PCL Overlay is Not Working Any Longer

[fmoore0001]

We have a older FoxPro 2.0 program that is going to be replaced with a new 7.0 program. The rewrite is total. However, the old DOS program, which worked fine for years, is having a printing problem that has shown up on a number of computers suddenly, although not all, including my own.

In a nutshell the DOS program is designed to download a PCL copy of a legal 'form' that we then overlay with text, then print. It was a way years ago to get a scanned copy of a form to print on a HP laser printer. You would scan the form as a graphic, then print it to a file. Then align your text until the text lined up in the right position on the forms. Since the HP printers were 'page' printers you could had anything you like to a 'page' until you actually printed it.

Now, the system worked fine for years, but recent some newer systems seem to be 'paging' the form first, then the overlaying text prints on a separate page. Since this was a common kludge to print graphic's forms in DOS I am hoping someone out there has had a similar experience and knows the reason why.

Please, any information you may have.

Frank

 

[jlasman]

How is this actually being done?

Is the form set up as a macro and then enabled as an automatic overlay?

At the moment try adding <esc>&a0R to the end of the 'form' file and see if that takes care of it.

It sounds as though the form is leaving the cursor at the bottom of the page and one line of text is causing it to eject the page.

If you send me a capture file, I will have a look.



Jim Asman
jlasman@telus.net

 

[fmoore0001]

Jim, I walked into this. It is a Foxbase 2.0 for DOS program. Originally the file were set up a Word Perfect files that were &quot;print&quot; to disked as &quot;*.GOF&quot; files (the company name). Alas, all the Word Perfect files were stolen, and I have not seen a PCL -> Word or Word Perfect conversion program. This PCL file is first downloaded to the printer then the text is sent down to overlay the PCL file, then an eject to print it. It worked fine for years, and still does on our old HP III.

The problem appears to be with the newer HP printers. Say, the first two pages print just fine, then the printer 'pauses', then the PCL page comes out then the text. Sometimes the PCL page comes out, then the next PCL page with the former page's text and each subsequent page the same way. It is like the HP III had sufficient space for the page, but the newer machines do not?

I will e-mail you a page sample, and really appreciate you help. This is a brain bender for me.

Frank

 

[jlasman]

A sample file will be telling.

My best guess is that the page format is incomplete from the application and you are relying upon defaults from the printer control panel. The HP3 has a happy set, and the others not.


Jim Asman
jlasman@telus.net