[Scribus] (OT) Printing PDFs

[Ludi Maciel]

On Sunday 07 January 2007 17:23, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> In the hopes that a Scribus user may be able to help, I am posting my
> problem here, although the problem happens with all PDFs, not just
> those created with Scribus, so it's not really a Scribus issue.
>
> Platform is Ubuntu Dapper amd-64. Printer is HP Laserjet 8000DN.
>
> I use this printer as a printing press. The printer has just about
> every option, including input capacity of 3,000 sheets and output
> stacker that will hold 3,000 sheets. Its rated speed for duplexed
> printing is 22 ppm.
>
> When printing from Adobe Reader on Windows it prints the first copy at
> about 15 ppm and subsequent copies at 21.8 ppm. I can tell it to print
> 100 copies of a 500-page book collated and it will spend the next
> several days doing so. All I have to do is add/remove paper every few
> hours. I am printing short run textbooks from PDF files. Ultimately I
> plan to switch to Scribus for layout, but I will still want to export
> to PDF and print from the PDF files.
>
> The printer has a feature common on modern high end lasers -- "RIP
> once, print many." When you add sufficient RAM (or a hard disk) to the
> printer, the printer will image each page of a print job and hold that
> image internally. Thus, the first copy may print slowly, as each page
> must be imaged, but subsequent copies will print at the rated speed of
> the printer. I am unable to do this satisfactorily from Linux.
>
> If I print from Adobe Reader, either the Linux version (7.0.8) or the
> Windows version via CrossOver Office (7.0.5), I have two options. I can
> use an lp or lpr command and insert -n or -# to the command, or I can
> use the print dialog box to specify the number of copies and check the
> Collated box. If I use the lp or lpr command it does not access the
> "RIP once, print many" feature. It will print the specified number of
> copies and they will be collated, but each copy will print at only
> about 15 ppm because it must re-image the job for each copy. I have
> read all the documentation I can find on the lp and lpr commands, but I
> cannot find a way to tell it to use "RIP once, print many."
> Furthermore, if I shut down the computer (a laptop), the print job
> ceases, because evidently the lp or lpr command is sending the job over
> and over again for the specified number of copies.
>
> If I use the print dialog box it will concatenate individual print jobs
> into a massive spool file. Again, I cannot shut down the computer
> without stopping the print job, and it must re-image each copy, and in
> addition I need space to hold a spool file of several GB.
>
> If I use Kpdf it works properly, that is, it prints with "RIP once,
> print many." This is an important fact, because it means that accessing
> this feature from Linux must be possible. Kpdf is using the drivers I
> have installed via CUPS using the latest PPD file. However, when I use
> Kpdf it prints the first job glacially slowly -- about two minutes per
> page. So if I tell it to print 100 copies of a 500 page book, it will
> take all day to print the first copy (about 12 hours), although the
> remaining 99 copies will print at about 23 minutes per copy. If I could
> figure out why Kpdf is so slow on the first copy it would solve my
> problem. I have googled and searched everywhere, and I have posted a
> question on the KDE forums, but have not received any answers.
>
> Hence my interest in the other thread where Ghostview was mentioned.
> However, it only uses an lp or lpr command, which I cannot get to
> access "RIP once, print many."
>
> If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'd love to be
> able to ditch Windows completely.
> _______________________________________________

I don't know much about this but I think you should inform the hplip 
developers about that issue. Your printer is supported by the project so I it 
won't be a problem.

http://hplip.sourceforge.net

Regards,

Ludi