Ricoh MP1350 - Manual (Page 32)

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Ricoh Aficio MP1350
Batch Printing
Market Background Information: While
single job printing may show up minor
productivity advantages between devices
and stacking up a selection or arbitrary print
file and releasing them all at once may give
an impression of processing ability, it is the
end user that will usually be the greatest factor in the time
from ‘print required’ to ‘print in hand.’
One such example of where a typical print function can
see enormous set up differences from device to device is
in the area surrounding batch print workflow.
Batch printing is where a user is faced with multiple files,
which needs to be treated as a single entity. There are
two main scenarios for this.
1. Multiple authors contributing to a single document.
2. Creating collated sets comprised of multiple
individual documents.
In the first instance, the administrator, editor, project
leader, etc. may need to combine a selection of
documents possibly created in a variety of file types
together in order to apply a common finishing attribute.
They may also want to incorporate page numbering,
watermarking, or other formatting option to the overall
document.
In the second instance, a marketing executive,
construction project coordinator, school teacher or
training supervisor tasked with compiling entire folders of
information wants entire sets stacked ready for insertion
into the folder or courier envelope ready for distribution.
They may want separate finishing, different media
supplies, or print attributes on a document-by-document
basis so that each lesson plan or press release is stapled
individually, or building plans are in one color, plumbing
plans in another, and electrical plans in another.
These workflow scenarios put MFPs and printers to task
as they demand more than simply the ability to spool,
RIP, and print a file as fast as possible. Some
manufacturers now include a desktop utility that looks to
offer at least some of the answers to the problems
highlighted above.
The degree to which each situation is mastered varies
enormously from manufacturer to manufacturer, with
some offering no solution, some a partial solution, and
others a total solution. In environments where this
workflow is commonplace, this ability can be the
difference between device acceptance and device return.
Print
Batch Printing Capabilities
Multiple jobs all combined into a
single finished document.
Yes
Multiple jobs all combined into a
single finished document with page
numbering/watermarking added.
Yes
Multiple jobs sent in collated sets Yes
Multiple jobs sent in collated sets
with finishing/job attributes changes
on a job by job basis
No
Ricoh Batch Printing Solutions:
Ricoh has gotten closer to the perfect four batch capability
wish list than ever before, with only the finishing on a job-
by- job basis now alluding them.
To achieve the first two batch workflows, such as
combining multiple jobs into one document, users can
choose two different workflows. The first is through the
RPCS drive only and involves sending jobs via the Job
Binding feature to DeskTopBinder. From there, files can be
merged and resubmitted to print with finishing as required.
This approach, however, does not satisfy batch workflow
three, where individual jobs are to be printed individually in
collated format.
To do this, users must send jobs to the Document Server.
This can be achieved in the PCL, PostScript, and RPCS
drivers. Once stored, users both from the desktop and the
walk up interface can select multiple jobs and submit them
to print either as a combined job (i.e. like the DeskTop-
Binder workflow discussed above) or as individual collated
jobs.
However, users are still unable to set up the device to add
finishing on a job-by-job basis. BERTL analysts even tried
defaulting the device to staple output, and the device still
removed the finishing functionality.