For years I have been using an HP 855C for my color work. It does a good job of
producing crisp, rich-colored documents. However, trying to produce a more
significant-sized job that has a more finished look and feel is damn near impossible.
Now through my work I have been able to evaluate a great many color printers from HP,
Xerox, and many others. Laser printers are OK, but they are a bit overpriced for the
quality and speed and cost of consumables. And even though I have been a big believer in
the HP 5 M, I have never been overwhelmed by the resulting documents or speed.
As I have continued to build out a home office, I grew increasingly more interested in
USB devices. They are plug and play simple and easy to manage from a single CPU. Thus my
interest in Tektronix printers which feature three different connections for one price:
parallel, Ethernet and USB. As I grow my business and evolve to a LAN, my printer can
expand to accomodate my needs at no extra cost. A good thing. Nothing else to buy ever.
From a USB perspective, I merely plugged it in and ran the installation CD. After the
driver was installed on my Windows 98 system, I was able run a test page print without a
problem. Sending other jobs of varying graphic complexity did not pose any challenges to
the printer's processing speed. Steady state.
I did find intermittent problems when I attempted to run the printer through a USB hub
as opposed to a direct USB to CPU connection. Whether this is a sypmtom of the other
devices or the printer, itself, is unknown at this time, so a direct connection is
recommended to avoid problems later.
Loading the Tektronix 840 is a breeze. Unlike cartridges or powders which tend either
to be bulky, expensive or messy, this printer uses little wax blocks which drop into slots
located under a panel on the top of the printer. This way, when you run low on a
particular color, you only need to replace that color's blocks. But here is where the real
savings of the printer come in: every time you purchase a color pack, Tektronix includes
extra black blocks (for standard text printing) at no extra cost. You essentially get two
printers in one this way: free black and white printing as well as a thermal wax color
printer.
The wax does not chip off. It may, however, pose some problems for some copiers since
the wax tends to make printed pages with large covered surfaces stick to the glass plate
of copiers. It won't melt; but it very well might stick. But when you consider the cost of
materials, you might be better off merely printing in bulk from the Tektronix printer
versus spending the money for lesser quality flat color copies.
The printer is heavy -- about 70 lbs., but so are competitive models from other
manufacturers. The printer is quiet when not in use, but it can be pretty noisy once it
starts cranking out the pages. This is an industrial quality, professional printing
device. If all you need is to print labels and home-made birthday cards, buy an HP inkjet
printer.
Maintenance is very low on this device. Its claims to be able to print 10,000 pages
before needing any part replacements or major cleaning. And since it cleans itself, for
the most part, you do not really have to do much to keep it running well.
I love this printer. The fact that this model (the 840E) also does duplex
(double-sided) printing is an extra. You probably won't use this function much, but it
sure is nice to have at no extra cost. Paper path handling is automatic and effortless
with no extra work for the user required.
I bought the printer in mid-1999, fully loaded with two years worth of supplies for
about $4200 delivered to our door. You can get it cheaper if you go light on supplies and
do not get the duplex feature. If you have a home office and want to put your best foot
forward with your printed customer communications, buy a Tektronix printer. You can't go
wrong.
Tektronix 840
