[comp.periphs.printers] Deskjet add-on memory: any improvements for graphics speed?

cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu (Clinton Jeffery) (03/05/91)

Here's a question for you DeskJet gurus!  I just got a new Deskjet+ for $300
(heh, heh) and now I am wondering whether adding memory cartridges will help
in printing graphics or not.  The HP documentation claims that the RAM
cartridges are for downloading softfonts; is that all it is good for?

Another question: has anyone gotten their paws on an IQ Engineering
Super cartridge for the Deskjet+ or Deskjet500?  What's it got, and
what's the difference between the cartridge (list $100) and the
"bundle" (list $150)?

I'll find all this stuff out eventually, one way or the other, so if
you want to know too, send me e-mail and I will relay answers or post
a summary.
-- 
| Clint Jeffery, U. of Arizona Dept. of Computer Science
| cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu -or- {noao allegra}!arizona!cjeffery
--

rusty@steelmill.cs.umd.edu (Rusty Haddock) (03/06/91)

In article <1034@caslon.cs.arizona.edu> cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu (Clinton Jeffery) writes:
   >
   >Here's a question for you DeskJet gurus!  I just got a new Deskjet+ for $300
   >(heh, heh) and now I am wondering whether adding memory cartridges will help
   >in printing graphics or not.  The HP documentation claims that the RAM
   >cartridges are for downloading softfonts; is that all it is good for?

That's it!  I have a 256K memory cartridge but it's not doing me a bit
of good.  I should sell it since the only types of printing I do on it
are basically straight text (Usenet articles usually :-) and graphics
(usually from AmigaTeX or JetRoff).

Now if someone were to sell a cheap little 68020 or '030 box with a
coupla meg of memory that would go on my serial or parallel cable
between my DJ+ and my other computers that will convert PostScript
to DJ graphics and act as a printer buffer I'd probably buy it!

	-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock / CompSci Dept		DOMAIN:	rusty@mimsy.cs.umd.edu
University of Maryland		PATH:	{uunet,rutgers}!mimsy!rusty
    If someone points a quad-vectored, hyper-thermic, cosmo blaster
       at you it's a safe bet that you're about to become toast.

mark@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Mark Simms) (03/13/91)

All the printers in the DeskJet series print graphics a line at a time
as the data is received.  The graphics are not bufferred anywhere.  As
such extra RAM is of no benefit.  As a result, all DeskJet printers can
print 300dpi graphics without additional RAM.

The additional RAM is solely for the storing of down loaded fonts.  It
is of no use for printing graphics.  If you do not down load fonts, then
do not buy extra RAM.

This is one of the major cost savings of a DeskJet over a laser printer.
Since a laser printer must buffer a whole page, then it requires a
megabyte of RAM to print a single page 300dpi bit map.

Mark Simms

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Opinions expressed are my own and are not intended to be an official
statement by Hewlett-Packard Company
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Name:         Mark Simms
Profession:   Software Engineer
Occupation:   Research and Development
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Computer Peripherals Division
Unix-mail:    mark%hpcpbla@hplb.hpl.hp.com
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