A sign of the times

I haev no idea of the relative build quality of those 2 machines, but many times I've spent more on spares to keep an old machine running than it would cost to buy a seemingly equivalent new machine just becasue the old machine is so much better made. Having a machine that's not going to fail in an interesting way at an important moemnt is often important... I've noticed that some new printers and photocopiers (at least over here) come with 'demo' ink or toner cartridges which are specified to print a lot few pages than the normal ones. So it may actually be cheaper to buy the cartridge rather than replace the peinter in the end.... I've been called a `nobody' many times before, but surely not on this list.... As I've metnioned, I am not primarily a computer collector. I like interesting bits of engineering, which may or may not run user programs. For that reason I do collect _some_ printers. In particular : HPIL-interfaced printers (useful with HP handhelds) HPIB-interfaced _ASCII_ printers (not old commodoer ones in general), which work with a lot of my odd machines Printers with oscure itnerfaces which I might end up with the machine to drive one day Printers using strange printing methods. Things like the Versatec electrostatic matrix printers which build up a charge image on coated paper and run liquid toner over it. Pritners with odd mecahnaisms (that shaded poler motor driving a belt that the carraige grabs with a solenoid, used in some Centronics printers is an exaple). In fact just about anyting other htan commodity inkjets/dot matrix printers... There are a couple of units I am activiely looking for, but in genral printers are ulky and heavy, so I couldn't consider having them shipped... -tony