I enjoyed the printer article in the Sep/Oct issue. I wrote the review of the Citizen PN48 and want to give some additional feedback on operating costs.
We listed the operating costs at 36 per page, which is correct when single-strike ribbon and paying full retail price for a fivepack of ribbons. However, you can get a five-pack of single- or multi-strike ribbons from CompuAdd in Austin, Texas, for $19.95 (800-825-3000, Fax: 512-219-2890). This brings the individual ribbon cost down from $5 to $4 per ribbon, and the per-page cost down to 29 cents. The Citizen is even more economical to operate if you use the multi-strike ribbon. I found that if you use good laser-quality paper, you can use the multi-strike ribbons 4 or 5 times. This brings the per-page cost down to 6-7 cents per page. The PN48's user's manual recommends Weyerhaeuser First Choice or Hammermill Laser Print 24 lb paper. You should be able to get a 500-sheet ream of paper for around $8 at a discount store.
Also, you didn't mention that the PN48 won PC Magazine's "Editor's Choice" award.
We also mentioned the Paralink 3 is a serial-to-parallel adapter in the printer review. The adapter uses a small, replaceable battery for power. When the battery is getting low, your printer may start acting funny, skipping lines, printing out weird characters or partial pages. When you start noticing this, it's time to change Paralink 3's battery.
Bob Newins
Richmond, VA