🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <8703252142.AA15415@oresoft.UUCP> daves%oresoft@tektronix.tek.COM (
Dave Spencer) writes:
>I've recently heard about a Compugraphics 9600, a new top-of-the-line
>model, that supports PostScript. If you have any experience with this
>this typesetter or have looked into it as a TEX output device,
>please send me that information. Thanks in advance.


Compugraphics is a distributor for Agfa-Gevaert the German photographic
industry company which makes expensive >$20,000 high end very fast laser
printers. the Agfa-Gevaert P400PS printer may be the compugraphics 9600.
Their phone number is 617-658-5600 I think in Massachusetts.

The AGFA 400PS is NOT the Compugraphic 9600.  The 9600 has been out for
some time now; however, it hasn't been generally available due to bugs
in the system.  The 9600 is a high-end laser typesetter much like the
Allied-Merg Linotronic 100/300.  Compugraphic originally endorsed
Interpress (everyone makes mistakes); however, I have a feeling they
didn't receive much support from Xerox.  CG's recent release of both a
300 DPI laser printer and the AGFA 406 DPI printer signifies a move
towards PostScript that up to now they've been trying to avoid.  I have
heard nothing about the 9600 supporting PostScript; however, I think
they will announce this pretty soon, if they haven't already (I'm about
three weeks backed up on my trade journals).


Pat Wood
Editor, The PostScript Language Journal
bellcore!phw5!phw		(Ignore the above address and use this one.)

Pat Wood wrote " The 9600 has been out for some time now;  however, it
hasn't been generally available due to bugs in the system."

The first shipments of 9600 typesetters were in December.  Friends and
neighbors who work at Compugraphic are generally proud of the fact that
it shipped on schedule.  It is, in fact, generally available.

The Agfa-Gevaert 400PS laser printer is truly a different beast from the 9600.
It's a 400 dot per inch PostScript laser printer.  The 9600 is a high
resolution laser typesetter.
------------------------------
(The usual disclaimers apply.)  E.O.Jones / Apollo Computer / 270 Billerica / Chelmsford MA 01824

Perhaps Compugraphic is proud of their 9600 typesetter, but the folks I've
talked to that have tried to use them are less than thrilled.  At one trade
show, Compugraphic had a 9600 there, but it wasn't running.  They had a
person running a composition system, but the only thing you could see was
the output they had brought with them.  I have yet to talk to someone who
has used the 9600 and been totally pleased.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the product.  Most new machines have
some problems associated with them when they first come out.  These same
people were just as lukewarm on the Lino 100/300 when they first came out
with the PostScript RIP.  PostScript on these machines is much slower than
the rated print speed of the engine (about a factor of 2-4, depending on
what your doing).  As for the 9600 being available "on time", it seems to
me that it was announced only a little after the Lino Imagesetters came out,
in late 85.  That's quite a lot of lead time.

As for PostScript and/or Interpress on the 9600, I'll wait until it's available
before I express any opinions on what the output looks like.  Still, it seems
that unless the 9600 can produce graphics at better than 1200 DPI, it won't
be able to match the L300 in halftones and color separations.

Pat Wood