OT: printing PostScript files

Not under W2K.

I did. I reported it. It's a bit over 6MB.

Faster, no doubt. Better? No way.

I recently had to print out a discount coupon with fine (decorative) print in the 2- or 3-point range. It was clean and perfectly legible. The newer printers have 1200dpi RET. Is that visibly better (except under a loupe)? I don't know. I doubt it.

The paper wrinkling stopped after I bought the repair kit. (It had never been a problem.) As for the rest... Show me a laser printer with better print quality, and I' might consider switching. The 4- and 5-series printers are classic Canon products. If people weren't happy with the results, HP wouldn't have the demand needed to justify supplying cartridges.

If I were going to buy a new printer, it would be something like this...

How much would you care to bet that toner cartridges for the 4- and 5- series printers will still be available long after carts for the P2055dn is not longer available?

I really don't need a new printer. Maybe... Maybe... when this toner cart is empty, I might think about a new model. But as long as the printer continues to work, why should I?

Why? I have a "real" PostScript printer, and the driver outputs a "real" PostScript file. What is the problem with that?

I used to do user manuals for a company in Colorado. I sent them PostScript PRN files for their service agency's PostScript-based Agfa photosetter. Once in a while there would be a glitch and I'd have to re-do a particular chapter. (I don't know what causes this.) But otherwise, there were zero problems, and the final document looked /exactly/ like what came out of my LaserJet 4M. To paraphrase Otis... "What more could a writer want?"

Not on mine. It specifically says "PS" in the dialog box. And PS options are available.

I'm definitely not using the PCL driver. I can create a PRN file, and the Acrobat Distiller will convert it to a PDF.

My "problem" with PCL is that it doesn't render the page the same as PS. The printout does not exactly match what I see on the screen -- page breaks are different, for example.

Before you say "Yes, but the driver affects the display" (which it does), remember that the page layout itself -- in terms of margins, line spacing, etc -- is independent of the driver. If I create a document in Ventura Publisher, it should print out identically with any driver. It doesn't. I stick with PostScript, because it's a widely used standard. I don't know any photosetting machine that uses HP's PCL.

GhostScript is your friend.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

Yep, but the driver has to convert the bitmap into a hex-encoded format to print it via the printers PS interpreter, which slows things down. If you want to send a bitmap anyway, you're better off sending in PCL instead. It'll be at least twice as fast.

The PS interpreter reserves a couple of meg of RAM. You can confirm this by using the printer control panel to print a PCL status print, then a PS status print.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

Yep. I have 24MB in my HP 4M+. I stole it from my equally ancient SGI Indy.

Good advice.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

You mustn't be using the correct driver. Under PS options, you can tell it how much RAM your printer has. My guess is that you have it configured to use the PCL driver, rather than the PS driver.

A lot smaller than that! Just use the printer front panel to print a test page, & it'll tell you how much RAM is installed.

Me either. I love my 4M+.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe so. 6MB is enough for the basics, but it'll drop your jobs if you hit it with anything very complex. On the bright side, if you can find compatible RAM for it (Kingston would be a good place to start), it'll be cheap.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

--
The movie \'Deliverance\' isn\'t a documentary!

I don't have a W2K machine handy but it's my understanding that the W2K and XP printer delivers are the same. I just realized that the above screen grab is from the HP LJ4, not the HP LJ4m. So, I loaded the HP4m driver instead and got exactly the same thing. It's identical to the HP4 except that it says HP LJ4m at the top of the page, and oddly, the selection of RAM starts at 6MB but ends at 68MB. I didn't think the HP LJ4M could handle that much.

Oh wait... I have an W2K Server available with remote access. Now, if I can only remember the password.... Got it. Installing HP LJ4m. Checking Settings.... Yep, exactly the same as XP. Please look again.

That's the default. Find some FPM RAM and add it.

The HP LJ4 series has a really good EX printing engine. However, I consider the paper handling mechanism to be marginal.

