Color Printers — At Bargain Prices
                              
                             BY
                        DONALD JENNER
                              
                         SPECIAL TO
                       Corel Magazine
                              

     Desktop color printing serves a lot of purposes.

Business users make up overhead-projection foils, report

cover pages and charts.  Designers and illustrators need for-

position-only (FPO) proofs to test ideas and show clients.

But color printing has never been exactly affordable.  The

choice has been between fairly modest color ink-jet printers

and more costly color printers ranging from $4,000. to

$10,000..  Two new desktop color thermal-transfer printers

break the price barrier.

     Both printers are based on the new Fargo Electronics

engine.  Unlike the Mitsubishi-engine based color thermal

transfer printers which have owned the market since the mid-

'80s, the made-in-the-USA Fargo printer engine is compact --

a mere 15 pounds, with a footprint (14"x10"x6") about the

same as that of a desktop flatbed scanner, including the

overhang for the paper tray.  Both printers use Fargo's

ribbons -- available in three-color (cyan/magenta/yellow),

four-color (cyan/magenta/yellow/black) and black-only

versions.  Both printers can use Fargo's own thermal

transfer paper (available currently in cut-sheet, and soon

in perf-edge forms); according to Fargo, other thermal-

transfer-type paper can be used as well.  Both printers can

use Fargo's brand of thermal-tranfer-type overhead-foil

transparency medium; as yet, there is no Fargo-specific

second source, but again, other transparency media intended

for color thermal transfer printers should work, assuming

they have the usual registration stripe across the top.

     The major differences between the two versions of the

product have to do with connectivity and driver software.

     Fargo's own $995. version of the printer is intended

for use with DOS/Windows.  It is supplied only with a

Windows driver.

     LaserMaster, on the other hand, adds its own TrueImage

software engine, in both Mac and DOS/Windows flavors.  The

LaserMaster version of the printer is equipped with

connections for both AppleTalk and parallel printer

interfaces; in the latter case, it is accessible from

Windows networking strategies, and printing to the

LaserMaster version of the printer, dubbed "Crayon FX," is

fully transparent under Windows for Workgroups.

     The LaserMaster software includes support for Apple

QuickDraw and Microsoft Windows GDI drawing paradigms, and

includes Apple's ColorSync technology, a bundle of 50

TrueType typefaces and full compatibility with both TrueType

and Adobe Type 1 typefaces.  LaserMaster sells its version,

with extra connectivity and broader hardware and software

support, for $1,495..

     The sample printer output supplied by LaserMaster,

printed from its Crayon FX version of the product,

demonstrated its sophistication.  While this is still an 8-

bit color printer, and must use dithering to represent a

full range of colors, the transitions from shade to shade

were remarkably smooth.  Although the printer is relatively

low-resolution (200dpi), aliasing was acceptable for common

applications.  Colors are crisp -- the strong suit of color

thermal transfer printing technology.

     LaserMaster estimates the cost per copy for consumables

to be under fifty cents a page.  Coupled with the low buy-in

price of the printer, this is a "natural" for the color DTP

shop, graphics boutique and office.  The printer, which

started shipping under both Fargo and LaserMaster labels in

March, is available through dealers and computer-product

superstores in most metropolitan areas.  Consumables are

available both from dealers, and direct from Fargo

Electronics at 800-FARGO-22.

                             ###



Approximately 550 words

Press Contacts:

LaserMaster  Mike Dreis  1-612-944-9457

Fargo Electronics  Michelle Reimers  1-612-941-9470


Donald Jenner has been writing about computer graphics since
1986, in publications both here and abroad.  He is the
principal of  Donald Jenner Consulting in New York and the
Technical Editor of Corel Magazine.