Just as the year 1989 gets into full swing the printer industry is going through an evolution. The 24 pin dot matrix printers are driving the 7 and 9 pin printers from the market. Some dealers may get hurt if there are stocks of 7 and 9 pin printers on hand.
These older printers that sold from $300 to 900 just last year are now being dumped for as low as $150, a good buy for those willing to settle for “NLQ”.
The 24 pin printers started before Christmas at high prices, but as we enter March, we see the Epson LQ-500 offered at $299.00! a $200 drop in price in just three months. The Seikosha SP-1000 that I bought two years ago for $325.00 can now be found for $150.
The prices of Daisy Wheel printers could be affected also. Until now, the difference in print quality between Dot Matrix NEAR Letter Quality, and the output of a Daisy Wheel printer was as night and day. The Daisy should still maintain an edge because of the “bleeding” characteristics of dot matrix print. Ink bleed is caused by the tiny wires of the dot matrix printer actually puncturing the paper. This shows up markedly in copies made of the two products.