Printer features

[Steve Rindsberg]

The answers to some questions regarding PPT printing depend on printer driver
and its features.

I'm curious to find out a bit more about which drivers support what features.
This will help us answer printing questions more quickly and w/o subjecting
users to 20-questions about their printer/driver.

If you'd like to play, could you please reply and fill in the following:

If you use one of the following, no need to fill in the blanks; got it covered
already:

- Printers that use the standard MS PostScript driver
- Printers that use the Adobe PS driver (got it, will install it later)
- Epson C84, Epson Stylus Photo 820

So. Here we go:

Manufacturer and model:

Next, check the printer properties page (Start, Settings, Control Panel,
Printers, rightclick the printer and choose Preferences) Does your printer
have the following features (see below for explanation):

Print in reverse order:

Rotate page 180 degrees:

Mirror image printing:

Reduced/Enlarged printing:
- Scaling to specific size/paper size:
- Scaling to specific percentage:

Poster printing (tiling):

N-Up printing:

Borderless printing:

Centered printing:

Thanks!

Reverse order: prints pages from last to first in case you have special
collating needs

Rotate 180: rotates printed image (usually in landscape mode) so that it reads
correctly when the pages are bound, for example

Mirror: prints a mirror image of the page (useful for making decals, iron-ons
etc)

N-Up: prints multiple pages per sheet of paper (ie, something like
PowerPoint's 2, 3, 4, and 6 per page handouts)

Poster/Tile: splits one large page of output over many sheets of paper,
usually with a user-settable amount of overlap, so that you can assemble the
sheets into one large poster image

Borderless: most printers can't print clear to the edge of the page; some can
(may require special media)

Centered: most inkjets have a larger trailing than leading physical border,
which causes programs like PPT to print slides off center. This feature makes
the printer driver report even margins all around (by reporting a smaller page
size) so that PPT prints slightly smaller but centered slide images.

 

[Sonia]

Manufacturer and model: HP 6110 xi


Print in reverse order: Yes

Rotate page 180 degrees: Yes for envelopes only. Does two sided printing for
binding.

Mirror image printing: Yes

Reduced/Enlarged printing: Scale to fit
- Scaling to specific size/paper size:
- Scaling to specific percentage:

Poster printing (tiling): Yes -2X2. 3X3, and 4X4

N-Up printing: 1, 2, or 4 pages per sheet

Borderless printing: Yes, but for photos really, using 4 X 6 photo paper. (or
100 X 148 mm) or A6 Card

Centered printing: No

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Sonia

Reduced/Enlarged printing: Scale to fit
- Scaling to specific size/paper size:
- Scaling to specific percentage:

That'd be scale to specific paper size then?

 

[Sonia]

That's my interpretation, but I've never used it. It's presented along with the
setting for paper size. There is no setting for scaling by percentage.

 

[Bob Ostwald]

Manufacturer and model: HP 5110 series
Print in reverse order: Yes
Rotate page 180 degrees: Yes
Mirror image printing: Yes
Reduced/Enlarged printing:
- Scaling to specific size/paper size: Yes
- Scaling to specific percentage: Yes
Poster printing (tiling): Yes: 2x2. 3x3, 4x4, 5x5
N-Up printing: 2 pages per sheet
Borderless printing: Yes; photos (several sizes); A6 Card; A4 paper
Centered printing: Not that I can find

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Epson Stylus Photo 870 (Fantastic printer) (probably very similar to the 820):

Features of the printer driver (Epson version 5.20) itself....

Print in reverse order: Yes

Rotate page 180 degrees: Yes

Mirror image printing: Nope

Reduced/Enlarged printing:
- Scaling to specific size/paper size: Yes

- Scaling to specific percentage: Yes

Poster printing (tiling): Yes

N-Up printing: Yes

Borderless printing:

Nope. The edge that goes first into the paper feed has the biggest edge/border that you cannot print on.

Centered printing:

Yes


Cheers
TAJ Simmons
microsoft powerpoint mvp

awesome - powerpoint backgrounds,
free powerpoint templates, tutorials, hints and tips etc
http://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

That's my interpretation, but I've never used it. It's presented along with the
setting for paper size. There is no setting for scaling by percentage.

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Bob, TAJ

Interesting that TAJ's better printer doesn't have some of the features that my
cheapo C84 does. Then again, mine probably won't turn out the photos that his
will. ;-)

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Yeah...the photos are awesome!

If it only had the individual inks instead of a black cartridge and a 5 color cartridge.

TAJ

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

If it only had the individual inks instead of a black cartridge and a 5 color cartridge.

Ouch. I made that mistake once. Never again.

 

[Bill Dilworth]

Hey Steve,

Manufacturer and model: HP 890C

Print in reverse order: Yes

Rotate page 180 degrees: No

Mirror image printing: No

Reduced/Enlarged printing:
- Scaling to specific size/paper size: Yes
- Scaling to specific percentage: No

Poster printing (tiling):
No

N-Up printing: No

Borderless printing: No

Centered printing: No

Thanks!

No prob.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Bill.

Not sure what I'll do with all this info but it may help give us a sense of
what printers support some of these features, and how widely they're supported.