Easy enough to test. Find a 1200 dpi printer and compare the output in 300, 600, and 1200 dpi mode. For use, 1200 dpi is far better for rendering pictures and photos. I would expect tiny print to also be better, but I've never tried it.

Might as well see what my HP LJ2000dtn can do. Running a test page under Open Office Writer 3.1 with lines starting at 10pt and working my way down to 1pt. 2pt requires a magnifying glass to read, but is perfectly clear. Same with everything larger. I pt comes out the same size as 2pt suggesting that 2pt is the minimum font size. Also, there are 3 levels of 1200 dpi resolution: Prores 1200 at 141 lpi Prores 1200 at 180 lpi Fastres 1200 I can't see the difference between any of them using my test page.

Switching down to 600 dpi and running the same test page, it appears a bit darker, but the 2pt readability is about the same. I have a microscope in the office if you want to see the result blown up, but with just a magnifying glass, I can't see much difference between 600 dpi and 1200 dpi. Oh well.

Incidentally, I've found the type and quality of the toner to have huge effect on print quality.

It's been a problem with every HP LJ4 I've ever played with. It usually starts with occasional wrinkled pages, and turns into a paper crumpler. New rear rollers solve the problem for the next 60K or more pages.

What's my commission for the sale?

True. They also tend to run forever. However, HP's business plan seems to have forked. At the low end, they're selling printers that will survive perhaps 5-10 cartridges and then just wear out. Like most inkjets, they're junk on arrival and don't last. On the other foot, HP's high end machines are make for production environments. My only real complaint is that parts tend to be outrageously expensive. Unfortunately, there's a large number of in between printers that don't fit well in either category. The 4000 and later 4200/4300 series printers are mix of junk and quality. At least the prices are stratified accordingly so one has a clue which class of printer is appropriate.

$350 to $400. I was recommending a $120 (used) printer. I don't have a problem with buying a better printer, but I assumed that you wanted something cheap based on your attachment to the ancient HP LJ4m.

Agreed. There were a large number of printers based on the EX and EX+ engines, which justify the availability of toner carts. HP's toner cart strategy seems to be to have a different cartridge for each model, thus marginalizing the replacement toner market. Some printers (i.e. 4200/4300) complain bitterly when a non-HP toner cartridge is inserted, but will print anyway. Let's just say that HP (and others) are not particularly friendly towards 3rd party vendors.

Speed, resolution, speed, reliability, speed, power consumption, speed, paper handling, etc. Oh yeah, speed.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I've bought from them before. They're cheap and good.

No surprise. The HP cartridges cost "too much", but the refills aren't particularly reliable.

Ah, well... My printer has gone through less than 22,200 pages. And I've got the spare rollers.

A laurel, and hearty handshake.

Yes, but $120 would buy me a new cartridge.

I don't use the printer heavily. So, as with the car ads, I'll imagine it blowing nickels into my face...

True. I've had good luck on random cartridges from eBay. I originally expected to find HP carts that had been refilled. Instead, they're new plastic molded clones from China with some rather marginal tolerance issues. I've had some that worked just fine, but had to filed or tweaked slightly to fit. I can't see any difference in toner other than the tendency for some vendors to overfill. The incentive is that I can buy 3 or 4 clone carts for the price of one genuine HP cartridge. The few that have had obvious problems were graciously exchanged by the vendors, so I'm too worried about buying clone carts.

However (insert drum roll), I can't say the same with refill kits. I've been refilling toner carts since about 1990, when it was economically necessary. At one point, I had a 50lb drum of toner for refills. At about $2 per cartridge (plus scrubber) it's tempting. I don't do many monochrome refills because of the availability of clone carts. However, color carts are still expensive, so bulk toner refills are still a temptation. Results have been ummmm... marginal. Sometimes it works just fine. Other times, not so fine. The usual problem is when I don't replace the scrubber, and end up with vertical streaking. Such defects are almost invisible with b&w text printing, but look horrible on color photos.

