On Tue, 3 Jul 2001 17:45:35 -0500 (Central Daylight Time), Wirt Atmar
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Julie writes:
>
>> Well, right now we find the Novell queues handy to kill monster
>> print jobs the user decides they really don't want.
>
>and Larry adds:
>
>> However if what you want is an integrated print queue so that you can manage
>> what is being sent to the printer you will need to have a LPR/LPD service
>> somewhere.
>
>I presume from these comments that the primary architecture in place for
>printing is that of one large printer somewhere in the computer room, where
>all output appears, is later burst into segments, sorted by user, and then
>put into pigeon-holed mailboxes for the recipients to later come pick up.

No this is not our architecture at all.

We have found that printing to a centralized print server (current
Novell, perhaps later NT4 or 2000) makes it easier for us or the users
to control the printing process than if we just printed from the e3000
directly to the printer.

>A far more modern, user-friendly and much more efficient way to print
>documents nowadays is to distribute dozens of inexpensive laser printers
>around your campus, perhaps one printer for every three to ten people who
>would receive output, all within a few steps of their desk, and have each
>user print each of their own outputs directly to their appropriate printer.
>
>Not only does IS never get involved with the printing process in this
>procedure, the user gets his output just seconds after he asks for it,
>greatly improving overall productivity. In essence, this architecture
>converts the HP3000 into one of the finest personal computers that any user
>can hope to use. It's instantaneous, it's efficient, and the user has total
>control over what he's doing.

yes, as long as the user a) learns all of the HP Spooler commands and
b) either has access to the CI or has IT provide some kind of menu or
limited interface that allows that user to type in those spooler
commands. Neither condition is true in our current environment. We
believe our IT time is better spent making the disappearance of Novell
print queues as transparent to the user as possible, rather than
re-training them on how to print reports from the e3000. (In fact, we
are constantly pushing users to forego printing from the e3000 at all,
and storing their reports in our Reveal system. Sometimes this
recommendation is accepted, other times not ...)

>And should a giant print run occur that the user finds he really doesn't
>want, the cancel buttons on the new laser printers do a magnificient job of
>rapidly killing the print job on both the laser printer and the HP3000.

Define "new". Odds are, we don't have many of those "new" models in
our locations, nor do we have the budget to provide them. (Our most
common models are various iterations of LaserJet 4 and 5s).

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