Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bgsuvax!edwards
From: edwards@bgsuvax.UUCP (Bruce Edwards)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Phototypesetter output
Keywords: Linotronic, Camera ready copy
Message-ID: <2677@bgsuvax.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jul 88 15:39:43 GMT
References: <4812@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh.
Lines: 52

In article <4812@gryphon.CTS.COM>, richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes:
> The artwork I was doing needed (as you may have guessed) legal sized
> paper.
> I *of course* wanted 2540 DPI.
> Their miserable Linotronic 300 **wouldn't do** 2540 DPI on legal paper.
> ``Why not'' I asked.
> ``Dunno man, it bombs''. 
> Oh
> 
> Is this normal ? Is there ANY device that can do 2540 DPI on legal 
> paper ?
> 
I know of no reason why a Linotron 300 should not be able to do legal size
output. We have an L300 and have not encountered problems with legal size
formats. What we have encountered problems with from time to time are files
which are too "busy" and for unknown reasons timeout on us ("busy" here is
a very imprecise term for a combination of too many fonts, blocks, bit-images,
and whatever's sufficient to give the RIP indigestion). We haven't clearly
determined what is it exactly which causes these infrequent "timeouts" and
neither has Linotron. I was told once it has to do with the serial link
between LocalTalk and the RIP hanging but never got a straight answer. Most
of our problems went away when we DLed our printer fonts to the L300 harddisk.

> Sheesh I thought. This is hardly better than the laser output. I can STILL
> see the dots in the halftones.
> 
> Until I actually compared the two. The laser output looks like it was
> done with crayons in comparison.
> 
> Highly recomended.

Even at 300dpi the Linotron output will look much better because of the
density and consistency of the image. I don't know what resolution your
image was printed at but we typically do our L300 output at 1270 on paper
and only go to 2540 when we do negative film for plate production.

Keep in mind that anybody running L300 output for you has an interest in
running it at the lowest resolution you will accept. More res = more time...
time = money. I'm not saying you were ripped off though....maybe their
software has a glitch that doesn't permit legal printing.
 
Disclaimer: I am participating as a guest of Bruce Edwards. My name
            is Ken Jenkins. Bruce is generally amused with my ramblings
            but does not necessarily agree with them.

            'These are only the shadowlands.' C.S. Lewis 
      ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
        Ken Jenkins as guest of edwards@bgsu
        CSNET: edwards@bgsu
      ARPANET: edwards%bgsu@csnet-relay
         UUCP: cbosgd!osu-cis!bgsuvax!edwards 
      -----------------------------------------------------------------