Xerox FreeFlow manual

Specifying print format parameters

Example: Assuming that your application calls for 8.5 by 11-inch paper, you could use 5 pitch mode. However, by selecting 4 pitch, which reduces the pages per minute on the DP180 EPS from 180 to 77, you make the printer speed more closely match your finishing device capabilities and you reduce the potential for paper jams.

Problem: Your application uses four paper sizes, ranging from 8.5 by 11 inches for the first few pages to 11 by 17 inches for the last several pages. Each time your printer detects a different paper size, it adjusts to accommodate it, significantly reducing throughput time.

Solution: By specifying a low enough pitch mode to accommodate all the paper sizes in your application (in this case, 3 pitch mode), you make the entire job run at the maximum possible throughput speed because paper size adjustments are limited. Keep in mind that you may select a lower pitch mode (allowing a greater scan value) for smaller size paper, but you would not want to select a pitch mode too small to accommodate a larger paper size.

Problem: You want to estimate how many applications you could run on a particular shift. However, given the size and complexity of your applications, you are uncertain as to how to plan.

Solution: By looking at the paper sizes, and thereby the pitch modes required by each application and the number of pages in each application, and by associating these with the ppms provided in the preceding table, you can roughly estimate the length of time each application requires for printing.

There are no absolute rules and no set methods for accomplishing your printing goals. The variables that are involved include individual finishing device requirements, the paper sizes required by your applications, the complexity of each page, the number of pages in each application, and so forth. However, a general understanding of the relationship between paper size and pitch mode and the advantages of specifying pitch modes will help you optimize your printing activities.

4-88 Using LCDS Print Description Language