Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!mtuxo!mtfmi!mec
From: mec@mtfmi.att.com (M.CONNICK)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: DeskJet, PaintJet and DeskWriter
Message-ID: <1312@mtfmi.att.com>
Date: 15 Aug 89 14:14:12 GMT
References: <9291@pwcs.UUCP> <780033@hpvcfs1.HP.COM>
Reply-To: mec@mtfmi.UUCP (79153-M.CONNICK)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Middletown NJ
Lines: 41

In article <780033@hpvcfs1.HP.COM> rickk@hpvcfs1.HP.COM (Rick Klaus) writes:

>The DeskJet is cheaper, but the speed is SO much slower that it is almost
>unbearable.  As for cartridge fonts speeding things up, you are throwing
>WYSIWYG out the window when you try to mix Mac fonts and graphics with
>printer fonts.

Gee, doesn't anyone read what I post?

AGAIN, with the MacPrint driver you can use the DeskJet fonts, either
built-in or cartidge, just like any other font. You SEE them on your
screen with WYSIWYG look and spacing. However, when you print them out
you get 2 pages/minute speed. You can mix the DeskJet fonts with
QuickDraw fonts in the same document, even in the same line. When
MacPrint encounters a DeskJet font, printing speeds up dramatically.
When it encouters a QuickDraw font or bit-mapped or PICT graphics, it
enters graphics mode and prints much slower. So if you use the DeskJet
Times cartridge and have the bulk of your text in Times, you can get
output that's about as fast as the DeskWriter. If you use both the
Times and Helvetica cartridges and have only those fonts in your
document, I'd wager you could probably beat the DeskWriter!

Wow, that all looks familiar, doesn't it? ;-)

As to whether the speed of printing all QuickDraw stuff is unbearable,
it's really in the eye of the beholder. A typical text page using
nothing but QuickDraw fonts will print out in less than two minutes at
300 dpi.  If you add grahpics, it's slower. You get faster speeds by
printing at 75 or 150 dpi. The absolutely slowest document we ever
printed was a newsletter page with lots of grahpics, including a
digitized photo. The page took almost 7 minutes to print at 300 dpi.
With our printing volume and being able to print out in background
under MultiFinder, these rates are completely acceptable to us. With
a price today of around $500 total for the DeskJet and MacPrint driver
(complete with cable) I think this is still one terrific
price/performance ratio. If money were no object, I'd buy a
LaserWriter II NT!

-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Connick    att!mtfmi!mec        201-957-3057
AT&T Bell Labs     MT 3F-113	        (Dept. 79153)