 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Mac Forum / General / Hardware / January 2006True Postscript printers for OS X?
I've got a Lexmark E320 which is beginning to jam often enough to need a repair, so I'm looking at laser printers (monochrome) as replacements. The E320 won't print some PostScript pages correctly, so I'm looking for true PS printers, and so far I've found only the Ricoh A410. None of the Mac vendors I've called can do searches for true postscript - they come up with lots of "postscript" printers, but they're "postscript emulation," which I'm not happy with. Googling turns up the same stuff, and I can't figure out how to winnow out the references to emulation and "non-postscript." Who knows of OS X and Windows 2000 true PostScript printers _or_ a printer with good enough emulation to print all my stuff? (The e320 won't print Adobe's invoices and confirmations correctly, although they show onscreen without problems in Preview. sigh) Duplex printing would be a bonus (a la the HP LaserJet 1320).  SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > Who knows of OS X and Windows 2000 true PostScript printers _or_ a printer > with good enough emulation to print all my stuff? The Xerox Phaser 3500 comes with Adobe PostScript 3. > Who knows of OS X and Windows 2000 true PostScript printers _or_ a printer > with good enough emulation to print all my stuff? (The e320 won't print > Adobe's invoices and confirmations correctly, although they show onscreen > without problems in Preview. sigh) Duplex printing would be a bonus (a la > the HP LaserJet 1320). I've been drooling over <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=8500_8550> for the last few weeks. It's SO much less pricey than its predecessors! Haven't actually seen it work, though. I've seen older versions run. Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. > I've been drooling over > <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=8500_8550> for > the last few weeks. It's SO much less pricey than its predecessors! > Haven't actually seen it work, though. I've seen older versions run. It's color and a hundred and fifty dollars more than the 3500. I print to my wife's inkjet when I want color. If I'm basically printing out copies of contracts and letters, is there any advantage to having solid ink over traditional monochrome cartidges of that black powder stuff? (At twenty dollars off, by the way, now may be the best time to buy. :-> Just in case you needed a push.) SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > It's color and a hundred and fifty dollars more than the 3500. I print to > my wife's inkjet when I want color. If I'm basically printing out copies of > contracts and letters, is there any advantage to having solid ink over > traditional monochrome cartidges of that black powder stuff? Well, the post-rebate 8500 is actually $50 *less* than the 3500 model with networking and PostScript. I expect that the solid ink consumables cost significantly more per page than powdered toner and that speed and b&w print quality are a little better with the 3500. > Well, the post-rebate 8500 is actually $50 *less* than the 3500 model > with networking and PostScript. I missed that part, as I'm looking at the cheapest 3500, which has parallel port and USB, which is how I'll connect my PC and the Mac. With Rendezvous or whatever it's called now, having a 'network' printer is automatic without the extra expense. > I expect that the solid ink consumables > cost significantly more per page than powdered toner and that speed and > b&w print quality are a little better with the 3500. I'll check, but that'll be my expectation. I'm also leary about useful life of solid ink. I'm tired of inkjet carts and chipped carts that won't let you use them past a certain level. I'm happy with the life of my toner cartridges and the ability to continue using them even past when the obviously need changing when all I'm printing is drafts for my own perusal. The 3500 has two cartidges, one rated at 6,000 pages, and the other at 12,000, which also makes me happy -- not having to change cartridges in the middle of a rush print job, which is when it always happens, as often as with inkjets. Thanks for the heads up, though. I'll look at it more carefully. My initial reaction was automatic rejection. :-> SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. >> Well, the post-rebate 8500 is actually $50 *less* than the 3500 model >> with networking and PostScript. