Re:Printers

[Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- jci -dot- com]

>The bigger problem is that Acrobat doesn't communicate with some of the
advanced >features on HP's newest printers. The biggest problem I've
encountered (and other >people have noted it, too) is the inability to
print collated sets. The new printers >have a "Mopier" feature--RIP once
print many--but Acrobat won't use it.

Hmmm. I'd suspect this is more a problem with the print driver than with
acrobat. Acrobat, after all, doesn't talk to the printer. It writes the
output it wants to send to the print driver, which then sends it on.

Acrobat probably requires PS, and perhaps the drivers installed on the
machines in question aren't set up with anything other than generic PS
drivers, which would of course know nothing about the specific features of
the printer. (HP drivers are known for favoring PCL over PS, not surprising
as PCL is an HP concoction.)

The current PS drivers from adobe rely on the printer manufacturers to
supply a machine specific file (the PPD, Postscript Printer Definition,
file) which the driver then uses to generate proper PS to handle the
features of that particular printer.

I've had to "correct" several installations of a Tektronix Phaser 840
driver around here lately. The 840 does duplex printing (this feature
quickly made my "gotta have" list) but only if you're using the correct
driver for it; the generic PS driver will not do.

Just curious (send it off-list):
What's the model of the printer you're using? It's just possible that HP
has made the internal decision to make the "mopier" function available only
to PCL, and not to postscript. If we've got one like it around here, I'll
take a shot with Acrobat at it and see if I can see the function offered.
One thing I've found out the hard way: The fact an HP printer is capable of
printing postscript has no bearing on whether the print job you're sending
to it actually *is* postscript. That's a decision the print driver makes,
and drivers from HP will send PCL unless they have no other choice.


Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
----------------------------------------------
In God we trust; all others must provide data.
----------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.