Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!zardoz.cpd.com!neil
From: neil@uninet.cpd.com (Neil Gorsuch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Printer Drivers
Keywords: HP Deskjet, serial/parallel
Message-ID: <1991Apr20.225655.7340@zardoz.cpd.com>
Date: 20 Apr 91 22:56:55 GMT
References: <9104140516.AA03455@epsoft> <1991Apr18.155842.16132@bernina.ethz.ch> <19343@cs.utexas.edu>
Sender: news@zardoz.cpd.com (usenet news administrator)
Organization: Uninet Peripherals, Santa Ana, CA, USA
Lines: 33

>>I calculated the time it takes to print out a 300 dpi graphics page (>
>>1 MB of data) as a bitmap at 19200 baud (the max. baud rate the
>>DeskJet+ knows about); this gives about 9-10 minutes, quite a lot. It
>>would be nice if workstation would have a parallel port, too...

Uninet sells a scsi based Centronics parallel port that has been
ported to the NeXT.  Call (800)433-6784 and ask for sales or send
email to sales@cpd.com or to uninet!sales for more information.

>But I write lots and lots of papers, articles, and the occasional book, so
>I have a need for high quality cheap output.

With something like gnu ghostscript, and a cheap laser printer (and
maybe our centronics parallel port for faster speed 8-), it would seem
that one could have postscript laser printing fairly cheaply.  Note
that I haven't tried outputting ghostscript stuff to a printer, just
to the screen, but there appears to be very good documentation on how
to write new output drivers.  You may not have to anyway, here is part
of the gdevs.mak file in ghostscript 2.1:

# Printers:
#       bj10e   Canon BubbleJet BJ10e  [MS-DOS only]
#       deskjet  H-P DeskJet   [MS-DOS & Unix]
#       epson   Epson dot matrix printers   [MS-DOS only]
#       laserjet  H-P LaserJet   [MS-DOS & Unix]
#       nwp533  Sony Microsystems NWP533 laser printer   [Sony only]
# ###   paintjet  H-P PaintJet color printer [Unix, tested on SunOS only]

--
Neil Gorsuch        INTERNET: neil@cpd.com          UUCP: uunet!zardoz!neil
MAIL: 1209 E. Warner, Santa Ana, CA, USA, 92705     PHONE: +1 714 546 1100
Uninet, a division of Custom Product Design, Inc.   FAX: +1 714 546 3726
AKA: root, security-request, uuasc-request, postmaster, usenet, news