The main and obvious difference is the way the printer operates and place data processing. In order to print an image, the printer must have in its memory an array of dots that it will need to reproduce on paper. The process of creating an array of dots is one of the main functions of a printing device. This process is called rasterization.
In printers running PCL and PostScript (or PS for short), rasterization is carried out directly in the printer. For this purpose, the printer has a built-in raster processor (RIP - from the English "RIP" - R aster I mage P rocessor), which receives commands from the computer in one of the page markup languages ​​(PCL or PostScript) and interprets them so as to create an array of points from these commands. This array is transferred onto paper using the mechanics of the printer, resulting in a print being created.
In the case of GDI printers (GDI is short for G raphical D evice I ninterface - graphics device interface) performs the functions of a raster processor printer driver running on computer. It is there that the images stored in the computer's memory are converted into the future raster required for printing. As this raster array is formed, it is transmitted to the printer, which immediately begins to apply it to paper. In this case, the printer memory is used only as a buffer for data transfer. There may well be a situation where the beginning of the sheet has already been printed, and the last piece of data for its completion is still being transferred from the computer to the printer. If at this moment a communication failure occurs, then, naturally, errors occur in the printed image (an unprinted sheet or a sheet on which, instead of an image, the lower part of the sheet is occupied by something like a barcode).
GDI printer memory is not particularly needed at all (only for convenience, to quickly merge data processed on the computer into it). This means that you can print almost any size job on a GDI printer: a 50mpx panoramic photo on a banner and a layout with a bunch of vectors on A3 in duplex. Until the virtual memory on the computer runs out, all this will be printed on a GDI printer, but it will almost certainly die with an out of memory error on a PS/PCL printer. This is not to mention how long it will take to process a print job on the printer itself with its 500 MHz processor and on a modern computer, where the performance is probably 4 times higher.
On the other side - PS printer this is also the ability to work under PCL control, which means at least two options for image processing (i.e., the ability to choose what is most suitable in color or raster), despite the fact that there is only one option on a GDI printer. This also means faster release of the application and much smaller “brakes” on the computer when a “powerful” file is printed. This is much less traffic on the network if the printer is connected through it. This is the ability to print from professional graphics applications using PPD files (PPD is short for P ostScript P rinter D escription) with direct control of such parameters as the shape of the raster dot, lineature and raster tilt angle, as well as the ability to use profiles and store them on the printer’s hard drive (optional). And this is another, and very different from the standard, printing option. However, these parameters require a fairly accurate understanding of what it gives, what it takes away, and how to use it in general. But in any case, there is nothing like this in the GDI printer.
Another significant difference PS printers is that they can receive color data in both RGB and CMYK formats as input. Printers with PCL and GDI support can only handle RGB data. This means that if a layout is created in which elements are painted in CMYK colors, then when printing on PCL and GDI printers, a preliminary conversion from CMYK to RGB will be carried out and this data will be used for processing. And this additional transformation will inevitably cause additional losses in color rendition. In any case, you cannot count on the fact that a PCL or GDI printer will not introduce additional changes to the colors of your CMYK layout.

The article describes how to adapt a CUPS server running FreeBSD to support printers that do not have Linux drivers and ensure that it works with clients based on Microsoft Windows XP

[Anton Butsik (b_a_m at ua.fm)]

CUPS - print server and GDI printer

Everything described below will happen with FreeBSD-5.2 and samba-3.0.5, but I think that everything will work with Linux too, but Samba is not lower than 3.x (it’s not difficult to upgrade).

The problem is this: if there are printers for which there are no drivers in cups and other packages and there are clients running Windows XP Pro (Home Edition)

Reading Samba-HowTo, you need to add it to smb.conf.

Disable spoolss = Yes show add printer wizard = No ... comment = All Printers path = /var/spool/samba printer admin = root guest ok = Yes printable = Yes browseable = No comment = Printer Drivers path = /usr/local/ share/cups/drivers write list = root # and here is an example for a plotter comment = HPDesignJet500 path = /var/spool/samba guest ok = Yes printable = Yes browseable = Yes use client driver = Yes The last line says what you need to use driver from the client side and at the same time in the cups configuration files uncomment the lines: .../mime.convs application/octet-stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 - .../mime.types application/octet-stream Now cups passes data streams without formatting them. cups-base-1.1.20.0 cups-lpr-1.1.20.0 cups-pstoraster-7.07_1 ghostscript-gnu-nox11-7.07_11 foomatic-db-20040107_2 libijs-0.35 hpijs these are the packages that I have. ghostscript - allows you to print to printers that do not support PostScript. Below are just ready-made drivers from third-party developers that make it possible to print directly from the server and client without using use client driver = Yes I have all the installed drivers in /usr/local/share/cups/model/ /usr/local/share/cups/ drivers/ is different for everyone.

