Print formatting

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suttorpa@hotmail.com
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Print formatting

Post by suttorpa@hotmail.com » Mon May 30, 2022 5:26 pm

Hello,

We are running VMS 8.4. Trying to upgrade our print fleet, from older Xerox colorqube 8570's to Xerox Versalink C500's. We are able to create the queue but are unable to do any formatting, for margins and the like.. our forms are generally formatted as PCL and they will print out but without formatting.

Is this a common issue? Is there a recommended solution? we have been looking into printkit (a 3rd party provider) but it is quite expensive, however, it does work when we use the setup file that it configures.


sms
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Re: Print formatting

Post by sms » Mon May 30, 2022 6:34 pm

Code: Select all

   My print expertise is near-nil, but, ...

> We are running VMS 8.4. [...]

   _Exactly_ V8.4?

      write sys$output f$getsyi( "version")

> [...] We are able to create the queue [...]

   How, exactly?  Are you using DCPS?

      product show product dcps

> [...] but are unable to do any formatting, for margins and the like..
> [...]

   "unable" is not a useful problem description.  It does not say what
you did.  It does not say what happened when you did it.  As usual,
showing actual actions (commands) with their actual results (error
messages, ...) can be more helpful than vague descriptions or
interpretations.

   Were you "able" to do these things with your old printers?  How,
exactly?  What's different now, other than the printer model?

> [...] our forms are generally formatted as PCL and they will print out
> but without formatting.

   You lost me.  What, exactly, are you sending to the printer, how
exactly?

> [...] it does work when we use the setup file that it configures.

   _What_, exactly, "does work" when you (some how) "use the setup file"
(which I can't see from here)?


Topic author
suttorpa@hotmail.com
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Re: Print formatting

Post by suttorpa@hotmail.com » Mon Jun 06, 2022 5:35 pm

Hi thanks,

I was being a bit vague because the amount of information to detail was quite a lot. But I did find the solution to my problem. I had to configure a device control library with setup files that referenced pcl code to do the formatting. Once that was done I was able to print with proper margin's/pitch's etc. to the new printers.

Thank you for your time.

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