Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 1999-9 (VOL.50, NO.5)

Special Issue : Printer

• A3 Page Printer: PrintPartner GL-760SD

Today's office laser printers must satisfy various demands, such as high quality and advanced features, while also meeting a variety of environmental requirements.
Our new printer model, the PrintPartner GL-760SD, was developed as a successor to the current one （GL-760E）. The GL-760SD offers improved features including the inherited duplex printing mechanism as well as A3 sheet compliance. To accelerate printing speed, this model incorporates MIPS family high-performance CPUs and new LSIs specially developed to assist in drawing. These printers rely on Fujitsu's original FEIT technology to obtain photograph-level quality, and FCF Font technology to flexibly and rapidly generate outline fonts.

• Compact Color Page Printer: PrintPartner GL-8300A

Fujitsu has developed its own compact color page printer, the PrintPartner GL-8300A. Ordinary color page printers that use the so-called 1-drum or 4-cycle method require four rotations of the image-developed photosensitive drum for each color page. This makes it difficult to increase printing speed. By adopting the 4-drum tandem method （in which colors are printed sequentially）, Fujitsu has achieved a color printing speed of 13 pages per minute, which is faster than any conventional color printer. Moreover, an inexpensive and highly effective technique of self-positioning was devised to address the major weakness of the tandem method （i.e., positioning precision）.
This paper describes our new printer and the technologies we developed to significantly improve controller capabilities in harmony with high-speed mechanisms and achieve rapid image processing. This paper also describes how we are tackling various environmental issues with regard to printers.

• Compact Page Printer: PrintPartner 12MX

The ongoing proliferation of personal computers, digital cameras, and related application software is mainly responsible for the growing demand for compact page printers suited for multipurpose use.
In view of this growing demand, Fujitsu developed the PrintPartner 12MX printer, which can print in either of two modes: high-speed mode （12 A4 sheets per minute at 600 dpi） or high-quality mode （6 A4 sheets per minute at 1,200 dpi）.
This paper describes the special Fujitsu technologies employed in this printer to enhance print quality, reduce operating cost, and help protect the environment.

• Network Printers: PrintPartner VSP/VS Series

The Virtual System Printer （VSP） models are network printers that allow users to handle a variety of mixed printing requests from platforms ranging from mainframes to personal computers.
The VS network printer models were developed to form a new less expensive compact series out of the VSP family. These printers offer the same high reliability of the VSP printing functions at lower cost.
Each VSP printer incorporates several virtual printing mechanisms to enable distributed printing under various platform environments. The VS models employ an emulator technology developed from these virtual printing mechanisms for supporting simplified conformance to various platforms using a single printer mechanism.
This paper describes the multi-platform compatible technology introduced for the VSP and VS series, and outlines the products.

• VSP Series Image Scanner

The VSP image scanners were developed for the electronic filing systems market and Optical Character Reader （OCR） systems. These scanners feature high-speed scanning and duplex scanning capabilities. These scanners also feature a built-in image processing circuit to provide output images suitable for electronic filing and OCR systems.
The VSP image scanners incorporate electronic filing system and image processing functions in hardware for processing slips and forms on the device. This significantly reduces the operator’s processing work after data entry.
This paper describes the VSP image scanners and focuses on image processing capabilities.

• High-Speed Continuous Form Laser Printers: F6761 E/W

Fujitsu has developed new models of high-speed continuous form page printers: F6761E and F6761W. The F6761E, launched as a successor product of the F6762E series （with 5,000 lines/minute printing speed）, features higher printing speed （8,250 lines/minute）, lower printing cost and 18-inch wide paper compliance （A4-2UP support）. This model strengthens our Japanese-language page printer series.
Aimed at the reduction of media, custody and operating costs for high-speed page printers, the F6761W is a new continuous form printer capable of duplex printing as a single unit on standard 15-inch （up to 18-inch） wide paper used by popular continuous form printers.
We realized less cost, a smaller footprint, and less waste paper than ordinary duplex printing systems based on two sequentially combined simplex units. Fujitsu developed a new dual-sided transfer technology and managed to improve image development, flash fusion, and other conventional technologies to enhance both speed and quality. To reduce the burden of printer operation, we also devised an auto-cleaning mechanism for charger-related parts, a faster way to replace consumables, and other technologies to simplify both machine operation and maintenance.

• Serial Impact Dot Printers: M33061C/M33301C/M33071C

Because serial impact dot printers can print on copying paper, this feature is expected to generate stable demand for printing on slips and continuous forms. Fujitsu has developed medium-speed and high-speed serial impact dot printers for office use to meet diverse customer requirements regarding such basic features as printing speed, copy capability, and the ability to handle different types of paper and operate in a network.
This paper examines the trends of serial impact dot printers, then introduces and describes the main functions and features of our three main products （the M33061C, M33301C, and M33071C）. The paper also describes a new automatic paper feeder which dramatically improves print operability for slips and cut-sheet paper. This automatic paper feeder is an optional unit designed to enhance M33071C operability. Despite its simple mechanism, this feeder can accurately correct the paper feed angle.

• Integrated Software for Mobile Computing: MOBILESUITE

There have been growing expectations for mobile computing in recent years. In anticipation of a rapidly expanding mobile terminal market, we developed a new personal digital assistant.
MOBILESUITE was developed under the basic themes of “easy use,” “easy to understand,” and “convenience.” MOBILESUITE also provides such functions as a mail, PIM, and an editor. These functions work closely together and cooperate for common tasks.
This paper introduces the concept of MOBILESUITE and describes its main functions.

• Software Configuration Management Tool: PowerGEM Plus Administrator

PowerGEM Plus Administrator is a software configuration management tool designed to support distributed development by improving the productivity, reliability, maintainability, and management efficiency of managers and developers in charge of software development projects.
PowerGEM Plus Administrator adopts technology developed for Generalized Program Editing and Management Facilities （GEM）, a software development support product for Fujitsu mainframes. This product achieves the multi-platform conformance required and complies with the distributed development of open systems software.
The main features of this new tool are:
- A function to collectively manage software resources as a master
- A function to manage project workers and their access rights
- A function to manage development resource duplication and distribution
- A function to make software resources base line and clarify the relationship with execution programs being developed
- A function to change software resource management and manage the progress of change in conjunction with change management