Slow printing

[demanz]

Hey guys
We have a Mac here running 10.5 and users are complaining about how long it takes to print (by comparison to Windows) and if there's any way to speed it up. Unlike the Windows machines which go to a print server, OS X prints directly to the printer

The types of documents they're printing are large, so either big graphics or multiple copies consisting of lots of text/pictures.

By my understanding what's happening is the printer waits until the entire job has spooled before it starts to print. Which makes me wonder if there's a OS X equivalent to the Windows option "start printing immediately"

I've been looking around Google etc but haven't found much. Having said that I'm a Windows admin so I could be heading down the wrong track.

Would anyone be able to help me out here?
Cheers

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

More than likely, the print server has a queue set up. The Windows machines print to this queue (I'm assuming over a fast network, like 100base-T) and the queue prints to the printer. Since the machines are printing to the queue, the job appears to complete very quickly.

Most workgroup-style printers have 10base-T networking built-in, which is magnitudes slower than 100base-T. If the Mac computers are printing directly to the printer, the slowness you're experiencing may be due to the differences in network speed.

Try ONE of the following and report back:

1) Set up a Mac computer to use the queue, just like the Windows computers.
2) Set up a Windows computer to print directly to the printer (just like the Macs).

See if you see any speed difference when doing one of the above. If #1 allows Macs to print much more quickly, or if #2 causes the Windows computer to print more slowly, then I think we can chalk up the problem not to the Mac computer itself, but to the way you have each platform (Windows vs. Mac) set up to print.