SCO OS5.05 - barcode queue printing out of order

[tldoh]

We have Intermec 3400 printers set-up as local, when the jobs are queued through the ERP pkg, the jobs print out of order, screwing up the serial# sequence of the labels.

 

[apeasecpc]

When you say "local printers" do you mean printers physically attached to the UNIX box, or do you mean network printers that work as UNIX local printers?

Here's something to try. Go into scoadmin print manager, select the printer, then go to settings, control and de-select "Enable Printing". Next send a few label jobs to the printer (which shouldn't print yet because the printer is disabled, if they print anyway it means your software is bypassing the UNIX print queue). After this, go back to the print manager and re-select "Enable Printing". This should cause the previously queued jobs to start printing.

When you run this test, do the labels still print out of order?

 

[tldoh]

They are network printers set-up as local to Unix. We have tried enabling printers and yes, they still print out of order. We have tried batching the print jobs and sending them singularly also.

 

[apeasecpc]

Ok, it sounds to me like you have a timing issue related to the network print jobs, that is later print jobs are being printed first because they finish queuing to the print server before the earlier jobs finish queuing. Typically this is an effect of the later jobs being of smaller size than the earlier jobs. You should be able to change this setting in the print server configuration so that it always prints jobs in first in first out order.

What print servers are you using? Are you using the UNIX printer interface software that came with the print servers, or are you using something else (like samba)?