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > or whatever it's called now, having a 'network' printer is automatic > without the extra expense. The cheapest 8500 only prints single-sided. The model with the network connection also gives you the duplex printing. >> I expect that the solid ink consumables >> cost significantly more per page than powdered toner and that speed and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I'm also leary about useful life of solid ink. I'm tired of inkjet carts and > chipped carts that won't let you use them past a certain level. There is no expiration on the solid ink. > I'm happy > with the life of my toner cartridges and the ability to continue using them [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > cartridges in the middle of a rush print job, which is when it always > happens, as often as with inkjets. There is a maintenance cartridge in in 8500, but it gives plenty of warning before it expires. > Thanks for the heads up, though. I'll look at it more carefully. My initial > reaction was automatic rejection. :-> > The cheapest 8500 only prints single-sided. The model with the network > connection also gives you the duplex printing. From the specs page <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=8500_8550&page= spec>, it looks like all the models in the 8500 line have Ethernet. To duplex, you have to get the 8500/DN, currently listed at $899 after rebate -- only $50 more than the 3500/DN. > From the specs page > <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=8500_8550&pag > e= spec>, it looks like all the models in the 8500 line have > Ethernet. To duplex, you have to get the 8500/DN, currently listed at > $899 after rebate -- only $50 more than the 3500/DN. IIRC, the cost per page to print is lower for the 8500. OTOH, if you print actual pictures, the cost to print has to be higher. I suspect it's a matter of, what do you want to do? Ink jets are the most expensive way to print. Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. > Well, the post-rebate 8500 is actually $50 *less* than the 3500 model > with networking and PostScript. I expect that the solid ink consumables > cost significantly more per page than powdered toner and that speed and > b&w print quality are a little better with the 3500. I'm not sure how much the 3500's toner costs, so I can't speak to that, but the price of the solid ink for the 8500 is readily available with a little Googling. Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. > I'm not sure how much the 3500's toner costs, so I can't speak to that, > but the price of the solid ink for the 8500 is readily available with a > little Googling. The 3500 is $549 for simplex printing, and toner cartridges are $140 for 6000 page cart and $206 for 12000 page cartridge (and 206/12000=about 2 cents at 5% page coverage). inktechnologies.com sells 8500 Value packs of 3 sticks each of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black for $310, claiming 1000 to 1400 pages per stick at 5% coverage. HP's site mentions a 13-minute warm up time before you can print with the 8500, which is a problem for me. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > inktechnologies.com sells 8500 Value packs of 3 sticks each of cyan, > magenta, yellow, and black for $310, claiming 1000 to 1400 pages per stick > at 5% coverage. Be sure to only buy Xerox ink sticks. Never use any other brands. You can find the Xerox sticks on eBay for less than list price. > HP's site mentions a 13-minute warm up time before you can print with the > 8500, which is a problem for me. That is the warmup time from power off. It is a lot faster from standby mode. Warmup from power off uses some ink to clean the print-head, so standby mode is recommended. > HP's site mentions a 13-minute warm up time before you can print with the > 8500, which is a problem for me. Er, I expect you mean Xerox's site, right? Interesting data. Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. > > HP's site mentions a 13-minute warm up time before you can print with the > > 8500, which is a problem for me. > > Er, I expect you mean Xerox's site, right? :-> NO. Xerox doesn't mention it on _their_ site. > Interesting data. Yeah, and you get it from HP. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > HP's site mentions a 13-minute warm up time before you can print with the > 8500, which is a problem for me. You can set the sleep time, though. djb SignatureLife. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. -- Dr. Who I am just now moving up to OS X and USB, having had a PB3400 for 13 years. I'm getting the new MacBook Pro. I have a great QMS Postscript laser printer... am I out of luck due to printer driver problems, not to mention no USB on the printer, or by some means could it be made to work? By the way, for whatever worth it may be, as regards the Xerox Phaser 3500 mentioned in this thread, the web page for it makes no representation as to it being a Postscript printer. --Richard > By the way, for whatever worth it may be, as regards the Xerox Phaser 3500 > mentioned in this thread, the web page for it makes no representation as to > it being a Postscript printer. Depends on what you consider "the" web page. :-) http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=3500&page=spec says it's PostScript 3, PCL 6, PCL 5e emulations (I'm _hoping_ that the 'emulations' refers to PCL, not PostScript. :->) SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > Depends on what you consider "the" web page. :-) > http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=3500&page=spec > says it's PostScript 3, PCL 6, PCL 5e emulations (I'm _hoping_ that the > 'emulations' refers to PCL, not PostScript. :->) From the Xerox printer family brochure <http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/OPBBR-01.PDF> and the specific use of "Adobe PostScript" for the Phaser 4500 <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=4500&page=spec> , it looks like the PostScript 3 on the 3500 is an emulation. So my first response in this thread was wrong. The Xerox Phaser 3500 comes with PostScript 3, but not Adobe PostScript 3. > So my first response in this thread was wrong. The Xerox Phaser 3500 > comes with PostScript 3, but not Adobe PostScript 3. I called xerox sales today and asked. The guy read the same material you and I have and coulnd't answer my question based on those materials. (The question is, Is this a true PostScript printer.) So he checked with his tech guys and they assured him, Yes, it is a true PostScript printer. Somebody at Xerox might want to think about rewriting their brochures maybe. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > > So my first response in this thread was wrong. The Xerox Phaser 3500 > > comes with PostScript 3, but not Adobe PostScript 3. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Somebody at Xerox might want to think about rewriting their brochures > maybe. IME, written specs are more reliable than what somebody tells you on the phone, especially if that somebody works in sales. The person you talked to and the "tech guys" he talked to (who may just have been other guys who have been in the Xerox sales department longer than he has) may not be clear on the difference between a PostScript emulator and an Adobe PostScript interpreter. Because they can be so damaging in this age of class action lawsuits, written materials are usually carefully vetted for literal accuracy, even if they often remain slyly misleading. "True PostScript" is ambiguous. The magic word is the registered trademark "Adobe". Both it and the Adobe PostScript 3 logo appear in the brochures for the 4500 (copyright 2004) as well as the 6300, 7400, and 8500 (copyright 2005) but are absent from the 3500 brochure. Maybe that was just an oversight, but I don't think so. The authors of the Xerox brochures and comparisons obviously think that Adobe PostScript is a selling point. I think they would list it for the 3500 -- unless they stupidly thought that omitting it would get a few customers to go for the 4500 instead. If you buy a 3500 and it prints out an Adobe logo on its PostScript configuration page, mazel tov; and please post a message about it here. Until I get the news from a real user, not a salesman, I remain skeptical. And if it turns out not to be Adobe PostScript, maybe you can get a coupon for $50 off your next Xerox printer. > If you buy a 3500 and it prints out an Adobe logo on its PostScript > configuration page, mazel tov; and please post a message about it here. It's due today, so I'll respond. > Until I get the news from a real user, not a salesman, I remain > skeptical. And if it turns out not to be Adobe PostScript, maybe you can > get a coupon for $50 off your next Xerox printer. :-> I'll be sending this one back first, of course. And may your skepticism be well-rewarded some day. But not today. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > And may your skepticism be well-rewarded some day. But not today. I always hope for the disappointment of my skepticism. I guess that makes me an optimistic pessimist. On the other hand, if the 3500 does have Adobe PostScript, I'll have to wrestle with the temptation to buy one. > On the other hand, if the 3500 does have Adobe PostScript, I'll have to > wrestle with the temptation to buy one. The 3400 is nice, but I do wish I'd noticed this bit before buying it. It might be that their 3nnn Phasers are cheaper *because* they're not paying the Adobe premium. Still, next time, I'll be making sure. Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. > > If you buy a 3500 and it prints out an Adobe logo on its PostScript > > configuration page, mazel tov; and please post a message about it here. > > It's due today, so I'll respond. >SNIP< Well, it _says_ it's printing PostScript 3, and the manual says it's PostScript 3, and it includes a few dozen PostScript fonts, but I'm unable to get it to print the Adobe logo you expected. It'll print the PCL fonts and the PS fonts, though. Any suggestions on how to get it to cough up a logo? The manual says there are Windows PCL drivers and PostScript drivers and that the Mac has drivers, but the list of how to print says it prints PostScript. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > The manual says there are Windows PCL drivers and PostScript drivers and > that the Mac has drivers, but the list of how to print says it prints > PostScript. If it doesn't say it's Adobe Postscript... Signaturemy "party" is "pro-choice" defined as "do as thou wilt", with certain limits. >SNIP< > Any suggestions on how to get it to cough up a logo? >SNIP< Okay, I hooked it up to my Windows PC and had it print a configuration page. It says PostScript 3 Version 1.17.xxxx etc. and then gives PCL5e and PCL6 version numbers as well. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. > Well, it _says_ it's printing PostScript 3, and the manual says it's > PostScript 3, and it includes a few dozen PostScript fonts, but I'm unable [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > that the Mac has drivers, but the list of how to print says it prints > PostScript. You can usually print a configuration page from a printer's control panel without using a computer. If none of the 3500's information or configuration pages has "Adobe" or the Adobe PS logo on it, the printer probably uses emulated PostScript, not an Adobe PostScript interpreter. > From: Phil Stripling <phil_stripling@cieux.zzn.com> > Depends on what you consider "the" web page. :-) > http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=3500&page=spec > says it's PostScript 3, PCL 6, PCL 5e emulations (I'm _hoping_ that the > 'emulations' refers to PCL, not PostScript. :->) I thought it would've been on the main page (as it was for the 8500), but it's not--it is on the specs page....sorry. --RH > By the way, for whatever worth it may be, as regards the Xerox Phaser 3500 > mentioned in this thread, the web page for it makes no representation as to > it being a Postscript printer. <http://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/product.pl?product=3500&page=spec> <http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/35XBR-01.PDF> > I am just now moving up to OS X and USB, having had a PB3400 for 13 years. > I'm getting the new MacBook Pro. I have a great QMS Postscript laser > printer... am I out of luck due to printer driver problems, not to mention > no USB on the printer, or by some means could it be made to work? You'll have to let us know which model of QMS printer you have and which type of connections it has. SignatureMike Rosenberg <http://www.macconsult.com> Macintosh consulting services for NE Florida <http://www.cafepress.com/macconsult,macconsult4> Mac-themed T-shirts <http://bogart-tribute.net> Tribute to Humphrey Bogart Thanks for the reply. It's a QMS 1660. It has a parallel port, a serial port and a Local Talk port. --Richard Huggins > From: mike@POSTTOGROUP.invalid (Mike Rosenberg) > Subject: Re: True Postscript printers for OS X? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > You'll have to let us know which model of QMS printer you have and which > type of connections it has. > Thanks for the reply. It's a QMS 1660. It has a parallel port, a serial > port and a Local Talk port. You can use the printer if you buy an ethernet-to-LocalTalk bridge, such as: http://asante.com/products/productsLvl3/AsanteTalk.asp SignatureMike Rosenberg <http://www.macconsult.com> Macintosh consulting services for NE Florida <http://www.cafepress.com/macconsult,macconsult4> Mac-themed T-shirts <http://bogart-tribute.net> Tribute to Humphrey Bogart Good to know--thanks much for the tip! But...what happens re the cable modem that also uses the ethernet port? Can an ethernet splitter be used without affecting the function of either device? --Richard > From: mike@POSTTOGROUP.invalid (Mike Rosenberg) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > http://asante.com/products/productsLvl3/AsanteTalk.asp > Good to know--thanks much for the tip! But...what happens re the cable > modem that also uses the ethernet port? Can an ethernet splitter be used > without affecting the function of either device? It's called an ethernet hub or switch, and you'll be fine. SignatureMike Rosenberg <http://www.macconsult.com> Macintosh consulting services for NE Florida <http://www.cafepress.com/macconsult,macconsult4> Mac-themed T-shirts <http://bogart-tribute.net> Tribute to Humphrey Bogart > > I am just now moving up to OS X and USB, having had a PB3400 for 13 years. > > I'm getting the new MacBook Pro. I have a great QMS Postscript laser [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > You'll have to let us know which model of QMS printer you have and which > type of connections it has. I'd also suggest to Richard that he start a new thread with a subject line specific to his printer -- this one may have turned off readers already, along with not attracting readers with knowledge about the QMS. SignaturePhil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email from this URL http://www.cieux.com/ | http://www.civex.com/ is read daily. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.