Dr. Dos
Computer Notes:
The recent events involving a Brewer computer store serve as a reminder to be careful when ordering by mail. Most mail-order vendors are reputable, but there are always a few bad apples. Or, in this case, a few bad fungi.
A local dealer offers the advantages of local support and local service, and you see what you get before you buy.
On the other side of the coin, a mail-order operator has far less overhead then a dealer. This saving is passed onto the user in the form of lower pricing. The saving can be substantial.
The disadvantages are limited support, you don’t see the merchandise until it arrives, shipping expense, possible shipping damage, and sometimes a long wait for merchandise.
Here are some tips if you order by mail. Anything that looks too good to be true usually is. Compare ads. If an item is priced far below the competition be careful. Watch the ads and try to buy only from companies that have been advertising for a while. The one-time ad company may be there just long enough to cash your check and run.
Pay by credit card. Credit card companies usually will remove a charge from your bill if you present a reasonable case.
Always ask if the item is in stock. Some companies do not order the advertised item until they have enough orders or enough cash to pay for their own order.
Have the sales agent repeat the order to prevent misunderstandings. Many times the sales agent will speak limited English or speak with a strong accent. By avoiding misunderstandings you have a better chance of getting the correct order.
Above all, read the fine print. Computer ads often picture far more than is included in the price. The bible of computer mail ordering is a publication called “Computer Shopper.”
It is a monthly publication available at most bookstores or by subscription. “Computer Shopper” is a 10-by-13-inch book that consists of ads and some computer articles. The prices are great, but plan on spending hours for research. There are so many ads it can be overwhelming.
“Computer Shopper” is $2.95 at a bookstore or $21.97 for a year’s subscription. The address for subscriptions is Computer Shopper, P.O. Box 51020, Boulder, Colo. 80321-1020.
User Group Meetings:
Penobscot Valley Computer Society (DOS Format), 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19, at Hermon High School. Ed Hopper will speak on LAN’s (Local Area Networks).
Macintosh Users Group (Mac Format), 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, Suite 10, St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor.
If you have information about computer events, drop me a line and I will include them in this section of Dr. Dos.
Dear Dr.Dos: I need a high-quality printer, but a laser printer is out of my price range. How do the 24-pin printers compare to the lasers?
Laser printers are still the undisputed champions of the printer world. The dot-matrix printers come in several configurations. The nine-pin and the 24-pin are the most common.
A dot-matrix printer has wire pins that strike the ribbon and transfer the ink to the paper. A nine-pin has nine of the wire pins. In the draft mode, characters are hammered out in one pass. This leaves small gaps between the ink dots.
In the near-letter-quality mode, a nine-pin printer will make two passes over each line. This fills the gap between ink dots and gives the near-letter-quality image.
A 24-pin printer has 24 pins, as the name implies. This printer creates a tighter ink-dot pattern. This is accomplished in one pass, making the printer much faster and giving a higher quality print.
Another alternative is the ink-jet-style printer. The ink jet sprays the ink onto the paper from an ink cartridge. The quality is close to that of the laser, and it is less expensive to operate. The ink jets sell for about half the price of a laser.
Have a question? Write Dr. Dos at 137 State St., Bangor 04401. Electronic Mail on the following services: MciMail-MSTOTT ** Compuserve 70426,645 or Genie-XTH39883 Mike Stott. Mike Stott is president of Today’s Computer Service Inc.
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