Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.6.2.17 $; site uicsl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!mather From: mather@uicsl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Request for laser printer informatio Message-ID: <11300006@uicsl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 23-Oct-84 15:26:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uicsl.11300006 Posted: Tue Oct 23 15:26:00 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 25-Oct-84 03:18:24 EDT References: <13195@sri-arpa.UUCP> Lines: 98 Nf-ID: #R:sri-arpa:-1319500:uicsl:11300006:000:4590 Nf-From: uicsl!mather Oct 23 14:26:00 1984 We have purchased a QMS lasergraphix 1200 printer. We have printed 95,000 pages with it so far. We have it connected as follows: 2 Vax 780s and a Masscomp all connected together via Ethernet. Each 780 sends over pre-troff source to the MC which ditroffs and translates in a 'offline' or 'batch' mode. The Masscomp is (for now) dedicated to ditroffing jobs. We can also ether-over graphics (4010 binary), 'QUIC code' printer codes, and PIC and IDEAL stuff. This has offloaded our VAXs considerably. We are still using a serial line between the MC and QMS, but will switch to the parallel interface as soon as Masscomp gets off their butts and sends us the one we have ordered (N months ago). Here are my impressions/views/thoughts: The printing part of the machine is very nice. It as a tremendous potential. But ..... The fonts need a lot of work. They seem to have a great deal of trouble generating correctly positioned fonts with just the right spacings. Extra fonts (each point size in each typeface is considered a new font) cost a fortune and are NOT worth it. The PROM fonts build into the machine are worthless as far as troff (ditroff) is concerned since there is no width tables for these. If you do accounting (charge per page) you will have a BIG problem as there is no way to accurately keep track of the number of pages printed. QMS has mentioned having some some of 'read status' facility on the printer, but that is just talk as far as I know. The queue software from Mt Xinu does not use the nice 4.2 lpr spooling utilities which is a BIG drag. The old 4.1 'first in is not first out' problem exits which makes users irate. The software says that the printer prints at a rate such that this is not a problem. Bull. Every once and a while, the paper jams and gets BURNED in half by the heater unit. This is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation as a normal thing. I guess it is (after talking to Xerox). The first time I saw SMOKE coming out of our printer, I was concerned. Every now and then the QMS1200 status display shows 'FF' fatal error. Which requires powering down and powering up the printer (I am utterly amazed that there is NO reset switch to do this - If you turn off the printer then turn it back on, it is too stupid to realize that it is already warm and goes through the heater/laser warmup cycle. You can 'warm start' the printer (to avoid this cycle) but, it requires (no lie) 3 (three) hands to push all the buttons and switches at the same time. I'd like to see what their design engineer looks like. When you get this 'FF' error, how do you fix it if something is in the middle of printing? Good question. We have to 'ps' and find the qpd daemon, kill it and it's forks, then turn off/on the printer, reset a 'fonts which are loaded' file, then 'rm a lock file' and start up the printer daemon again. ULTRA-headache. If the 4.2 software was used, this would be a non-problem. We, of course are throwing the Mt Xinu software out the window and writing our own. If you want something done right ..... The QMS software that maps the troff special characters sequence, \(12 type of thing, has errors in it. The \(ib gave us a improper superset of (instead of improper subset of). The operator manual is cryptic. Setting up modes/printer defaults/tests on the QMS1200 via the touch panal and 2 digit display is like programming in machine language. The status display should be better designed. When the printer is now used for N minutes (30