[comp.laser-printers] TI2115 POSTSCRIPT laser printer and TEX output

boyle@ANL-MCS.ARPA.UUCP (05/28/87)

I don't think you can blame the combination of write-white and Postacript
for the appearance of your output.  We have a write-white QMS PS2400 that
produces very good output.  The characters look "thin", but no parts are
missing, nor does the output appear "scratched".

The LW+ is still my favorite printer, though.

JMS@ARIZMIS.BITNET.UUCP (05/28/87)

ChristosZ actually is being a bit unfair when he complains
about the font output from the TI printer.  The problem
is not in the printer, but in the font definitions he
is using.  The Metafont files for the standard TEXTSET
drivers (DVI to PS) are designed for a laser writer.  The
correct fonts would be designed for a write-white engine
(like the imagen).

The proper thing to do is either:
1) use the correct font files (for Imagen)
or
2) don't download the fonts at all, but use the built-in postscript
   fonts (CMR look-alikes, sort-of) and the .TFM files that
   Textset (Arbortext) provides for Postscript printers.

We do the (2) with a modified LaTeX and get excellent output,
of virtually identical quality to a Laserwriter.

jms

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christosz@ppc.ubc.CDN.UUCP (06/04/87)

 We just tested our new Texas Instruments TI2115 laser printer using TEX.
The character quality has still some problems. Very thin and fine lines 
actually seem to disappear completely. We used the standard Postscript 
driver from TEXTSET to output the .DVI files to the printer. 
 I would be hesitant to call the output we got "Very-very good".
It is only acceptable. The characters have rough edges and gaps in their 
continuity. It is very noticable that  parts of the characters are missing
and the character curves appear irregular sometimes. It's hard to believe 
that the pages came out off an $8K printer! We can line with the output but
we would be reluctant to use it for final copies.
 The pages look like somebody "scratched" them after they were printed. The 
quality is not as good as the quality of an output from an Apple Laserwriter 
and it looks like it came out off a 200 dpi printer and not a 300 dpi one. 
The  combination of the "write-white" technology and Postscript might be 
accountable for that.   I think the print quality really calls for some 
improvements still to be done on the printer from TI, Ricoh, and Adobe 
(Adobe are you listening?).
The printer is more than excellent though for graphics work.
                                            CCZ
                                        System Manager
                                  Pulp and Paper  Centre  
                                  U. of British Columbia  
                                  Vancouver, BC, V6T-1W5
ChristosZ@ppc.ubc.CDN 
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Christos%UBC.Mailnet@MIT-Multics.ARPA

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