Portable Ink-Jet Printers Prove Sturdy, Efficient

A new soul mate for portable-computer users has emerged out of the continuing miniaturization boom: a go-with printer that is just as comfortable on the road as on a desktop.

Canon's BJ-10e Bubble Jet printer and its fraternal twin, Apple's new StyleWriter printer for the Macintosh, are redefining the dynamics of computer output. Both use an ink-jet technology that looks almost as good as laser-printer quality, while at the same time folding up to a 4-pound-plus package about the size of a coffee-table book.

At around $500, the Bubble Jet and StyleWriter are appealing to the budget. They're also quiet, can print on envelopes and letterhead, are virtually maintenance-free (they use a 700,000-character ink cartridge that snaps in like a tape cassette) and are surprisingly rugged for something so small.

Although I have considerable nostalgic fondness for dot-matrix printers and have used a trusty Epson FX-80 for years, these new machines convince me that dot-matrix printers' days are numbered. It costs a little more to produce ink-jet output - 3 1/2 to 5 cents a page, compared with a penny or less for dot-matrix. But eliminating the hassles of noise, ribbon changes and pin-feed paper make the additional expense worth it.

In addition, the Bubble Jet, which emulates the IBM Proprinter, offers compatibility with most major DOS software - which increasingly is not available, unfortunately, for owners of older dot-matrix printers. As programs are upgraded, software makers are dropping older printers from the list of drivers - an outrage to be sure, but perhaps inevitable.

The Bubble Jet's chief selling point is its portability. It snaps together and is ready to go in seconds. It can run on batteries as well as a power cord and fits in a typical briefcase-sized bag with no problem.

But owners I've talked to have confessed that, although they appreciate the portability, they're using the Bubble Jet as much for desktop as on-the-road duty. And why not? Although slightly on the slow side at half a page to a page per minute, its output at 360 dots per inch rivals that of a $1,500 laser printer, and the Bubble Jet takes up considerably less desk space.

Ink-jet printer technology gives new meaning to the sentimental term "tiny bubbles." To form a character, ink is sprayed through 64 minute nozzles onto the paper with electric pulses that heat up the ink, producing bubbles that "pop" the ink onto paper.

The tendency used to be for ink-jet printouts to smear if moisture got on them, but new quick-drying smudge-resistant inks have solved that problem.

Setting up the Bubble Jet is simply a matter of plug 'n' play. The manual is clearly illustrated and straightforwardly written. It offers just two resident fonts - Courier and Prestige Elite - but has enough memory to accommodate a downloaded font as well.

Although sharing the same internal workings as the Bubble Jet, Apple's StyleWriter has more sophisticated print technology built in. It comes with four font families - Helvetica, Times, Courier and Symbol - featuring True Type, Apple's new outline type technology.

It also is no speed demon, and early users have reported sheet-feed and form-feed snafus. The StyleWriter also has been in short supply, although dealers report growing numbers available.

The StyleWriter can handle 50 sheets of paper at a time as well as letterheads, labels, envelopes and transparencies for overhead projectors. It's made for light-to-medium duty - letters, memos and occasional longer documents such as term papers or reports - and is ideal for home and student use.

Although the StyleWriter is not being marketed as a portable printer and cannot run off batteries, my guess is that it will also be popular with purchasers of the anticipated new Apple Macintosh notebook computers due later this year or early next.

The StyleWriter also may wind up overshadowing the dot-matrix ImageWriter, which has always seemed beneath the sophisticated graphics capabilities of the Macintosh. The new True Type is even more advanced, offering characters drawn in outlines (like a stenciled letter) rather than "bits" (black blocks put together like bricks to form a letter).

Outline fonts not only make more attractive images, they permit greater versatility and less distortion in screen and type output. Microsoft is developing its own True Type for its next upgrade of Windows, its Macintosh-like interface for IBM-compatible computers.

The result of these advances in print design and technology is documents that look almost typeset. The day is not far away, in fact, when desktop laser printers will carry resolutions virtually indistinguishable from professional print shops.

Good-bye, dot matrix. You were great while you lasted.

NEWS BYTES

Earth Day revisited: Following Intel Corp.'s lead, Apple has announced it will end the use of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in circuit-board production by next year. . . . Here' a good gift idea: Stupid PC Tricks or Stupid Mac Tricks, both by Bob LeVitus (Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., $19.95). The book-disk sets contain weird sounds, graphics and practical jokes to impress your friends and mystify your enemies. (True story: A Mac owner had the joke program Talking Moose on when burglars broke into his home while he was away. Presumably thinking there was someone in it, they left the room with the Macintosh alone). . . . A cheering throng of West supporters at the HUB Ballroom were disappointed at a 460-to-170 dusting by the East of the West team in the third annual Computer Bowl, broadcast live from San Jose courtesy of the Washington Software Association. The East's Pamela McCorduck, a computer historian, answered more questions correctly in the first 10 minutes than the West team did the entire hourlong show. She blew a query about the three modes of Windows, however (standard, real and enhanced), drawing a stern look of mock disapproval from examiner Bill Gates.

TIP OF THE WEEK

When buying a mouse pad, ask for one with plastic coating. It collects less dust and provides greater accuracy in mouse-pointer placement. (Thanks to Bev Smith of Seattle.) Contact this column in care of The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle 98111. Paul Andrews can be reached at CompuServe 76050,161 or via fax at 382-8879.

User Friendly appears Tuesdays in The Seattle Times. Paul Andrews is a member of The Times staff.