Re: Printing each page multiple times

If I followed the problem correctly, the invoices are normally printed on 5 part paper but reprints are printed one at a time on a laser printer. This didn't make sense to me so I probably got it wrong.

In any event, if they are continuing to use 5 part paper then I would probably find an Okidata hammer printer and dedicate it to invoices and leave the forms in that printer.

If they are getting away from using a hammer printer than I would probably be in favor of skipping what will become a bitchy decollating problem and print the spoolfile 5 times, changing paper between each of the 5 print steps.


On 8/7/2015 2:59 AM, Wilson, Jonathan wrote:

On Thu, 2015-08-06 at 11:41 -0400, Don Programmer wrote:

Forms would be received pre-collated from the supplier (i.e. white, blue,
pink, yellow, green; white, pink, etc.).

Even if you could solve the issue of printing 5 copies of each page, p1
p1 p1 p1 p1 p2 p2 p2 p2... etc, what happens in the very likely event
that the printer pulls 2 pages stuck together, or a page jams and its
impossible to start the printer on the correct number of print for the
given page?

Even if the printer did the sensible thing of (re)starting at the first
copy of the correct page (or first copy of page X) could you guarantee
that the operator remembers to remove the duff number of pages from the
stack to make sure it starts on colour A... the whole thing is just
waiting to go wrong at some point, with no one noticing that half way
through the print run the collated paper sequence is out of whack with
the page sequence, or having to re-print it 5 times because the stack of
paper is a bit damp or the pull rollers are getting a bit smooth...

Worse, no one notices and the whole thing gets delivered to the various
departments and only one department realises that there are missing, or
duplicate, pages in their given colour so pulls the dup pages.. but the
warehouse doesn't catch the problem then starts packing/shipping
duplicates.

I can see how multipart forms might have been a useful thing back in the
day, although to be honest I sometimes wonder if it was more a cost/time
saving thing (print once get five) and the multi colours were just a
happy bonus rather than the colour=department being the primary factor.

Another thing... I also though one important factor of multi-parts was
the ability for X copies to record signatures. Once you no longer need
that ability is there anything really to be gained from colour printed
multi pages? If you need 3 signatures on three pages (copies) just print
on the top and bottom of the page "customer copy" "accounts copy" etc.