Appendix C Overview
248
On mini or mainframe computers, printer performance problems
can usually be solved by having the system admin istrator perform
one or more of the following:
•assign a higher priority to the print spooler
•increase the size of the host’s output buffer
•dedicate a communication controller to the printer
Solving system performance problems with IBM-com patible PC’s
varies depending upon the operating system (OS/2 ®, Windows® ,or
DOS®) and the speed and manufacturer of the PC. Performance
problems with networked printers are best left to the expertise of
the network administrator, since each element between the prin ter
and the host computer can affect performance.
There will be cases where the desired printout is sufficiently
complex to exceed the bandwidth of the controller. This will be
evident if the printer is exerting the communication flow contr ol for
extended periods of time followed by a printer pause. Assumi ng
that the software application has already been tuned for efficie ncy,
under these circumstances, do the following:
1. Check to see if the minimum amount of memory is installed
(see Appendix B, “Specifications”).
2. Try changing the font cache memory allocation based upon the
size of characters being sent. See the “Maximum Cached
Characters” topic on page 103 for details.
3. Set the Image Width configuration menu parameter to the
minimum width required for the print job.
4. Try to minimize the number of font changes per page.
5. Try to decrease the printing resolution (400 DPI to 300 DPI, or
300 DPI to 240 DPI).
6. Decrease the complexity and/or number of characters in the
printed output.
For application efficiency in IGP/PGL or IGP/VGL, it is best to store
a form in the printer and then execute it with dynamic data, rathe r
than send the entire form each time.