Apple IIgs - Manual (Page 39)

Page 39 of 84 II gs
Printed: Thursday, July 25, 2002 12:14:50 PM
The only drawback to dot matrix printers is that, with some of them, you can see the pattern of
dots that make up each character. This can give your documents a look that people associate
with computer printouts. If you need a printer that can produce professional letter quality
documents, you may need a daisy wheel printer. But check the quality of dot matrix printers
before you decide; you may not be able to tell the difference between text produced with a good
dot matrix printer and text produced with a daisy wheel printer.
Daisy Wheel Printers
Daisy wheel printers, also known as letter quality printers, form characters the same way
high-quality typewriters do by rotating a print wheel until the right character is aimed at the
paper and hammering that character into a ribbon that leaves the appropriate symbol on the
page. Daisy wheel printers are slower and more expensive than dot matrix printers, but if the
appearance of your correspondence is important and you don't need graphics, a daisy wheel
printer may be the right choice for you. Most daisy wheel printers use a circular print wheel
(they look something like a daisy) to produce fully formed characters.
Keep in mind that daisy wheel printers limit you to the characters on the print wheel, whereas
a dot matrix printer can print graphics and a variety of type fonts and sizes.
Near letter quality: Near-letter-quality printers (sometimes called letter matrix printers) are
dot matrix printers that use so many dots to form each character that they appear to have been
formed with a daisy wheel printer.
Thermal Transfer Printers
Thermal transfer printers transfer ink dot characters onto paper by heating the ribbon. They
are inexpensive and quiet. The print quality varies quite a bit among different kinds of
thermal printers. Some are good enough for correspondence; others are suitable only for drafts
and interoffice memos. Some thermal printers require specially treated paper. Check the price
and availability of the special paper before deciding on what kind of printer to get.
Modems
A modem, short for modulator/demodulator, is a device that converts (modulates) computer
signals into tones that can be sent over phone lines. A modem on the receiving end converts
(demodulates) the signals to their original computer-readable form.
There are two kinds of modems: acoustic-coupler and direct-connect. With an acoustic-coupler
modem, you put the telephone handset into a pair of rubber cups. With a direct-connect modem,
you plug the modem directly into the phone jack.
The advantage of an acoustic-coupler modem is that you can use it from a phone that doesn't
have a removable phone cord. The advantage of a direct-connect modem is that the phone signals
don't have to travel through the handset, so there's less distortion.
Different modems send and receive information at different speeds, measured in bits per second
(bps), often referred to as the baud. The most common baud for modems is 1200. You can also get
modems that send and receive data at 300 baud, 2400 baud, or at your choice of speeds.
Modems that operate at 1200 baud cost more than 300-baud modems, but they're much faster.
Because you may be paying long-distance phone rates while your modem is sending and receiving
information, the time you save with a faster modem usually justifies the higher initial cost.
Monitors
There are two types of monitors: monochrome and color. Monochrome monitors come in three
varieties: white, green, or amber on black. Some studies indicate that an amber display is