Pitney Bowes DocuMatch, Application Notes

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DocuMatch
TM
Integrated Mail System
DocuMatch Application Notes
65
Diagnosing "Waiting for Host" Messages (continued)
one-page mail pieces). If your file is much larger than this,
see below under “Inefficient Print Files”.
Several possible causes for slow printing to a file are listed
below:
• The host PC may have insufficient RAM memory to run
efficiently. Microsoft Word and particularly WordPerfect
run best with at least 8 MB of memory in Windows 3.1.
Windows 95 requires more memory than this. The
easiest way to find out how much RAM is installed is to
exit Windows and power down the PC, then turn it back
on and watch how much memory is tested during the
self-test. Alternatively, you can exit Windows and type
MEM at the DOS prompt (DOS version 5 and higher).
The total amount of memory is the amount listed next
to Total memory in the display. The amount of memory
shown in the Windows Control Panel/386 Enhanced/
Virtual Memory in Windows 3.1 is NOT the amount of
RAM on your machine. In Windows 95, you can click on
Start/Settings/Control panel and double-click on Sys-
tem. The amount of memory shown on the General tab
is the RAM on your system.
• The host PC processor speed may be too slow. Best
performance is obtained with a 66 MHz 486 processor
or faster.
• The job will run more slowly if your document includes
a lot of graphics. The only solution to this is to use less
graphics or get a faster PC. You can reduce the effec-
tive size of the graphics by reducing the graphics
resolution to 300 and by choosing a coarser setting
under Dithering on the Driver’s Control Panel Graphics
tab.
• The job will run more slowly if you are sorting or select-
ing the records while merging, rather than just printing
them in order. To speed up mail production, you may
Host-Induced
Slowdowns
Common Causes
of Slow Printing