Commodore 64 User Manual page 63

the VIC and 64, the 1525, is a dot-matrix
printer.
Commodore also has released a smaller, less
expensive printer—a four-color pen plotter
that can also print. If you need to plot colored
graphs and can make do with narrow 4'72-
inch paper, you may want to consider this
printer.
If you plan to use the printer to print business
letters to clients or for other business pur
poses, you might want to consider a letter-
quality printer. Unlike a dot-matrix printer,
which makes characters out of dots, a letter-
quality printer produces fully formed char
acters, like a typewriter. The fully formed
characters give the finished product a more
professional appearance.
In general, dot-matrix printers are faster and
cheaper than letter-quality printers. A dot-
matrix printer is capable of printing all graphics
characters produced by the VIC or 64. A
letter-quality printer, on the other hand,
should be used for business-related printing
because of the exceptional quality of the
printing.
In addition to Commodore's own printers,
there are many other makes to consider, such
as Epson's FX-80 line of printers. Those need
ing letter-quality printing might consider C.
Itoh's Starwriter printers. Less expensive,
slower, and less durable printers are also avail
able, such as the Smith-Corona TP-1. At about
the same cost, an even slower and lighter-duty
alternative is to use an electronic typewriter
with a computer interface. For example, the
Olivetti Praxis 30 can be specially adapted to
work with your computer. The advantage of
having a keyboard on the printer is for filling
in blanks in computer-generated forms. Nat
urally, an electronic typewriter can also be
used manually. On the other hand, at 12 char
acters a second, making a paper copy of a
long program could take over an hourl
Printer Interfaces
A printer interface is an adapter that connects
the printer to your VIC or 64, enabling the
printer to carry out your computer's instruc
tions. Before buying a printer for your com
puter, be sure to find out what type of
interface is needed for your particular printer-
computer combination.
Panasonic OmnI series television—both a TV and a monitor.
Commodore Model 1701 video monitor
Commodore Model 1525 printer
61