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From: turner@imagen.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: (none)
Message-ID: <1033@imagen.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 28-Mar-87 07:27:00 EST
Article-I.D.: imagen.1033
Posted: Sat Mar 28 07:27:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Mar-87 11:19:20 EST
References: <8703271256.AA06061@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Distribution: world
Organization: The Houses of the Holy
Lines: 36

in article <8703271256.AA06061@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, neri%nrl.DECnet@NRL3.ARPA ("NRL::NERI") says:
> 
> 
>  Re: Laser Printers
> 
>   A large bit-mapped memory is needed for a laser printer, because of the
> nature of the device.  Once the actual print cycle starts, the entire bit 

not so my friend, many laser-printer companies (us, atari etc.) use various
techniques such as banding rasterizers that allow a page to be
printed with limited memory (i.e. considerably less than a megabyte)
.
.
.
> the laser.  PostScipt lets your computer send high-level, device-independent
> commands to the printer, and the printer does the bit map.  The DMA port
with an appropiate loss of printing speed, this is not a flame
against PS, simply the higher the language the longer to compile
(badly over simplified), also that means the printer must understand
PS, have the compiler on board etc. which increases the price of
the device
>    So, one has to have enough memory for the bit map somewhere.  
> The Atari laser will have it in the ST, most lasers printers have it inside. 
it ain't necessarily so...
> However, the Mega-ST and laser printer is estimated to cost $3000, 
> which is very competitive with the price of anybody else's laser printer 
> that can handle large bit maps.  You have the ST as a computer as well.
> It seems like a bargain, if they get it to work!
i've seen it, trust me it works (and i've got this bridge...)


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