You need to add a printer to use

Http://print-server:631/ if cupsd is running, everything is clear there, it is only desirable that the names of the samba print-ball and cups printer names coincide (case sensitive).

For those printers that do not have drivers or GDI printers ala Canon (MS Slave), the driver needs to be specified simply RAW, that is, skip directly and use the client driver.

If you just connected the printer via USB, then you need to restart cupsd and in your choice of http://... (backend) you will see, for example, USB1(ulpt0).

Let's restart cups. In the logs (/var/log/cups/error_log) we read what is happening there and how, if such information is not enough, then you can add it to cupsd.conf

LogLevel debug Well, in Network Vertigo, an hp-500 printer should appear on the server, after restarting Samba, click on it and install the drivers from the distribution that came with it. Let's try printing from the client and :)

Well, everything is clear above, if everything worked out fine on the system side of the issue, that is, if the system was able to properly process the connected device.

But I have a problem with USB 2.0 Hi Speed ​​printers that printed the page and the system in crust :(

FreeBSD 5.1 introduces device ehci driver

# USB support device uhci # UHCI PCI->USB interface device ohci # OHCI PCI->USB interface device usb # USB Bus (required) device ugen # Generic device uhid # "Human Interface Devices" device ulpt # Printer device ehci # USB 2.0 support here is a piece from the kernel for USB 2.0 printers, the system detects them perfectly when connected, but does not work - this is FreeBSD 5.2-CURRENT (echi - v1.69), in the mana they write that the driver is not ready, we will wait.

But there is a project, (CUPS-SAMBA provides a means to export CUPS printers from a FreeBSD server to Windows NT/XP/2000/2003 clients with a single Windows driver that customizes the printer based on the PPD file for the printer. WWW: http ://www.easysw.com/ /usr/ports/print/cups-samba/)

which makes it possible to redirect printing from the Unix server to the client or to the server again. It gives us backend smb.

First, try to mount the smb share, if everything is ok, the line of parameters when mounting gives the URI.

Mount_smbfs -W GKM //anton@admin/CanonLAS /mnt/admin Among the drivers, select windows smb. In URI smb: -W GKM //anton@admin/CanonLAS - works. Let's add a samba share (restart), install a printer with client drivers and try to print. Printing goes to the server, and from the server to the client, which has a GDI printer. This circle can be done with the server, but this is for you. Anton Butsik (b_a_m at ua.fm) - CUPS - print server and GDI printer

One of the main trends in the market for electrographic printers intended for group work is the desire to increase productivity - as a rule, each new model prints faster than its direct predecessor. The Kyocera FS-3920DN was no exception, which replaced the already successfully proven FS-3900DN. So, what is new?

Kyocera FS-3920DN

Printing technology laser

Performance up to 40 s/min (A4)

Max. physical resolution 1200×1200 dpi

Memory capacity (max.) 128 MB (1152 MB + HDD 40 GB)

Paper Feed (Max.) 500+100 (2500) sheets

Automatic duplex standard

Page description or emulation languages PCL6/PCL5e incl. PJL, KPDL 3 (PostScript 3 compatible), PDF Direct Print, Line Printer, IBM Proprinter X24E, Epson LQ-850, Diablo 630

Standard Interfaces USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, IEEE 1284, 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX Ethernet, USB type A port for USB flash drive

200 thousand pages

Toner cartridge life 15 thousand; starting - 7.5 thousand A4 prints, 5%

Repair kit resource 300 thousand pages

Dimensions and weight
382×394×320 mm; 16.7 kg (without options)

Approximate price printer $1286; toner cartridge $147; repair kit $653

Guarantee 24 months

High text output speed; compactness; standard duplex and network interface; several emulations; a wide range of “business” modes; high resource of consumables and components

The need to increase RAM to display volumetric graphics in modes other than GDI

A fast, compact and functional workgroup printer that handles standard office tasks

In the recent past, output speeds of 40 s/min or more were characteristic mainly of large-sized enterprise-level equipment in A3 format. But the trend mentioned above has led to the fact that relatively compact A4 format devices, positioned for medium and large workgroups, have begun to penetrate this segment. And although the devices closest to the model under study are HP LaserJet P4014, Xerox Phaser 4510, OKI B6500, as well as Gestetner SP5100N and Epson AcuLaser M4000N, provide slightly higher performance (43 versus 40 s./min.), Kyocera FS-3920DN has the smallest dimensions and mass, which is important in the cramped conditions of a modern office. In addition, the device in question is already equipped in the basic version with duplex and a 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX network card, and the standard paper supply volume (500-sheet cassette and 100-sheet multi-purpose tray) can be increased to a maximum of 2500. Also included in the list Additional equipment includes an envelope feeder, a 250 s output tray. face up, stand, memory modules, 40 GB hard drive and optional interfaces for other types of networks, including wireless. Traditionally, for this manufacturer, the service life of consumables is high - the TK-350 toner cartridge is designed for 15 thousand pages, and the repair kit, including the photoconductor, fuser unit and other spare parts, is designed for 300 thousand, and no intermediate maintenance is required until this resource expires .

