Digital BW, The Print

Austin, you wrote;


> > In the driver, based on sheets printed instead of droplets.
> > But it isn't working like that.
>
> I don't believe it can reasonably work like that.  This is a value that
must
> follow the printer (even better the ink cartridge for that matter), not be
> in the driver.  Multiple computers can access the printer, and as such,
that
> would be a very inaccurate way to do this.  Also, the printer has built-in
> fonts/functions that the printer controls, and as such, the driver many
not
> be able to figure out, to any accuracy at least, how much of each ink was
> used.  Also, how does the driver know when the cartridge is changed etc.?

Right, that's why they do droplet counting.

> > Excerpt from the SM of the 3000:
> > page 2.4.2. Counters
> > Ink Consumption Counter
> > This counter accumulates the amount of ink used throughout the printing,
> > cleaning and flushing operations after a new cartridge is installed.
>
> But the question is, can the driver get at it at all?  I know it maintains
> it for internal use (such as the "Protect Counter A".  Not that I can tell
> in the EPS documents I have, but that certainly surprises me.  It's also a
> VERY dubious counter, unfortunately, as you have to follow the procedures
> for resetting it etc. very carefully, or it is completely useless.  But,
if
> you say that there is a status monitor on W98 that works with the 3000,
I'll
> have to believe that the level 2 documentation has that information, and
the
> 3000 does support it.

It is a dubious counter so you look at the levels in the driver and order a
new cart on that information but continue to print till the cart empty tab
says empty.

> > The
> > value is used to monitor the ink amount remaining in the ink
> > cartridge.
>
> My driver doesn't use it, and the printer it self, as far as I can tell,
> does not use the "Ink Consumption Counter" for anything...the lights are
> controlled by the physical sensors.

For the continuous warning light: yes! For blinking I think it uses the
droplet counter. The sensor isn't sensuous enough for two steps. One way to
detect that would be that sometimes there is very little time left between
blinking and continuous and at other times it take ages to get to the
continuous stage. The droplet counting is a coarse method. Anyone
experienced that ?

> > On the 9000 the status lights on the printer are only triggered by the
> > sensors. It will not print when they are on.
>
> There aren't two levels on the 9000, like the 3000?  Blinking and solid?

Don't believe so, long time ago. But then again the sensor knows only on or
off. Blinking is a counting result.

> > > For the 3000, the ink light on the printer is solely based on the
status
> > of
> > > the two ink level sensors.  It either flashes when the ink low sensor
is
> > > triggered, and then stays on when the ink out sensor is triggered.
> >
> > The empty tab of the cart and the sensor for it isn't an analogue
> > system but
> > just an on/off switch (digital but 1 bit only ;-).
>
> Ernst, please, I know how it works, thanks.  And, by the way, it's
actually
> two signals, one for low and one for empty.

Don't think so Austin. On your W2000 setup there is still a rudimentary sign
of droplet counting left: the blinking lights on the printers display. 'Call
it progress' was what I intended to write.

Ernst