How can we speed up our network printing?

[jon]

My query relates to printing from Adobe InDesign over a network.

I work in an office with a small network of 3 iMacs and a G4. We connect to an HP LaserJet 1200n via an HP JetDirect 175x print-server. Most of the year our printing is very low-volume, and our setup seems quite adequate for this. However, over a period of a month or two each year we have to print out several sets of proofs for a 1400-page book. We set the pages in and print out from InDesign.

We find that printing from InDesign is quite slow (I just timed a sample 3-page document at 82 seconds from hitting 'Print' to the emergence of the 3rd page from the printer), though most of the delay comes in waiting for the first page to appear. Printing from pdfs is even slower (130 seconds for a pdf of the same 3-page test), but here there seems to be an equal delay on each of the pages.

Does anyone have any ideas what the cause of this slowness is? The print-server or the printer itself?

The other major problem we have is that the printer usually dies if we try to print out more than around 50 pages in one go. We assume that this is just overheating and that the solution is to get a printer that can cope with a larger throughput.

I'd be very grateful for any suggestions on makes and models of printer/print-server that will improve both the speed of printing and the throughput.

Cheers,

-- Jon
(for email replies make the obvious change to ".rog")

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

However, over a period of a month or two each year we have to print out
several sets of proofs for a 1400-page book. We set the pages in and print
out from InDesign.

Make PDFs and take them into Kinko's. Don't worry about having
equipment yourself for this job.

 

[Ron Parsons]

My query relates to printing from Adobe InDesign over a network.

I work in an office with a small network of 3 iMacs and a G4. We connect to an
HP LaserJet 1200n via an HP JetDirect 175x print-server. Most of the year our
printing is very low-volume, and our setup seems quite adequate for this.
However, over a period of a month or two each year we have to print out
several sets of proofs for a 1400-page book. We set the pages in and print out
from InDesign.

We find that printing from InDesign is quite slow (I just timed a sample
3-page document at 82 seconds from hitting 'Print' to the emergence of the 3rd
page from the printer), though most of the delay comes in waiting for the
first page to appear. Printing from pdfs is even slower (130 seconds for a pdf
of the same 3-page test), but here there seems to be an equal delay on each of
the pages.

Does anyone have any ideas what the cause of this slowness is? The
print-server or the printer itself?

The other major problem we have is that the printer usually dies if we try to
print out more than around 50 pages in one go. We assume that this is just
overheating and that the solution is to get a printer that can cope with a
larger throughput.

I'd be very grateful for any suggestions on makes and models of
printer/print-server that will improve both the speed of printing and the
throughput.

Cheers,

-- Jon
(for email replies make the obvious change to ".rog")

Most of your initial delay is downloading the fonts to the printer. I'm
assuming PostScript here. Most HP's use PS emulation rather than pay the
license for the real thing. Some printers allow you to pre-download
fonts to either internal memory or an add-on hard drive. A true PS
printer would negotiate with the driver software and only ask for the
fonts it doesn't already have.

My ancient TI microLaser has an ozone filter on the cooling fan which
gets covered with dust quickly. You might want to look inside the
printer to see if you can improve airflow.

Since you have a once a year need for this large output, it might be
cost and time effective to use a Print Bureau.

Depending on what you are using to generate the PDF's, you may not be
getting a text version of your document, but rather a graphic of each
page which is about 10x more data to transmit.

 

[CWatters]

The other major problem we have is that the printer usually dies if we try
to print out more than around 50 pages in one go.

Perhaps it would help to upgrade the memory in the printer? Try asking HP
about this. I think it comes with 8MByte and can be upgraded to 64Mbyte or
more.

 

[Sally]

Hello Jon:

There are many things that you can do or check to ensure good fast
printing. I'll lst the Biggies. not in order

1) ensure that the server that the hp jetdirect is on has enough
resources to not let the print job jet bottlenecked. Add more Ram
mayby

2) Get a better print server than the USB 175x hp.. Go 100TX ehternet

3) if you are using a hub, change to a switch end enable full duplex

4) If you are using multiple protocols Appletalk and TCP-IP change to
only tcp-ip and disable applttalk if you can. Appletalk is very slow.

thats my 2 cents worh

 

[jon]

Thanks to all for your advice and suggestions. I've implemented some of the cheaper/easier ones (such as turning off AppleTalk, which was on on one of our machines...), but it seems that fundamentally it came down to a choice between spending a lot of money on a new printer or keeping the current one and paying someone else to deal with the twice-yearly big jobs. The latter is the more cost-effective option.

Thanks again,

-- Jon

 

[Al Dykes]

Make PDFs and take them into Kinko's. Don't worry about having
equipment yourself for this job.

You can send PDFs to kinkos over the internet for printing and pick
them up on the way home, bound with a cover if you like. I've done
this for the manuals that come on CD for software I've just purchased,
up to 30 pages.

 

[Al Dykes]

Hello Jon:

There are many things that you can do or check to ensure good fast
printing. I'll lst the Biggies. not in order

1) ensure that the server that the hp jetdirect is on has enough
resources to not let the print job jet bottlenecked. Add more Ram
mayby

2) Get a better print server than the USB 175x hp.. Go 100TX ehternet

3) if you are using a hub, change to a switch end enable full duplex

4) If you are using multiple protocols Appletalk and TCP-IP change to
only tcp-ip and disable applttalk if you can. Appletalk is very slow.

thats my 2 cents worh

I don't see any reference to 100MB ethernet in the query. Up grade
the jetdirect to 100MB if it is not, already.


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linefeeds in it.)