Printing options

[Michael Goffioul]

Anthony PAUL wrote:
> Hi list,
> 
> I have problems using HP PS Printers with Kapplications (kde2.2 & kde3) 
> and Cups 1.1.19
> I use PPD file taken from a Win2000 box
> It seems Kapp send too huge files to the printer.
> 
> Printing text files or test page works very well, but when I want to 
> print a doc with graphics from a Kapp, it takes a while to print.
> 
> For my example, I try to print a JPG from konqueror.
> If I click on "print" button, I have to wait 3 minutes while the printer 
> is receiving data before it prints.
> Since I don't know how to get the PS file sent by konqueror, I try to 
> print one more time but with 'to file (postscript)' option. I get foo.ps.
> 
> If I type 'lpr foo.ps', it takes also 3 minutes. So I guess konqueror 
> send this file to my printer.
> 
> Since I also don't know how to get resolution of a ps file, I use:
> ps2ps -r 600x600 foo.ps res.ps
> and I print it: lpr res.ps
> Then it prints really fast !
> 
> It also prints fast if I print from StarOffice (which doesn't seems to 
> use kprinter)
> 
> My printer is configured with 600dpi in my Cups configuration, so I 
> guess it's a kprinter problem.
> How can I make it working better ?

I don't think you can consider it as a kprinter problem. It just
generates what konqueror asked for, and sends it to the print
spooler (CUPS). I think that konqueror generates PS at 75dpi.
If you're using a PS printer with a Windows PPD files, I guess that
CUPS doesn't do any complex processing on the generated PS file
and just insert some PS snippets (extracted from the PPD) file
before sending it as-is to the printer. So, if it takes 3 minutes
to print, I would think that the printer is slow at processing a
file at 75dpi when resquested to print at 600dpi. In any case,
there's nothing to be done at kprinter level.

Could you try to print a 3rd-party generated PS file. For example
convert a text file to PS using enscript, and print it using "lpr".
Does it print fast?

Michael.

-- 
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Michael Goffioul		IMEC-DESICS-MIRA
e-mail: goffioul at imec.be	(Mixed-Signal and RF Applications)
Tel:    +32/16/28-8510		Kapeldreef, 75
Fax:    +32/16/28-1515		3001 HEVERLEE, BELGIUM
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