Only 22K? That's a fairly new printer. At the rate you're using it, I would expect it to last forever if you keep it clean.

My usual sales method is to loan the customer a better, but used printer. I make sure they only have enough toner for about a month of printing. When they run out of toner, I usually get a phone call, which invariably results in a sale of either a new equivalent, or the used printer. I make more money on the used printer so it's no big deal. I also get my empty cartridge back for "recycling" (which I actually partly refill). They get to buy a new cartridge, which often costs them more than the printer. Unless money is a major problem, nobody ever wants to go back to the old laser printer.

Fly before you buy is an effective sales tool. You might want to borrow a better printer and see what it does for you. I'm sure you'll find something. In my case, it was not making any fan noises when in standby, not sucking power when in standby, and very fast warmup. I didn't realize how much time I spent waiting for the first page to print. 300dpi would have been good enough for most of my applications (invoicing, reports, Quickbooks, copies of web pages, knowledge base instructions, manuals, etc.

I think I paid about $30 for the 96A used by the HP2200dtn printer.

When I first saw that commercial, I figured their vehicle was burning dollar bills for fuel. I rarely buy current technology for my own use. Mostly, I get previous generation products. My customers get the latest, while I often inherit older technology from the upgrade. The cost savings of buying used is substantial, but one has to be willing and able to fix and maintain things. While you're saving nickels, I'm saving dollars.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I'd be interested to know why GhostScript's output isn't "real".

Isaac

That's my expectation.

What's the point in making jokes if no one gets them?

Heh, heh, heh.

But I've owned the printer for nigh-on to 17 years, young'un.

At the rate I'm currently printing, my toner cartridge (purchased in early

2008) will probably last another couple of years (assuming the toner doesn't start deteriorating). At that point I can think about a new printer. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

I'd be interested to know why I'm supposed to switch to GhostScript.

Sorry. I got the joke, but lurched onward to expound on my sales technique. If you read my various rants (in various newsgroups) I avoid offering specific product recommendations. It's like asking a lawyer or doctor for advice. You'll never get a single specific recommendation. Instead, you'll receive an assortment of options, and you get to decide which is best. If the advice fails, it's your fault, not the fault of the doctor or lawyer. Were they to offer a single recommendation, it would obviously be their fault. Think of it as defensive advice.

Not available in the colonies. We use paper plates and plastic utensils. Dishes and dish washing are so old world.

I've had similar love affairs with old HP calculators, various lady friends, several businesses, and a 1983 Dodge D50 diesel pickup truck. All of them lasted about 25 years which seems to be some kind of time limit for me. Perhaps your relationship with your laser printer will survive somewhat longer, but I predict you will eventually demand a divorce. I note that you've already selected a suitable replacement, which is the first step.

Ok, let's do the math. It took you 17 years to print 22,000 pages, your consumption is approximately 1,300 pages per year. The HP LJ4m

98A carts are good for about 8000 pages (at 5% coverage). At your present rate of toner consumption, I get a predicted life of about 6 years, of which you've already consumed 2 years. I would expect you to be shopping for a new printer in late 2013. Please mark your calendar. I'll remind you as I'm still expecting a commission on the sale.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

That's true of later printers. Printer RAM tends to be weird.

However, the HP LJ4 series uses common Fast Page Mode SIMM memory, that was common on 386, 486, and early Pentium motherboards. EDO won't work. The maximum for the HP LJ4m is adding three 8MByte SIMM's as the Postcript module occupies the first slot. The 4M+ will take

16MB SIMM's.

If you have some old RAM floating around, just try it. If you get an error message, or it doesn't display the correct amount of RAM, try a different SIMM.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I tend to greater than 5% coverage, so it'll likely be sooner. All I know is that I'll be in the market for a new toner cartridge.