-1200
can be found on the world wide web at the following URL:

http://www.myapollo.com

Questions about the P-1200 can be submitted via e-mail, to the following
Internet address:

apollo@webcentric.com

If you do not have access to the world wide web, you can find out
more about the APOLLO P-1200 and where it can be purchased in your
locality, by
dialing the following telephone numbers:

1-214-503-2222 or 1-877-MYAPOLLO

(Note: Harmonie is available exclusively from Shareware Solutions II for
$20.)"














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