machine and software

[Pam Mcclain]

I was wondering what are the feelings of buying a new machine and professional software verses a refurbished one. I am graduating and looking at prices. A refurbished machine and software is about $2300 cheaper then going all new. I just don't want to regret it in a year and end up putting out the money for a new machine then.

[Glen Warner]

Hi, Pam.

My feelings on this are pretty simple: Buy a refurbished (non-student) writer -- like, say, a ProCAT Flash -- and download digitalCAT.

As a student (even a new graduate), you get digitalCAT for three months, for free ... then you start the $79/month payment Mary Jo mentioned.

I do, however, have to disagree with her recommendation for StenoCAT.

With StenoCAT, you pay the $650/year (not sure if it's all up front, or if they divide it into 12 payments ($54.17/mo)) ... and you KEEP paying that $650/year for as long as you wish to use the software.

Over a 20 year career, DC would cost you $3495, then you own it -- no more payments.

On the other hand, over that same career, SC would cost you roughly $13,000.

Which plan do you want to be on again?

For the writer, if you buy a good, refurbished machine to start out with, once you have your first big O-5 (that's Original and 5 copies) order, you will be able to go out and buy yourself a new writer ... and keep that Flash as a backup.

If you're wondering about how much that order might be, as a comparison, when I was a transcriptionist, I turned in a ~200 page transcript. Thought I was going to get about $300 for it ... but when the check came, it was $5,000.

As a reporter, you would probably bring in more than my $1.50/page transcriptionist rate ... so it is possible for one good pay day to finance a new writer ... but you will have to allow for taxes, so maybe you'll need a couple of those paydays!

Good luck in your search -- and your career!

--gdw
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"For a Good (steno) Time ...."
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net

[Mary Jo Cochran]

I starting over in reporting after being out for 20 years. I was a non-computer writer. I am going to start out with a Stenoram II (which is too old for you). But for software you might want to try out DigitalCat for $80.00 a month, or Stenocat for $650 a year. You're probably off with the Stenocat for $650.00 a year.