🚀 go-pugleaf

We have a network of Sun3/4s, supported by a Sun3/280 server.  Currently
we do our printing on an apple laserwriter NTX II driven through the
serial port of the server. For text, including TeX and troff, this is
fine; however, for bitmap graphics (of which we have lots) it's like
sucking wind through a straw: the effort is great, but the throughput is
not. To first approximation, the problem is the 9600 baud ``straw''
through which we feed the printer. We are currently looking for a better
solution to our printing needs, and are VERY interested in anyones
experience with alternatives to the serial port.

For example, 

	Has anyone interfaced a parallel port to a Sun? 
		This might be directly, or through a terminal server
		over the network.
	Has anyone interfaced a Kinetics box to a Sun network for
	driving a laserwriter?
		We have heard rumor that these have a not-to-large
		buffer, and if you feed them too much at once they die
		until someone intervenes. Can anyone comment?
	Any other solutions?

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions. You may reply directly,
and if there is sufficent interest then we will summarize for the net.

tom@astrosun.tn.cornell.edu
u8vy@cornellf.{bitnet,tn.cornell.edu}