Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!beta!unm-la!unmvax!nmtsun!hydrovax
From: hydrovax@nmtsun.nmt.edu (M. Warner Losh)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Problem with  define/form
Message-ID: <1378@nmtsun.nmt.edu>
Date: 11 Feb 88 23:25:01 GMT
References: <8802110418.AA13011@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: NMT Hydrology program
Lines: 62
Summary: Same problem, different solution

In article <8802110418.AA13011@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, JEREMYM@EPVAX.SUSSEX.AC.UK writes:
> I am using a laserjet II, and have defined setups for the various
> fonts that we wish to use. The modules in the device control library
> contain just the escape sequence to initialize the printer.

We have a LaserJet+ hooked to our system and are about to get a LaserJet II
There were some initial problems, but not it works great.

> All works fine, but I get a blank sheet of paper printed for each of the
> setup and reset sequences.  Is there anyway to get around this?

There is a way, but it is gross beyond belief :-)

> 
> These are the setups we use:
> 
> $ set printer/cr/lowercase/printall/passall lca0:

Good.  This is correct.  We have modem enabled on ours so that it barf at 9600
baud.  Never could get flow control working correctly.

> $initialize/queue/start/lib=laserjetlib/on=lca0: -
>     /separate=(reset=reset,noburst,noflag,notrailer)
>        /default=(noflag,noburst,notrailer,form=prestige) laser
Ditto the good here.
> $define/form/stock=default prestige 1 /desc="Portrait Prestige" -
>         /setup=(prestige) /length=70/wid=96/margin=(bottom=0)/nowrap/notrunc

Here is where you run into problems.  I did this on our system for a long
time until the users started complaining about extra pages coming out.  I
did a lot of things to try to fix it, even writing a custom print symbiont.
All except one failed.

First some background.  In the Orange doc set (System management AND release
notes) it tells how to set this stuff up.  There is a comment that files that
have what looks like printable text in the setup module will force an extra
page (bug or feature?  You decide).  The problem is that HP uses non-ANSI
escape sequences for their printers.  So, VMS's symbiont thinks that there is
some garbage that the user wants on the first page.  Well, in this case that
is not correct, since the "garbage" isn't printing.  This is the point that
we stayed at for months while I tried various different (and wrong) ways
of getting the printer to stop printing extra pages.

Then it hit me, why not have a setup for each page of the print-out so that
you don't get these extra pages?  This is what we have been doing now for the
past few months.  The only time we EVER get a blank page is when the system
reboots or when the SYMBIONT starts.

Here's the commands for the curious:

$ DEFINE/FORM/DESCRIPTION="Compressed output"/LENGTH=82/WIDTH=132 -
	/PAGE_SETUP=COMPRESS/STOCK=DEFAULT COMPRESS 100

Notice the use of /PAGE_SETUP instead of /SETUP.  VMS doesn't care what
you place in this module, so it doesn't do anything special to it.

I hope that this helps.
-- 
bitnet:	losh@nmt.csnet			M. Warner Losh
	warner@hydrovax.nmt.csnet    ! Don't know if this works, let me know.
csnet:	warner@hydrovax.nmt.edu
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