Talk:Daisy wheel printer

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[edit] Accuracy

[edit] Claims that may be misleading or inaccurate

  • "the introduction of high-quality laser printers and inkjet printers in the later 1980s" is chronologically misleading. High quality non-impact printers were available a decade earlier - e.g. IBM 6440 92cps inkjet system (released in June 1976) and IBM 6670 36ppm laser printer (released in February 1979).[1] Price was the main issue.
  • Statement that dot matrix printers were faster than daisywheels. In fact when printing in NLQ mode, dot matrix output was 10-20 cps until at least 1983.
  • Demand for printing graphics is misleading without more accurately identifying the time period. In the late 1970s there wasn't much office software around that drew graphics anyway: processor, screen and printing technology had to evolve, and standards were needed like the IBM PC line-drawing character set and Digital Research GEM for vector graphics.
  • Likewise the statement that dot matrix was "more popular" than daisywheel is incorrect in the office systems market, which was the predominant market until at least 1983.
  • I'm doubtful about the suggestion that early daisy wheel printers were not servo-controlled so bold-face (reprinting at 1/120 inch offset) was not supported.

[edit] Further facts that could be mentioned

  • Daisywheel was originally introduced in the late 1970s e.g. in the Xerox 800 editing typewriters that competed with IBM Selectric MT/MC.
  • Daisywheel speed was 30-45(?) cps compared with Selectric 12-15cps.[2] In January 1978 IBM introduced Daisywheel printers (OEM'ed from Qume) for Office System 6 (6/442 and 6/452 models) claiming 55cps speed.[3] A new (IBM in-house?) printer design (included in the Displaywriter announcement in June 1980) claimed 60cps.[4]
  • Daisywheel and selectric impact printers had the option of "film ribbons" which offered crisper definition and greater contrast than matrix printers could deliver.

Of course, citations are needed for all the above, which is why I've left the article in its current rather inaccurate state for the time being. Much of the doubtful material dates from revision 118961812 by 216.138.194.68, last active on Wikipedia in May 2007, so I can't use Talk to get verification. I'll add references when I can - Pointillist (talk) 10:24, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] References

  1. ^ May, F.T. (September 1981). "IBM Word Processing Developments". Journal of Research and Development 25 (5): 748. “Table 4: OS/6 family of products” 
  2. ^ Beattie, H.S.; Rahenkamp, R.A. (September 1981). "IBM Typewriter Innovation". Journal of Research and Development 25 (5): 738. 
  3. ^ May, F.T. (September 1981). "IBM Word Processing Developments". IBM Journal of Research and Development 25 (5): 747. IBM. 
  4. ^ May, F.T. (September 1981). "IBM Word Processing Developments". Journal of Research and Development 25 (5): 751. “new IBM daisywheel technology”