Question: Who is the target customer for the LaserWriter Pro 810?
Answer: The LaserWriter Pro 810 is tailored to the networked professionals who work continually in mixed environments of Unix, DOS, Windows and Macintosh, and need fast, crisp text printing.
Question: How much faster is the LaserWriter Pro 810 than the LaserWriter Pro 600 and 630?
Answer: The answer to that depends on the complexity of the print job, and the size of the file from which you print. On average, a LaserWriter Pro 810 will image 20% faster than a LaserWriter 600 or 630, and prints at speeds up to 20 pages per minute.
Question: What are the differences between the LaserWriter Pro 600 Series and the LaserWriter Pro 810?
Answer: LaserWriter Pro 600 Series is intended for desktop use by workgroups in graphics intensive Ethertalk environments. LaserWriter Pro 810 is intended for tabletop use in departments with massive printing requirements, and for those requiring seamless integration into many operating systems and network environments.
Question: Can a LaserWriter Pro 600 or 630 be upgraded to a LaserWriter 810?
Answer: No. These printers are based on a completely different design, with different capabilities and benefits to customers.
Question: What network operating systems are supported?
Answer: Mac OS, Apple A/UX, Novell, HPUX, Sun Solaris, SCO Unix, DEC Ultrix, IBM AIX, Interactive Unix, Windows, and DEC VMS are currently supported.╩
Question: What networking protocols are supported?
Answer: Over Twisted Pair and Thin Wire Ethernet, Ethertalk, TCP/IP, Netware IPX, and DEC LAT are supported. All of our protocols are enabled at once, simultaneously active and accessible over the network.
Question: Why is it important to have multiple, simultaneously active protocols implemented in a network printer?
Answer: The printer needs to have the same protocols as the users' systems or they won't be able to communicate directly and efficiently. If the protocol isn't supported by the printer, additional network software and capabilities are required, adding cost and processing overhead to the network. Clearly, all the needed protocols must be available all the time, or the benefit of offering them at all diminishes greatly.
Question: How fast is a LaserWriter Pro 810 over the network?
Answer: The I/O bandwidth is not a factor in the printers' speed, that is the interface won't slow down the printing. Depending on what the resource allocation of the network by the system administrator is to the printer, LaserWriter Pro 810's have demonstrated capability to accept data at 350K bytes a second.
Question: What print quality capabilities are available?
Answer: Users can software select 300, 400, 600 or 800 dpi print resolutions.
Question: Is TrueType installed in the printer?
Answer: No, the printer has only Type 1 PostScript fonts installed. However, the LaserWriter Pro 810 ships with 64 TrueType fonts on disk.
Question: Does it support PhotoGrade or FinePrint?
Answer: No, this printer uses other proprietary third-party resolution enhancement techniques to improve the image resolution beyond the 400 DPI capabilities of the print engine.
Question: What fonts are in the printer?
Answer: 35 ROM fonts: Avant Garde (4 typefaces), Palatino (4typefaces), Bookman (4 typefaces), Symbol, Courier (4 typefaces), Times (4 typefaces) Helvetica (4 typefaces), Zapf Chancery, Helvetica Narrow (4 typefaces), Zapf Dingbats, New Century Schoolbook (4 typefaces), and Chicago.
64 Disk Fonts: Avant Garde (4 typefaces) Geneva, Bookman (4 typefaces), Helvetica Black (2 typefaces), Courier (4 typefaces), New York, Helvetica (4 typefaces), Lubalin Graph (4 type faces), Helvetica Narrow (4 typefaces), Lucida Bright (4 type faces), New Century Schoolbook (4 typefaces), Machine, Palatino (4 typefaces), Monaco, Symbol, Nadianne (2 typefaces), Times (4 typefaces), Helvetica Compressed (2 typefaces), Zapf Chancery, Old English Text, Zapf Dingbats, Onyx, Chicago, Oxford, Delphian, Swing, Garamond Narrow (4 type faces), and Zeal.
Question: Does the LaserWriter Pro 810 support automatic emulation switching?
Answer: Yes. The LaserWriter Pro 810 utilizes a brilliant exciting new technology called Virtual Printer, which, among other things, provides a fool-proof means of recognizing PCL from PostScript, by determining the network's IP address of the queue or the PC sending the print command, and printing jobs accordingly as a DOS printer or a PostScript printer.
Question: Does the LaserWriter Pro 810 support PCL Level 5?
Answer: No, it supports PCL with Level 4+.
Question: What processor does this printer use?
Answer: The processor is a RISC based Weitek 8200 chip.
Question: What kind of RAM does it use?
Answer: The printer uses 4MB and 8MB RAM Modules, not to be mistaken for SIMM modules.
Question: What RAM configurations are possible?
Answer: All printers are equipped with 8MB standard, and can be upgraded with 4MB or 8MB RAM up to a maximum of 32 MB RAM achieved by 4x8MB RAM.
Question: How much ROM and RAM are standard?
Answer: 3 MB ROM and 8MB RAM.
Question: Is software for Windows users included?
Answer: Yes. There are drivers included to support Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1.
Question: What network management tools does the LaserWriter 810 offer?
Answer: The LaserWriter Pro 810 offers SNMP, the only viable non-proprietary network management facility used. The printer also has a Remote Console Facility, useful for tasks performed by the network manager.
Question: What is SNMP?
Answer: The acronym stands for Simple Network Management Protocol. By being SNMP capable the LaserWriter Pro 810 will be a recognized agent to a network management program like HP Open View, DEC MccDirector and PolyCenter, console programs of Sun, and others.
Question: What is the Remote Console Facility and what does it do?
Answer: The network manager can log in to the facility and obtain status information, can configure and manage the network printer for the enterprise much like this administrator would expect to manage other devices on the network. The manager can log in from IPX, LAT, LAT, or Ethertalk.
Question: What engine is the LaserWriter Pro 810 based on?
Answer: The engine is a Fuji Xerox XP 20.
Question: Is this a duplex printer?
Answer: No duplexing capabilities or options are available at this time.
Article Change History:
21 Nov 1995 - Reviewed for technical accuracy.
23 Mar 1995 - Reformatted and made minor typographical changes.
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