There are many factors that affect the speed of label printing in Desktop Designer. Follow the guidelines below to dramatically increase the speed of printing.
Note
When implementing the following guidelines, ensure they are supported by the selected printer.
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If the selected printer supports parallel and serial port, use the parallel port. When the computer sends the data to printer over parallel port, it is much faster than over serial port.
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When designing a label, use internal printer fonts instead of Windows true-type fonts. True-type fonts are sent to the printer as graphics. This vastly increases the size of data sent to printer (couple of kilobytes). With internal printer fonts, only the text is sent to printer (couple of bytes).
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Avoid using graphics on labels.
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When using barcodes, ensure the barcodes are used as internal printer elements.
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When using counters, the printer internally increments the numbers if the internal printer fonts are used. This means, that the printer only needs to receive the first object number. The printer later increments this number while printing additional labels. This option also reduces the amount of data transferred between computer and printer.
Tip
With internal printer counter, the printing speed difference becomes noticeable with high quantity of labels.
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Set the printing speed to a higher value. Increasing the printing speed usually affects the quality of printing. The higher the speed, the lower the quality. Find an acceptable compromise.
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Don't print excessive amount of data on labels. If the speed of printing is an important factor, consider using preprinted labels, and only print the data, that changes with each label.