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I know this article isn't all that serious, but it's a weird one still. Today’s TV set, computer or mobile phone is light-years ahead of one you might have o

by tnbp 3y ago

I know this article isn't all that serious, but it's a weird one still. Today’s TV set, computer or mobile phone is light-years ahead of one you might have owned 25 years ago. Can you say the same about your printer? Well, yes. 25 years ago, I owned a dot matrix printer. It was loud, you could tell what the printout was supposed to say (but it was by no means pretty), it was slow and monochrome. For the same price today, I can get a really good color laser printer, or even a 3D printer. Again, I know that many of you love your printers and can’t imagine not owning one. That's an impressive 180 there. I, too, like my printer. The only gripes I have with it are non-printing-related (touchscreens suck, please give me actual buttons). Maybe stop buying HP and get a Brother instead?

gmerc 3y ago
The HP Laserjet 4L was available in the 90s and it was glorious. Best value for money. Let’s not pretend 25 years ago was dark ages of dot matrix printers (loved my Epson though and using Printshop to print banners with it)
- tnbp 3y ago
  The 4L cost $2,200 when it was introduced in 1992, which is almost $5,000 in 2023 dollars. Dot matrix printers were affordable for regular people, laser printers not so much. edit: My point is not "everyone only had dot matrix printers 25 years ago" (even though I did); it was "laser printers were prohibitively expensive (at least for most people) in 1998"
  - gmerc 3y ago
    in 1996 the 4L was 400 German Marks already.
Clamchop 3y ago
Inkjets had made dot matrix printers obsolete in the home earlier in the decade, whether or not you still happened to be using one.
- NikkiA 3y ago
  The BJ200 rendered the dot matrix obsolete in 1988.
hulitu 3y ago
> Today’s TV set, computer or mobile phone is light-years ahead of one you might have owned 25 years ago. And 25 years ago Netscape had a print dialog which worked better than today's Firefox print dialogue.

by tnbp 3y ago

gmerc 3y ago

The HP Laserjet 4L was available in the 90s and it was glorious. Best value for money. Let’s not pretend 25 years ago was dark ages of dot matrix printers (loved my Epson though and using Printshop to print banners with it)

tnbp 3y ago
The 4L cost $2,200 when it was introduced in 1992, which is almost $5,000 in 2023 dollars. Dot matrix printers were affordable for regular people, laser printers not so much. edit: My point is not "everyone only had dot matrix printers 25 years ago" (even though I did); it was "laser printers were prohibitively expensive (at least for most people) in 1998"
- gmerc 3y ago
  in 1996 the 4L was 400 German Marks already.

Clamchop 3y ago

Inkjets had made dot matrix printers obsolete in the home earlier in the decade, whether or not you still happened to be using one.

NikkiA 3y ago
The BJ200 rendered the dot matrix obsolete in 1988.

hulitu 3y ago

> Today’s TV set, computer or mobile phone is light-years ahead of one you might have owned 25 years ago. And 25 years ago Netscape had a print dialog which worked better than today's Firefox print dialogue.