Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mimsy!cvl!umd5!umbc3!chris From: chris@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Chris Schanzle) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Printer Spooling w/Mac+ Message-ID: <251@umbc3.UMD.EDU> Date: Wed, 7-Jan-87 14:35:40 EST Article-I.D.: umbc3.251 Posted: Wed Jan 7 14:35:40 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 8-Jan-87 00:03:14 EST Organization: Univ of Maryland Baltimore County Lines: 51 Keywords: slow printing spooling I've been reading the net for several months now and haven't seen any messages concerning one of the slowest, least productive tasks on the Mac: Printing! After waiting over 30 minutes for my 10 page MS Word document to print in Best quality (using latest system stuff) when I really would have liked to be doing some graphs concurrently, I've decided I need a printer spooling program. As the ImageWriter II prints each line, there is a noticeable delay. Is this the printer's own temperature protection for the print head? (it was printing fairly dense output on Best quality.) Or, as I suspect, is the Mac+ not throwing the data out the data as fast as it can print it? If it's the latter, then a print spooler might help in two areas: 1) might send all the data to the printer in one big bach erather than interpreting each line at a time; 2) allow me at least to do other things while the printer does its thing. I know that spooling software is usually included with hard drives, but they're still out of my league financially. I need a spooler that can print graphics as well as text files. There are only two that I know of that might fit the bill: MaxPrint (from MacMemory) and MacSpool (from Mainstay). The ads in MacUser didn't describe MaxPrint - just its accompanying ramdisk program that has extra hardware for memory protection after a crash (which I certainly don't need/want if I can help it). Anyone out there using it? MacSpool, on the other hand, "returns control of the Mac much sooner than normal, allowing you to work while printing. Works with most applications like MacWrite, Word, MacPaint..." It also allows one to change programs while printing in the background, allowing me to be more productive (like make graphs with SuperPaint while Word prints in the background) - a feature I'd like to know if others have. [MacUser, July '86] This sounds like some true multitasking software for the Mac (yeah! More! More!) However, if the Mac slows to a snail's pace, or printing grinds to a halt if I simply type a few words, then it is not very helpful (it might take longer to print). Strangely enough, I tried to call Mainstay on their info hotline and nobody answered. A call to their order hotline revealed a rather rude operator that said they are not taking messages nor had a forwarding number. MacConnection isn't dealing with them anymore (?) either. Sounds like they're history to me... I'd appreciate any and all discussion about this. Naturally, if people would like to mail responses directly, I'd be more than pleased to post a summary. Time for disclaimers! 1. First time poster to net; please 'scuse all strange mistakes. 2. I'm ignorant about all above companies and I certainly don't work for them.