On Tue, 26 May 2015 13:01:39 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 26 May 2015 23:42:58 -0400, wrote:

After all, computers were intended to stop all the paper usage, and I
just email most of my stuff, or view it on my own screen. As far as
photos, most home printers cant do them justice anyhow, unless you
invest a large amount of money in the printer, and ink, and buy costly
special paper. At 15 cents (or less) per photo, at the local pharmacy or
Walmart, why bother buying all that stuff.

Businesses need printers, but not most home users.

I should also mention that the most durable and reliable printers I ever
owned were the old dot matrix ones. Too bad they no longer sell them
(new), or sell the ribbons for them.

I still sell a few brand new Dot Matrix printers every year or so.
OkiData is still right in there, and so are Lexmark and Epson (both FX
and LQ series).

They are still the workhorse on the production floor and in many
warehouses.

Can't buy them at Walmart - or likely not even at Best Buy - but
Staples carries them - and so do many VARs, and guys like me!!

I dont know where you sell, so I am assuming Ebay, but I was not aware
they were still sold as NEW.

Nope - not on EBAY - I sell to my customers in my local area. One is
a local manufacturer who has about 18 Okidata Dot Matrix printers in
daily use.

They are also used in a lot of places like auto repair garages to
print multi-part work orders and parts invoices - as well as thw
printers on alignment machines and emission testing dynos -(which have
recently been phased out) - and I have a few customers in those
businesses as well.

If I could get one that I know will work with Windows XP, and still had
access to ribbons, I'd almost consider buying one if it was not too
costly. OkiData and Epson would be considered, but not Lexmark (I have a
bad opinion of Lexmark). My best quality once came from a 24 pin
Panasonic, which was a very popular model at one time.

The good thing about the dot matrix is that the ribbons dont dry out
like ink, from lack of use, and I have had toner go bad in my laser prn
from lack of use too. For top quality print, or photos, I'd go to a
print shop, but it would be nice to have a printer to just do plain text
at home. I wish I still had that Panasonic, and I bet it would still
work (IF they still sell ribbons). I remember when I would print out my
shopping lists and daily notes, back when I had the dot matrix. These
days I just write them with pen and paper, because it just does not seem
worth the cost of expensive printer ink.

So, what is a good quailty NEW dot matrix from OkiData or Epson that is
a 24 pin, works with XP and has ribbons available? (But not real
costly)...