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Hewlett-Packard DeskJet
895Cse Color Ink Jet Printer
Last updated 3/6/2001
OPERATION. The 895C is quiet and fast. Surprisingly,
I found the printer actually prints a little faster through the parallel
interface than it does through the USB interface. HP rates the printer
at 10 PPM (pages per minute) in the EconoFast mode (which, by the way, produces
very good text). I clocked it somewhat slower at 1 Min. 20 Sec. for
10 pages of typical text, or 8 PPM. Still, that's very fast for an
ink jet printer. HP rates the printer at 5 PPM in the normal mode. My
trusty HP LaserJet II, which is over 12 years old, and is rated at 6 PPM
prints the same 10-page text document in 1 min. 37 seconds or 6.2 PPM. In
the normal mode the 895 prints those ten pages in 2 min. 9 sec or 4.7 PPM. It
is probably possible to create a 10-page document which will print faster
on the 895.
PRINT QUALITY. The 895C achieves excellent
print quality with several techniques. First, lines and text are made
sharper by using a combination of different sized dots along edges. Second,
a greater range of colors are created by layering up to 16 drops of ink into
single dot to produce more than 250 color shades. Furthermore, by arranging
the drops within a dot, an overall perceived color range of more than 16
million colors is obtained. This is known as half-toning: adjacent
drops of different colors are perceived by the brain as a combination of
the colors when looking at a dot or dots.
The results are that text looks like it came out of a laser
printer. In fact, under a magnifying glass, I can see no difference
at all. Lines are sharp and without jaggies--they appear a little grainy
under a magnifying glass and smooth without magnification. Color printing
is stunning. Even on plain paper I can see the capacitors inside the
CPU socket of a picture of socket 7 motherboard and the individual holes
in the socket. A print-out of a photo of the Corvette found on the
Corel CD's approaches a photograph on photo paper. However, this paper
costs about a buck per sheet retail! On plain paper there was some blur and
shadowing in places; but, overall, it is better than you would see in most
newspapers, but not as good as you would see in magazine printed on quality,
glossy paper.
BOTTOM LINE. The 895 is not a cheap or mid-range
ink jet printer. Considering its performance, the quality of the print,
the cost over it's lifetime, I think it is well worth the street-price of
about $400.00, if you need color--I've seen far too many lesser printers
end-up in the trash can after a year or two of use. Otherwise, at this
price, I would opt for a mid-range laser printer.
Specifications.
Larry
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