From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen)
Subject: Re: Coreldraw 2 vs. HPIIIp with postscript
Organization: Syracuse University
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 22:45:56 EDT

In article <> rpaiz@husc8.harvard.edu (Rodolfo Paiz) writes:
>tspila@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Spila Timothy) writes:
>>...Coreldraw 2.0 (or 2.1)...we have an HP IIIP w/ a ps cartridge from HP.
>>...whenever we send a drawing to the printer, it takes FOREVER. 
>>(it does) print (usually), but unless we set the retry time in windows to 
>>something outragous (720 seconds) it keeps bothering us with messages on
>>the screen.  ... Because I printed to a postscript file (worked quickly) and
>>then sent that to the printer (took 15 minutes).  This want not a complicated
>>postscript file (about 265K).

>Your real problem is your printer, not Corel.  The IIIP is a non-PostScript
>printer, designed to receive bitmaps and print them.  The PostScript 
>cartridge allows it to understand PostScript, but has such a wimpy
>processor inside it that all PS work takes forever and a day.  ...
>PS printers always (real PS printers) have some sort of processor inside
>to handle all the graphics rendering that turns PS into bitmaps that can
>then be put on paper.  Usually this is some sort of RISC like the Intel
>i960, or something at least as powerful.

1. About the answer:  Interesting.  The HP IIIP uses a 10 Mhz 68000 cpu,
which is the same CPU as the Apple Laserwriter, Laserwriter Plus, Laserwriter
IINT, Personal Laserwriter NT,... and many of the apple printers use a slower
clock.  Most Postscript printers on the market use a 68000 or family cpu,
same as the HP.  Guess that kinda junks that whole paragraph.
1a. Most Postscript interpreters for the HP are limited in speed because the
rom software is NOT copied to the available ram, and postscript makes extensive
use of rom calls.  Secondly, the rom software of the HP cartridge slot is 
limited to a smaller data path than most postscript printer ram path.  
Lastly, the real HP/Adboe Postscript cartridge does not appear to be very
well optimized for speed (probably due to the perceived lack of competition
in the market), and in some situations the competitor cartridges (which do
NOT add an additional CPU {which is usually a RISC i960 or so}) are vastly
superior.

1. About the Question:  On the output problem from Windows, first, change the
output port which has been selected.  If you are using DOS port, change it
to the Hardware port.  Be sure you are not trying to use any port redirection
software (usually installed in the config.sys or autoexec.bat).  If you have
a second or third port, try using that port instead.  If you have a lpt1
at the lpt1-a address, and a lpt2 at the lpt1-b address (which the system
renames to lpt2), the 2 ports conflict.  The same can be said of installed
ports, and selected interrupts.  Trying other available ports if there is a
quick way of eliminating all this problem except for interrupt problems.
2. If you are printing the file from windows, you still have the same problems
but if you are printing the file from dos, you are looking at possible 
lpt problems.
3. Try using copy filename lptx: instead of print from dos.
4. There are several undocumented parameters of the printer and cartridge
which can slow down processing. Setup the cartridge to NOT count pages, not
to print a setup page, and not to 'tray-select' or paper select.
5. Use the native HP testpage and postscript status page to determine the
amount of available memory.  Be sure no memory -disappears- when using the
PS cartridge  (I forget how much -normally- disappears, but think it is about
400K or so).  This would indicate either a PS cartridge error, or a memory
error.  The postscript memory disgnostics is more intensive than the HP
diagnostics.
6. PS tries it;s best to print a page no matter what.  When the PS system
runs out of VM (memory) in a soft way, printing times increase by a log factor.
More memory is a very easy fix.  PS out of a cartridge requires more VM 
(memory) than non-cartridge systems.  The reason is very unclear to me, but
the rule of thumb to use is 500k to 1 MB  (ie compare a 2 MB apple laserwriter
to a 3 MB HP IIIP & Cartridge).
7. Check to see if coredraw &/or windows can be configured for the amount of
available ram in the PS printer, use a smaller value in the software setup
than the printer really has (about 512K or so).  PS, if using windows 3.1, 
there is a special (modified) PS driver for HP printers with the PS Cartridge.
Be sure you are using this driver.  I _believe_ that the main difference in 
this PS driver is that it already precalculates the amount of memory to 
decrease the available (expected) memory amount.
8. Remember that the performance of the PS cartridge will be slower than a
real PS system.  The more extensive the graphics, the bigger the difference.
However, typical coredraw figures like filled patterned circles and some
text, on a 8.5x11" page, should yield little or no signifigant difference.
If you are dealing with more complex -stuff- the difference can be considerable
but _I_ have never seen more than a factor of 5 difference  (1 minute on a
apple laserwriter, 5 minutes on a HP).
9. The size of a PS file is NO indication of the complexity or print time of
that PS file (program).  I have a PS program which is less than 1 K, but takes
several hours to print on a Apple Laserwriter.  Within about 15 minutes or so
(this is as close as I timed it), the Apple Laserwriter and the HP & Cartridge
print in the same amount of time.
10. The graphics capabilities of the hp III & IIIP are very good by themselves.
You may consider using the HP III graphics driver for all but final output.


I hope this is some real help, sorry for the delay...
al