Re: linux cups slow printing help

["Robert Krawitz-2" <user=69@nabble.blu.org>]

    Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:48:00 -0400 
   From: Bob - BLU <[hidden email]> 

   On 04/23/2008 12:56 PM, Bob - BLU wrote: 
   > I have a customer that I am transitioning from SCO Unix to RHEL.  The 
   > server is used for an application that generates simple text reports.   
   > They have a variety of HP printers.  I need to be able to print this 
   > simple text output and set: landscape, lines-per-inch, 
   > character-per-inch, margins, printer tray.  Very doable with command 
   > line options to 'lp'.  The problem is that cusp takes by 124KB text file 
   > and turns into a 1.4MB binary (ghostscript?) file in the print queue.   
   > Under SCO, and cups with the 'text-only' driver, printing takes 1:45 
   > (~10 secs per page).  Under cups with any other driver (hpijs, pcl5e) 
   > printing takes 6:45 (~40 secs per page).  I can't use the text-only 
   > drivers because I need landscape, printer tray selection, etc. 
   > 
   > This horrid print speed isn't acceptable to the customer.  Any ideas on 
   > how to work around this? 
   > 
   > I only have two so far: 
   > 
   > 1) Tell the customer to replace all printers with newer faster ones. 
   > 2) Write my own PCL to wrap around the text files and print raw. 
   > 
   > There has got to be a better solution.  Any help, ideas, pointers will 
   > be greatly appreciated! 

   I solved this by using the original "laserjet" driver.  It drops in 
   some PCL, and then just the text follows.  Keeps the files in the 
   print spool a normal size, and printing is 'fast'.  It gives me the 
   ability to change printer trays, CPI, LPI, page orientation and 
   margins.  Is all we needed, and works with all of the customers 
   printers.  Only down side is that it prints at 300dpi.  I expect 
   that if I try some other early LaserJet printer drivers I might get 
   better DPI.  It would be nice to figure out a way to differentiate 
   between drivers that work simply with PCL and those that create 
   binary bloat crap.  But that is a research effort for another 
   day... 

Gutenprint works with these laser printers; you might try it. 
However, it is a raster-only driver, so it generates a raster image of 
the page, also. 

-- 
Robert Krawitz                                     <[hidden email]> 

Tall Clubs International  --  http://www.tall.org/ or 1-888-IM-TALL-2 
Member of the League for Programming Freedom -- mail [hidden email] 
Project lead for Gutenprint   --    http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net

"Linux doesn't dictate how I work, I dictate how Linux works." 
--Eric Crampton 

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