I am shopping for a new printer for my office, and I have become aware that some printers have postscript drivers whereas others do not. For instance, this printer that I'm considering http://www.amazon.com/Canon-imageCLASS-MF6160dw-Wireless-Monochrome/dp/B00E3WE4AI/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t comes in two versions, one with postscript and one without, and the postscript version is 100 dollars more expensive. This other printer that I'm considering does not have postscript if I understand the specifications correctly. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SL-M2885FW-XAA-Wireless-Monochrome/dp/B00IQBT3VW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top.
From what little information I've been able to find online, the postscript driver is needed to print out some (but not all) lengthy pdf files, especially if you are doing desktop publishing. I regularly print out pdfs of math articles that have been compiled from LaTeX files, usually no longer than about 30 pages, but on rare occasions as long as about 100 pages. The majority of my printing will not be these math papers, but rather handouts, tests, and quizzes for the classes that I am teaching, also generally compiled into pdfs from LaTeX.
Do I need a postscript printer for my printing needs, or will an ordinary printer suffice? I don't need to print anything at desktop publishing quality, just for my personal academic use. I do need all of the math symbols to display correctly in the printed document. I've used a variety of printers to print math papers and never had trouble, so I think I'll be fine with an ordinary printer, but I just want to double check be for I spend a lot of money on a printer that won't work for my needs.
Best Answer
I have never heard of a technical reason why a long PDF document could be printed on a PostScript printer but not on a non-PostScript printer and I strongly doubt there is one. Hence: you should not need a PostScript printer for printing PDFs no matter how many pages long.
A PostScript printer has a different potential advantage over other printers: the software that translates abstract geometrical objects like lines and boxes to pixels is part of the printer and can be finely tuned to the hardware by the manufactorer. When this Raster Image Processor is part of the printer driver of the desktop computer, the fit might not be as good. However, there are several other factors that affect print quality and unless you are a professional printer, this should not be a concern.