The only driver provides output with several emulations - PCL XL, PCL5e, KPDL (analogous to PostScript), switching between which is done from the device properties in the Microsoft Windows control panel. For each of the above settings, a GDI-compatible mode is possible, and the machine is also capable of supporting the languages ​​of some dot matrix printers. The driver interface in the default PCL XL contains many “business” modes - collating, printing brochures and posters, inserting covers and intermediate pages, watermarks, adding an introduction and conclusion (by inserting macros in a special programming language PRESCRIBE). Particularly noteworthy is the “Job” tab with operating modes that involve intermediate storage on the hard disk - even if it is not installed, you can create a “virtual” disk by reserving 4 MB of printer RAM. In the latter case, only two modes will be available: “test copy” (when sending several sets for printing, only one is displayed, and the user, having made sure that the printout is correct, can continue or cancel the job from the printer control panel), and “confidential printing” - when When sending a file to the printer, a password is specified in the driver, without which the document will not be output from the control panel. This prevents unauthorized viewing of the printout while it is in the output tray. The general functionality of the driver in KPDL is almost the same, but when emulating PCL5e, cover and insert modes are not available, in addition, the maximum resolution is 600 dpi, and not 1200, as in PCL XL and KPDL.

Other features of the printer are the ability to directly print PDF or TIFF files from USB flash drives, as well as a job accounting system - each of the 100 departments receives an 8-digit identification code, which the administrator can use to track the number of pages they have output. In addition, much attention is paid to safety.

A print quality test showed that the printer is optimal for text output - for example, two-point type is perfectly readable on both white and black backgrounds with different resolutions and emulations. But with default settings (with the exception of PCL5e), solids from 0 to 10% gray look weakly filled, it’s worth turning down the brightness a little manually. When “GDI compatibility” is enabled, the solids are filled well, however, some step-by-step gradient stretching is observed. In the “custom type” quality settings in PCL XL and KPDL, two 1200 dpi modes are available - with increased quality or speed, but in the latter case the test page printout is almost identical to that obtained at 600 dpi. The speed of text output at any resolution and emulation completely coincides with the declared 40 s./min. (in duplex mode - about 25 s./min.), but volumetric graphics slow down the process - in PCL XL there is a mixed 30-page PDF file, including two “heavy” images following each other, with the “test print” setting (600 dpi) showed an average speed of 11 s./min, a presentation of 10 slides - 15 s./min, and with “high quality” (1200 dpi) - 8 and 5 s/min, in all cases due to pauses between groups of pages. When switching to PCL5e (600 dpi), the PDF print speed became 5, and the presentation speed became 34 s/min. In KPDL, at high resolution, the output of the test PDF document was not completed at all - after the most graphics-intensive pages, an error report was issued - it seems that there is a lack of RAM, and we would recommend that those who expect to work with images often increase its memory. The presentation printing rate here was 12 and 4 s/min for 600 and 1200 dpi, respectively, however, when setting “GDI compatibility,” a surprise awaited us: pauses were sharply reduced, as a result of which, at 600 dpi, both PDF and presentation were output at speed 25 s./min. By combining PCL XL with GDI, at 600 dpi we achieved a value of 40 s/min for both types of graphics, and this once again proves that it is necessary to increase memory if the GDI mode does not satisfy the assigned tasks.

In general, despite the need for some “upgrade” of the printer’s memory when solving specific problems associated with outputting “heavy” graphics in modes that involve processing the task directly by the device’s resources, the Kyocera FS-3920DN, even in its basic configuration, can be a good solution for a typical office, where the vast majority of output documents are texts. It is these consumers who will appreciate the combination of speed of output of the most relevant text files in modern office work (invoices, delivery notes, commercial proposals), compactness, wide possibilities for “business” layout, and in addition - a high resource of consumables and spare parts, and as a result - low cost per print - that is, those indicators thanks to which the products of the Japanese corporation Kyocera are widely known in the market of modern printing devices.

In previous reviews, we often mentioned in the characteristics of printers whether they support PCL or GDI. It's time to tell you the difference between PCL/PostScript printers and GDI printers

What is the difference between printers that supportGDIand support PCL/PostScript? So we became interested in why a discussion began in the dining room, during a general tea party among unoccupied and not very busy colleagues, in which Comrade Vyazemskaya wanted to prove to Alexander Alexandrovich that Professor Preobrazhensky, gravitating towards PCL , is fundamentally wrong. And here the two sides of the discussion came to a clear decision that it was necessary to consider the method of operation of the printer and the place of data processing. And then they began to look at the array of dots that made up the image that needed to be reproduced on paper. And then the clever word “rasterization” was heard, which cooled the ardor of both sides for several minutes. Since the word that flew into the discussion was released by someone passing by

non-aligned representative. And then many remembered that one of the main functions of a printing device is the process of creating an array of dots, or in scientific terms “rasterization”! After which everything went downhill. In printers that runPCLAndPostscript(abbreviatedPS) , Rasterization is carried out directly in the printer.

