🚀 go-pugleaf

I am posting this on behalf of Rob Fellows.

-- Rich

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In response to some inquiries to this group, I am forwarding a
description of three recently introduced printing products from Sun.
They are: SPARCprinter, a 12 page per minute laser printer; NeWSprint,
a software raster image processor (RIP); and SBus Printer Card, a
single-wide SBus card providing a DMA interface to both the
SPARCprinter port and Centronics-compatible bi-directional parallel
port.

SPARCprinter:
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Sun no longer offers the Sun Laserwriter II. The SPARCprinter, which
was announced last September 28th, is its replacement. The US list
price is $2695.

The SPARCprinter has no processor (or memory) in the printer itself.
The interpretation of the PostScript and the imaging of the page to be
printed takes place on the host SPARCstation CPU and memory by Sun's
NeWSprint software (shipped with SPARCprinter but available unbundled
as well).  In our testing on a SPARCstation 1, printing a PostScript 
job takes about 10-20% of the available CPU.  Requirement are SunOS 
4.1 and a SPARCstation with an SBus, 12 MB memory is recommended.  
The print engine is manufactured by Xerox.

NeWSprint:
---------
NeWSprint is a software RIP, (a PostScript clone if you wish) and 
operates on any SPARCstation under SunOS 4.1. NeWSprint allows any 
raster output device to become PostScript compatible.  A Developer's 
Kit is included with each copy to develop interfaces (device handlers) 
to any printer.

The PostScript-compatible interpreter used by NeWSprint is the same
interpreter that Sun developed for the NeWS window system.  This allows
the same rendering for the  screen as for the output.  It is compatible
with the Laserwriter II.  To applications, a NeWSprint printer looks
like a PostScript printer.  Applications such as Framemaker, Island Write, 
TeX. etc. can use SPARCprinter without modification, at 12 
pages per minute.

NeWSprint Fonts:
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NeWSprint contains a core set of 57 scalable outline fonts in F3 format,
from major trademark owners like Linotype, Monotype, ITC and Bigelow and 
Holmes. F3 fonts are "hinted" outlines, providing high quality bitmaps
regardless of resolution or size. The 57 F3 fonts are a superset
of the industry-standard LaserWriter font set, and are metric- and shape-
compatible with these PostScript fonts. Therefore:

	you can display F3s on the workastation in OW and print using the 
	resident PostScript fonts in your LaserWriter

	you can display and print F3 fonts using applications like 
	FrameMaker with NeWSprint

	you can send PostScript files generated from non-F3 applications 
	like Island Write to NeWSprint and they will print with line-for-line
	compatibility

Hundreds of additional F3 fonts can be obtained from the F3 font suppliers
for use with NeWSprint and OpenWindows.

Printing Interfaces:
-------------------
Although NeWSprint allows printers to be attached via serial, parallel,
SCSI, and Ethernet, the SPARCprinter is only connected through Sun's
SBus Printer card (shipped with SPARCprinter but available unbundled as
well). This card provides a real time interconnect to the SPARCprinter
as well as a bi-directional parallel port. Both ports have independent
DMA channels providing for low CPU overhead.  For the SPARCprinter
port, the data rate is approximately 6 Mbits/sec.

Summary:
-------
The SPARCprinter also has the following features:
	* 300 or 400 dpi resolution (software selectable)
	* 250 sheet paper adjustable tray (8.5x11", 13" & 14" legal, A4 and B5)
	* 10 meter SPARCprinter cable, SBus Printer Card, NeWSprint included
	* $2695 US End User List Price
		 

NeWSprint provides the following features:
	* 57 F3 fonts (a superset of the LaserWriter II font set)
	* Extensible replacement for Transcript
	* Works with OpenWindows and SunView environments.
	* Performance scales with host CPU
	* Transparent access from the network
	* Support for H-P LaserJet and DeskJet printers, and 
	  Seiko color printers (with SBus Printer Card)
	* $495 US End User List Price

SBus printer Card features include:
	* Single-wide SBus card
	* Two independent DMA ports
		-SPARCprinter 
		-Configurable, bi-directional Centronics-compatible parallel 
	* 5 meter Centronics cable, NeWSprint included
	* $1195 US End User List Price


	
Rob Fellows
Product Manager
Printing Products
Sun Microsystems
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