Is there a way to run multiple printers at the same time?

[Nohjekim]

Ink Jet printers are cheap but slow.

I have some jobs that I do that require running large numbers of menus on my Epson C80 printer. I use the C 80 because the copy is waterproof.

I make enough on one job to buy several printers, so my question is...

Is there a way that I can hook up multiple printers to one computer and instruct them to all print the same job at the same time?

For example, 4 printers, each printing 100 copies in one hundred minutes instead of one printer printing 400 copies in four hundred minutes.

Mike

 

[edfair]

You probably need to build your own splitter. In the old days it would have been easier, would have required two handshake lines to be controlled, one out and one in. Inkjets have more handshaking so it will be more complicated. But yes, it can be done. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Mulga]

What about using multiple parallel ports? I believe you can get PCI cards with 2 parallel ports quite cheaply, you could try installing 2 of these which would give you a total of 5 parallel ports for 5 printers. I have no idea if this will actually work or not, its just a thought. All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door.

 

[edfair]

Problem is the setup time to print. You start the job and it takes 50 minutes to jiggle the bits and 10 minutes to print. Or something like that. So adding another printer will require the 50 minutes for it, and since it will be multitasking neither will finish in50 minutes.
And depending on the OS he may run up on the 3 printer limit into attached hardware.
Or at least that is the way I see it.
Another option I've just thought of would be to use serial/parallel print buffer and set the printer up as serial on the system. You could split the serial output to 5 serial ports without problems and dump to 5 at a whack with no problem. S/P costs more than the printers, tho. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.