Passing printer commands in a cobol program 1

[michelle765]

I have a printout that I create in a microfocus cobol program that is passed to a Xerox DT65 printer. I am trying to determine how to pass a command to the printer that will offset the pages - so that we can set the printer up to staple each offset. (Or a staple command that I can put at the point I need the subset stapled).

Has anybody tried this before?

 

[webrabbit]

Just include the command in the output stream. For a PCL printer, (which I write to all the time) I include
X'1B' & '&l72U'
in the output stream for 1/10" offset. Usually this sort of function is output just after the OPEN statement.

 

[michelle765]

Thanks - but I'm still having an issue with it. I put the command in the program to print in between the sets of instructions (I actually print a transmittal followed by the instruction sheet - then another transmittal followed by those instructions, etc. Each of these sets is what I need to offset so we can staple them). Now I am just getting a blank page that prints between the sets - and it's not actually offsetting between the sets.

Any other suggestions?

 

[michelle765]

I found my problem with the blank page - but I'm still not having luck with it offsetting.

 

[webrabbit]

What is the command string you are trying to send to the printer?

 

[michelle765]

This is what I tried sending:
X'1B' & '&l72U'

I did, however, find a work around - by closing the output file and re-opening it where I need the break. This causes multiple queue entries - but allows us to staple each entry.

However - it would be ideal if we could keep them in the same printout and just offset them so we don't have hundreds of entries to move.

 

[webrabbit]

X'1B' & '&l72U' is a PCL command. Does a Xerox DT65 printer support PCL? If it does, this is the wrong command, as it offsets the image on the page, not the paper in the stacker. X'1B' & '&l1T' is the PCL job separation command. If your printer uses PCL, this is probably the command to use. You must send it at the end of each set of output to be separated. If you set the printer to staple each set, that might to the trick.

 

[michelle765]

THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!
Worked perfectly. You don't know how much time you saved us!