For this purpose, the printer has a built-in Raster Image Processor ( R.I.P. ). The printer receives and interprets PCL or PostScript page markup language commands, which it uses to construct rasterization. The result of the construction is an imprint on paper.

Unlike PCL printers in case of GDI printers, that isGraphical Device Interface, as this abbreviation is read in full, rasterization is performed by an analogue of a raster processor - a printer driver installed on a computer. It is in the driver that the images are converted into a raster for printing. As the raster is formed, it is transmitted to the printer, which, in turn, begins printing it. In this case, the printer does not need a large memory, since the available memory is actually a kind of buffer for data transfer. What are the advantages of such features? On GDI The printer can print jobs of any size, up to layout with a large number of vectors in the format A 3 in a duplex. Or even 50 megapixel panoramic photos. It will print until the computer runs out of virtual memory.

Class! - exclaimed the camp followers GDI . That's superiority over PS who will probably chokefrom information by error “out of memory”. Besides R.I.P. processor inside PS The printer is 4 times weaker than a computer printer. Mostly common R.I.P. with a clock frequency of 500 MHz. This means that the speed of construction is GDI will be higher. Well, here’s the fly in the ointment: until the connection between the computer and the printer fails. The result is an unprinted sheet or vertical stripes of varying widths. In addition, if you have a “dead” computer with a minimum of RAM... Then you can imagine the torment and streams of curses even from the lips of refined secretaries.

Now let's add honey PS printer. Computer applications slow down less when printing a large file, the computer slows down less, and there is less traffic on the network if the printer is connected to it. And such an opportunity as printing from professional graphic applications using PPD files (PostScript Printer Description*)? What gives? And this gives almost control over all printing parameters: lineature and raster angle, raster dot shape, etc. This in There is no GDI.

And here's another difference between PS printers and others. They can print data in both format CMYK and RGB. But PCL and GDI printers only have RGB . This means that a transformation from CMYK to RGB . And only after this the array is built. This additional conversion will result in distortion and loss in color reproduction.

So, before you buy a printer, in addition to analyzing its technical characteristics, such as print speed, tray capacity, availability of consumables, ease of refilling, etc., you need to understand what files you will be working with, both in volume and format.

THIS IS A REVIEW AND THE DECISION IS YOURS TO MAKE!

*PPD file (PostScript Printer Description) - a printer file in ASCII text format produced by Adobe Systems or companies that produce a product under its brand (OEM) - describes the factory characteristics and features of a specific model of a PostScript printing device.

The review used materials from the site www.kudesnik.net

Processing of incoming print data and converting it into a form acceptable for the printing mechanism in any, even the simplest printer, is carried out using a built-in processor.

In principle, it can be called a “printer controller,” but that’s not the point.
Any built-in printer processor (controller) is necessarily controlled using some kind of command description language.

Among such languages ​​are, for example, Postscript, PCL, ESC/P, HPGL, Lineprinter, Xerox XES/UDK, Luminous LN02Plus and many others.
Another thing is a GDI printer.

In fact, GDI, or Graphic Device Interface, is nothing more than a library of certain functions of the Windows operating system for outputting information to graphics peripherals such as displays or printers.

Thus, the “GDI printer” processor is exactly the case when the term “controller” is more appropriate in its relation.
Unlike printers with a powerful built-in processor, the GDI printer controller only outputs information to the printer's buffer memory.

The information received by the printing program is a description of the page, reproducing graphic primitives already prepared for printing - lines, text, etc., for processing which GDI functions are called.
The printer print driver for a specific version of Windows translates this information into the printer's internal language.

In other words, a decent part of the work of preparing an image for printing in the case of a GDI model falls not on the printer, but on the computer.

The advantages of this “organization of work” are enormous: you do not have to overpay for the rather expensive electronic components of the printer; For owners of even medium-power PCs, the issue of a small additional load on the CPU is simply invisible.

There are, however, some disadvantages, although in our time they are quite conventional, unless we are talking about working from a platform other than Windows.
Well, who now, for example, needs printing from DOS?
Previously, some models also had difficulty being used as a network printer on mixed networks.

In practice, there are often cases when various manufacturers indicate their own versions of the GDI system as the control language in the printer characteristics.
For example, for Samsung printers it is SPL, or SPL-Color - Samsung Printing Language.

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