M. David Stone is an award-winning writer and computer industry consultant with special areas of expertise in imaging technologies (including printers, monitors, large-screen displays, projectors, scanners, and digital cameras), storage (both magnetic and optical), and word processing. His 25 years of experience in writing about science and technology includes a nearly 20-year concentration on PC hardware and software. He also has a proven track record of making technical issues easy for non-technical readers to understand, while holding the interest of more knowledgeable readers. Writing credits include eight computer-related books, major contributions to four others, and more than 2,000 articles in national and worldwide computer and general interest publications. His two most recent books are The Underground Guide to Color Printers (Addison-Wesley, 1996) and Troubleshooting Your PC, (Microsoft Press, 2000, with co-author Alfred Poor).Much of David's current writing is for PC Magazine, where he has been a frequent contributor since 1983 and a contributing editor since 1987. His work includes feature articles, special projects, reviews, and both hardware and software solutions for PC Magazine's Solutions columns. He also contributes to other magazines, including Wired. As Computers Editor at Science Digest from 1984 until the magazine stopped publication, he wrote both a monthly column and additional articles. His newspaper column on computers appeared in the Newark Star Ledger from 1995 through 1997.Non-computer-related work includes the Project Data Book for NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (written for GE's Astro-Space Division), and magazine articles and AV productions on subjects ranging from cosmology to ape language experiments. David also develops and writes testing scripts for leading computer magazines, including PC Magazine's PC Labs. His scripts have covered a wide range of subjects, including computers, scanners, printers, modems, word processors, fax modems, and communications software. He lives just outside of New York City, and considers himself a New Yorker at heart.
I’m beginning to wonder if Canon is being taken over by reincarnated denizens of the 1950s auto industry. Make a few trivial changes (bigger tail fins!), slap a new model number on it, and roll it out the door as a “new” fall model. At least, it feels that way after recently testing a couple […]
Sometimes it takes more than one try to get things right. Consider the HP Photosmart D7460 Printer ($179.99 direct). It’s a direct descendant of last year’s D7360, a photocentric printer with most of the same features. In particular, both can print from a PictBridge camera or computer but are most impressive as home photo kiosks. […]
Saving money is a good thing. If you need a new printer and youre on a tight budget, its surely one of the key issues that you care about. The trick is in knowing how to save money while still getting a reasonably capable printer. This roundup gathers an assortment of printers—including both stand-alone and […]
Printers—both single function and multifunction printers—are sometimes accused of having reached generic status. The truth is, theyre far from it. A box of nails is generic. Theres not much chance of telling one brand from another or finding one with better features. And if you found one, how would you know? Printers each offer their […]
Some ideas are so intriguing that they refuse to die, even if their early incarnations do. One such concept is combining a scanner with a keyboard. The most recent attempt at this is the KeyScan KS810 ($195 direct). Although veteran users will find it convenient, it lacks the software and the polish to be a […]
Back when monochrome laser prices were well into four figures, a lot of people called the ink jet—then a fledgling technology—the poor mans laser. I havent heard that description in a long time—not since ink jets shoved dot matrix printers into a nearly forgotten niche. But with ink jets like the HP Officejet Pro K5400dtn […]
Printers tend to be classified based on office size, into categories like home office, small office and enterprise workgroup printers. But the truth is that its better to think in terms of the volume of paper you need to push through the printer. A one- or two-person office with a lawyer who needs to print […]
Just as laptop computers let you operate wirelessly through a nearby access point, a growing number of printers and all-in-ones (AIOs) include wireless connectivity as a feature or an option. Advantages of wireless printing are that you wont need cables for it, and its more versatile and simpler. Printers come with any of several connection […]
The Brother MFC-8860DN ($499.99 list) monochrome laser AIO (all-in-one) is targeted at small workgroups in relatively large offices. But its also a near-perfect fit for busy small offices or home offices. The MFC-8860DN delivers fast print speeds and just about every function you can think of for an AIO. In addition to printing, the MFC-8860DN […]
You wouldnt know it from the model number, but the HP Photosmart A516 Compact Photo Printer ($99.99 direct) is a direct descendant of last years HP Photosmart 385 GoGo Printer. HP has changed its naming scheme, but the resemblance was obvious the instant I opened the box. The ink jet-based A516 has the same miniature-toaster […]