[comp.sys.mac.system] bi-directional Imagewriter printing

kenney@hsi86.hsi.com (Brian Kenney) (01/28/91)

A long time ago, I remember reading a tip on how to make the 
Imagewriter print bi-directionally.  (It was something like
pressing command option shift when clicking on OK in the "page
setup..." dialog box.)

Does anyone know for sure?  And does anyone know why this isn't 
the default?

-Bri

-- 
---
----  Brian Kenney                                       kenney@hsi.com 
----- 3M Health Information Systems                      Wallingford, CT
------

wiseman@tellabs.com (Jeff Wiseman) (01/30/91)

In article <2983@hsi86.hsi.com> kenney@hsi86.hsi.com (Brian Kenney) writes:
>A long time ago, I remember reading a tip on how to make the 
>Imagewriter print bi-directionally.  (It was something like
>pressing command option shift when clicking on OK in the "page
>setup..." dialog box.)

I forget the key sequence (I just press'em all :-) but you have to have
selected the "faster" printing option I think.

>Does anyone know for sure?  And does anyone know why this isn't 
>the default?


Question 1 -- Nope!

Question 2 -- Apparently the Imagewriter on the return pass may not align the
dots with those when the print head is going in the other direction. The
printout doesn't look so good

Hope this helps

-- 
Jeff Wiseman:	....uunet!tellab5!wiseman OR wiseman@TELLABS.COM

dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (01/30/91)

>>A long time ago, I remember reading a tip on how to make the 
>>Imagewriter print bi-directionally.
>I forget the key sequence (I just press'em all :-) but you have to have
>selected the "faster" printing option I think.

Keep trying.  You can't press them all, because one of the modifiers
turns the feature OFF.

You do have to select the "faster" option, but I don't remember which
of the modifiers to use, either.

Don't you just LOVE hidden things like this?  It provides so much good
detective fun...
--
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner

bdugan@teri.bio.uci.edu (Bill Dugan) (01/30/91)

In article <1991Jan29.231639.3647@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes:
>>>A long time ago, I remember reading a tip on how to make the 
>>>Imagewriter print bi-directionally.
>>I forget the key sequence (I just press'em all :-) but you have to have
>>selected the "faster" printing option I think.
>
>Keep trying.  You can't press them all, because one of the modifiers
>turns the feature OFF.

And once you get bidirectional printing ON, if you can't find the modifier
to turn it OFF, just replace the "Imagewriter" file in your System folder
with a fresh copy.  I had to do that.

bill

pasrich@edison.seas.ucla.edu (Puneet Pasrich/;093091;eeugrad) (02/01/91)

One of the reasons the IW does not print bi-directionally is because of
the heat factor.  The mechanism basically gets a 'rest' when it's
traveling back.  Over the course of a large document it seems like it's
a bad idea to have the print head heat up.  Don't you agree?  What I'm
not sure about is what exactly that page limit is.  For example, is it
ok to print bi-directionally on a five page paper or ten ... ?

dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (02/02/91)

In article <1738@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> pasrich@edison.seas.ucla.edu (Puneet Pasrich/;093091;eeugrad) writes:
>One of the reasons the IW does not print bi-directionally is because of
>the heat factor.

It does print bidirectionally in "Best" mode.

The ImageWriter I print head could be damaged by overheating (I did it).
The ImageWriter II is supposed to protect itself from such (by ceasing
to print if the head gets too hot).
--
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner

casseres@apple.com (David Casseres) (02/05/91)

In article <1738@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> pasrich@edison.seas.ucla.edu (Puneet 
Pasrich/;093091;eeugrad) writes:
> One of the reasons the IW does not print bi-directionally is because of
> the heat factor.  The mechanism basically gets a 'rest' when it's
> traveling back.  Over the course of a large document it seems like it's
> a bad idea to have the print head heat up.  Don't you agree?  What I'm
> not sure about is what exactly that page limit is.  For example, is it
> ok to print bi-directionally on a five page paper or ten ... ?

Actually the suppression of bidirectional printing is not related to heat. 
The printer firmware prevents excessive heat buildup by simply pausing 
the mechanism between scans when this is necessary, so you need not worry 
about heat.

The reason bidirectional printing is suppressed is that it looks bad on 
*some* ImageWriter II's.

David Casseres
     Exclaimer:  Hey!

urlichs@smurf.sub.org (Matthias Urlichs) (02/06/91)

In comp.sys.mac.system, article <11971@goofy.Apple.COM>,
  casseres@apple.com (David Casseres) writes:
< 
< The reason bidirectional printing is suppressed is that it looks bad on 
< *some* ImageWriter II's.
< 
The problem seems to be that the print head move,emt has some slack in it, so
that moving to the left places the dots in other places than moving to the
right.

Aren't the two smaller, difficult-to-change, "factory set--do not touch"
DIP switches supposed to be able to correct that problem?
I dimly recall a posting a few months ago...

-- 
Matthias Urlichs -- urlichs@smurf.sub.org -- urlichs@smurf.ira.uka.de     /(o\
Humboldtstrasse 7 - 7500 Karlsruhe 1 - FRG -- +49+721+621127(0700-2330)   \o)/