Compaq P5000 Series - Manual (Page 16)

16
Chapter 1 The P5000 series with DEC LG Emulation
After a line of characters is printed, hammer action stops while the paper
advances to the first dot row of the next printable line. The number of rows
allowed for line separation depends on the line spacing you select.
Figure 3. Line Matrix Printing
Printing Speed
The speed at which text prints is measured in lines per minute (lpm). This
speed is inversely proportional to the number of dot rows required to produce
a character line, regardless of the number of characters in the line. More dot
rows are required to print lowercase characters with descenders;
consequently, those character lines print at a fractionally lower rate.
The printer also prints dot-addressable graphic images. The speed at which
graphics are plotted is measured in inches per minute (ipm). Unidirectional
plotting produces slightly better print quality and takes about twice as long as
bidirectional plotting. You can select either plotting mode from the control
panel.
Printing and plotting rates also vary according to the print mode you select.
Print mode refers to the way you instruct the printer to create characters. If,
for example, you select near letter quality (NLQ) mode, the printer uses more
dot rows to form characters than if you choose high speed (HS) mode.
Character formation and print speed are faster in HS mode because the
printer prints fewer dot rows to form characters. Vertical dot density is a factor
in printing speed.
Dot
Row Start
Paper
Feed
Number of rows is determined by line spacing.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
n
1
2
*
* *
This row is used only for lowercase descenders.
This row is used for underlining and lowercase descenders.
*
**
One
Text
Line
Direction of Shuttle Movement
Direction