Texas Instruments microLaser PS35 Copyright 1991 David Batterson The laser printer market has heated up like crazy, and price-cutting will get more fierce by the end of 1991. This is great for consumers, but tough on printer manufacturers who may find slimmer profits down the line. While HP and NEC dominate laser printer sales, Texas Instruments is pushing hard to increase their share of the pie. I'm not reviewing the newest laser printer from TI, but this one is still a dandy. About the first thing you notice about the TI microLaser printer is the wonderfully compact size, or "footprint" as computer writers like to say. It's only 13.4" high by 14.2" deep, and 10.9" high; it takes up less space than many dot matrix printers, and weighs under 35 pounds too. If space is at a premium at your home or office (like at mine), you'll appreciate this feature a lot. I reviewed an NEC laser printer previously that was about twice as large and heavy as the microLaser, with lesser quality. Although the microLaser is available as a basic HP LaserJet II-compatible printer with .5 MB memory, this review unit came with the optional 35 Adobe PostScript fonts, and 2 megs of additional memory (2.5 MB total). Maximum memory option is 4.5 MB. The unit also came with the optional AppleTalk board, allowing connection to any Macintosh. The board provides the Mac printer port, plus RS232 and RS422 serial ports. I don't have a Mac, so didn't test that option. Installing add-on boards is easier than with some other laser printers. Instead of turning the printer upside down, you slide out the main controller board in back of the microLaser, and "piggyback" the new upgrade boards. The microLaser comes with a 250-sheet paper drawer, adequate for single users. Recommended for networked office use is the additional 250-sheet drawer, which fits underneath the microLaser to retain the small footprint. I don't know how many people use laser printers for envelope printing, but there's an optional automatic envelope feeder if you need it. The manual feed slot is in front, to use envelopes, transparencies, letterheads, labels and heavy paper stock (up to 34 lb. weight). The microLaser accepts the usual paper sizes (letter, legal, executive, invoice, A4 and B5). Acceptable envelopes are business (4 1/8" x 9 1/2"), monarch, C5 and DL. The output bin holds up to 250 face-down sheets. For face-up collecting (recommended for heavier paper stocks), you open the back to access the 30-sheet output tray. Print speed is about six pages per minute (same as the Epson EPL-7000), after the first sheet (which takes around 16 seconds). Warm-up time is less than 60 seconds--an acceptable period. If you require them, optional credit card-sized emulations and font cartridges are available; these plug easily into two slots on the left side. Besides Diablo and Epson FX microCartridges [why would anyone want those?], you can get additional true Adobe fonts [that makes sense]. The microLaser uses the modular approach for its consumables (OPC, developer and toner cartridge). TI estimates their lifetime at 50,000 prints for the OPC, 25K for the developer, and 3K for toner. The control panel is nicely designed, with LCD, soft-touch switches and four indicator lights. You can easily select any of four personal printer configurations. There's also context-sensitive help in the form of printouts, which is a thoughtful touch. After a thorough testing with such programs as GEM Artline, Publish It!, Finesse, PFS:First Publisher, Professional Write and Print Shop, the microLaser performed admirably. Suggested list price for the basic microLaser PS35 is $2,499. Add-on memory and AppleTalk boards are optional. For more information, contact Texas Instruments Inc., P. O. Box 202230, Austin, TX 78720-2230; 800-527-3500. # David Batterson is a tech and business writer in San Rafael, CA. Send any comments via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON.