Way, way off topic
But since I'm having so much fun with this, I thought I'd pass it on.
If anyone has been thinking of getting or updating your printer, I highly recommend a new (at least to me) up and comer company called Alps. I just bought a new Alps MD-1300, which claims photographic quality output, but the reality even blows away my expectations. I've scanned (yes Steve, I broke down and bought a scanner. That's what grand daughters can do to you :-)) and printed some professional pictures we've had taken, and you really can not tell a difference. The photo quaility mode even has a clear overcoat it applies over the picture which gives it the glossy look. Absolutely no evidence of dots or picelization. And even on normal print mode, printing a page of text for example comes out as sharp and clear as any lazer printer I've ever seen. It uses a dry ink technology (it uses ribbon cartridges, silmilar to what an old typewriter or cash register would use), so there is no smudgiing at all even right out of the printer. Also, the dry ink doesn't saturate the paper so you don't get that wavy paper like from most ink jets.
Here's a review in PC Magazine;
zdnet.com
And Alps homepage;
alpsusa.com
While it says retail is around $500, they are for sale in stores or on the internet for $350 to $400. But I've been buying refurbished ones from the uBid online auctions for $219 to $239, good as new and including cartridges, paper, etc. An absolute steal.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programs... |
