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From: gene@digibd.com (Gene H. Olson)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.printers
Subject: Re: How fast is a parallel port?
Keywords: Centronics, Drivers, Hardware, Dataproducts,
Message-ID: <1991Mar11.215107.3299@digibd.com>
Date: 11 Mar 91 21:51:07 GMT
References: <1991Feb25.220636.23155@cbnewsh.att.com>
Organization: DigiBoard Incorporated, St. Louis Park, MN
Lines: 22

wcs@cbnewsh.att.com (Bill Stewart 908-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs) writes:
>I'm trying to find out how to connect big laser printers (50-100ppm)
>to normal computers, in particular to 386/486 boxes running UNIX.
>For a variety of ugly reasons, I don't want to use Ethernet -
>I'd really like to use a parallel port.  But nobody I've talked to
>knows how fast a parallel port can go on a typical machine, and
>nobody's tried it at speeds over about 10ppm.

I am afraid you are in for the big hurt.

In the tests I have conducted, the parallel port on a typical SCO
386 machine runs about 5000 cps, and uses about 80% of the host
cpu to service the interrupts.

This performance level is truly appalling, and I would strongly suggest
you look at vendors of intelligent parallel ports before you commit
yourself to running 20 ppm on a 100 ppm laser printer....
-- 
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  /  )                  Gene H. Olson            uunet!digibd!gene
 / __  _  __   _        DigiBoard Inc.