Premium
laser paper will make your images look so much better.
Our
goal is to test papers and establish which enhance your images.
If you have good pictures to begin with, why go low-bid with the
paper you print them on. Students will be more motivated if they
see images that attract their attention. If you are applying for
a grant, reviewers will notice if your proposal is clearly superior
in appearance.
Presently
we are testing paper use on a QMS
2060 (11x17 up to 13x26"), Lexmark Optra R+, Lexmark Optra
N (for 11x17), and a Lexmark Optra SC1275n for color. In Europe
we test primarily with A3 size paper as well as A4 size. In August
'99 we began testing a French paper, Reprint, both with the QMS
as well as a GCC graphics quality laser printer.
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Color
Lexmark printer with test print
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If
you get your laser paper at Walmart or Office Depot it is possible
you are ending up with multipurpose paper relabeled as laser paper.
If you are ordering from most office supply catalogs, again, you
are probably getting ordinary paper. If low-bid is what you wish
for your images, go for it. But if wish to enhance your images,
here are some suggestions.
When
we began looking around for a means to reproduce workbooks for our
students, we immediately bought an Epson, after all, they were so
cheap. Everyone sold them, you can get one at Office Depot. But
the Epson was a total failure (we know, we bought three in a row,
each time hoping the new technology would help). Professor Lin Osborne
went through the same procedure, buying two Epsons in an attempt
to produce color for his students. He returned both of them in dissatisfaction
and bought a Lexmark color laser instead.
Now,
at last, color laser technology offers a viable alternative to ink
jet: long-lasting color, color that costs only 12 cents a page for
an entire page (not a pathetic 5% coverage). When was the last time
you printed a page with 5% anything?
The
Epson
system is too slow, and the color fades terribly. It is a public
embarrassment to admit that your picture has practically disappeared
off the paper. Alps
is one good low-cost printer that solves this problem.
Color
laser is the solution if you need hundreds of copies for your students
(cheaper printers can't hold up to the round-the-clock use and take
too long per-print). Lexmark printers crank out the images by the
thousands, like having your own short-run printing press on your
own desktop.
Our
test lab is currently preparing to review the following papers:
* Potlatch
(provided courtesy of Potlatch and by their main distributor, Mac
Papers).
* Hammermill
(provided courtesy of a national distributor Xpedx). Monadnock
Paper Mills
* Plus
some very exotic imported
papers from CTI Paper USA
While
on the subject of laser printing, you ought to check out the bible
on this subject, "Laser Printer Secrets" by Steven Burrows,
1 800-252-2599, e-mail sales@flasmag.com,
www.flashweb.com
Where
can you get premium paper? Baudville, 1 800 728 0888, Paper Direct,
1 800-A-PAPERS (which is 1 800 272-7377).
We
also recommend Mac Papers, and if you want Futura Laser, the best
place is Unisource.
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