PRINTING BACKGROUND
Printing passed copying as the primary method of reproducing documents years ago. Today, printing is just as
Connectivity
Most devices include Ethernet and USB connectivity out-
Page Description Languages (PDLs)
PCL is the page description language (PDL) provided by most printer and MFP suppliers. Some manufacturers charge for a PostScript upgrade or provide a PostScript Level 3 emulation (clone). Still other manufacturers provide genuine Adobe PostScript Level 3 and bundle in PCL. A few manufacturers also include their own PDL, which are typically loosely based on the Microsoft Windows/GDI printing technology of old. These Windows or GDI drivers often offer significant productivity advantages over traditional PCL and PostScript print
April 2009
Xerox WorkCentre 4260 XF
www.BERTL.com
PRODUCTIVITY
Evaluating print productivity is not as simple as timing copy jobs. The printing process involves several steps and can be affected by a variety of factors along the way.
The document must first be spooled by the print driver into a PCL or PostScript file. The PCL or PostScript file is then sent to the printer where it is raster image processed (RIPped) into image data by the device processor. The image data is then sent to the marking engine and output as printed pages.
There are three obvious factors highlighted above (spool time, RIP time, and print engine speed), which can all make or break a device’s overall productivity. Other factors include concurrency and contention; for instance, print speed may slow down when the device is being used for other functions, such as scanning.
However, it is possible to time and compare these factors through the use of careful preparation, conditioning and
testing. Following are charts that show printing performance when tested under controlled conditions.
First Page Out Time (seconds)
drivers, since the bulk of the processing is handled by the more powerful desktop PC, rather than by the less well- equipped printer processor itself.
Network-Bandwidth/Print File Sizes
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| Native File |
| PCL | PS |
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| Size |
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| 4.48 MB |
| 4.25 MB | 5.79 MB | |
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| 4 page Passport Form |
| 0.08 MB |
| 640 KB | 503 KB |
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| 1.78 MB |
| 7.48 MB | 3.41 MB | |
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| 0.12 MB |
| 1.44 MB | 1.44 MB | |
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| 0.23 MB |
| 6.25 MB | 6.29 MB | |
| PowerPoint |
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| 4.20 MB |
| 14.1 MB | 13.8 MB | |
| PowerPoint |
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| 0.91 MB |
| 14.0 MB | 13.6 MB | |
| Document |
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| 0.17 MB |
| 5.34 MB | 1.72 MB | |
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Job List
Media |
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PCL |
| PS | |
Size |
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Letter | 16.08 | 22.25 |
Letter | 13.86 | 10.30 |
Letter | 11.71 | 11.80 |
Letter | 10.37 | 10.66 |
Letter | 10.46 | 12.46 |
Letter | 12.42 | 16.77 |
Letter | 9.18 | 11.80 |
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Letter | 12.49 | 11.08 |
Letter | 13.99 | 15.46 |
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Copyright © 2009 BERTL Inc.
April 2009
All Rights Reserved. The license under which this document is made available and applicable law prohibit any reproduction or further transmission of any portion of this document. This document may only be viewed electronically through the www.BERTL.com Web site and may not be stored in electronic or hard copy format. Any reproduction of trademarks is strictly prohibited. BERTL accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions contained in this document.
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