VISTA Advanced printing topics - Revision history

DavidWhitten: /* Setting Up a Printer in VISTA */

2022-04-12T01:37:01Z

Setting Up a Printer in VISTA

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:37, 12 April 2022
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	== Setting Up a Printer in VISTA ==		== Setting Up a Printer in VISTA ==
	See [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer~~\|this page~~]].		See the [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer]] page.

	== Testing Printers ==		== Testing Printers ==

DavidWhitten: /* Testing Printers */

2022-04-12T01:36:00Z

Testing Printers

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:36, 12 April 2022
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	</pre>		</pre>

	See the output. If it's okay, you are ready to move to the next step. If you see the "staircase" effect, you need to go back and set-up the terminal type correctly [[Setting_up_a_Linux_Printer~~\|here~~]].		See the output. If it's okay, you are ready to move to the next step. If you see the "staircase" effect, you need to go back and set-up the terminal type correctly, as explained on the page: [[Setting_up_a_Linux_Printer]].

	The next menu option to try is Send Test Pattern to Terminal [XUTTEST]. If that works, then you are good to go.		The next menu option to try is <nowiki>Send Test Pattern to Terminal [XUTTEST]</nowiki>. If that works, then you are good to go.

	== Various Troubleshooting Topics -- How Fun! ==		== Various Troubleshooting Topics -- How Fun! ==

DavidWhitten at 01:34, 12 April 2022

2022-04-12T01:34:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:34, 12 April 2022
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	= Advanced Printing Topics =		= Advanced Printing Topics =
	Authored mainly by Sam Habiel, the printer "sensei."		Authored mainly by [[Sam Habiel]], the printer "sensei."

	__TOC__		__TOC__

DavidWhitten: /* How do Computers Communicate with Printers, Software-wise? */

2016-10-27T18:43:38Z

How do Computers Communicate with Printers, Software-wise?

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:43, 27 October 2016
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	== How do Computers Communicate with Printers, Software-wise? ==		== How do Computers Communicate with Printers, Software-wise? ==
	This is a pretty difficult topic. Cheaper printers only accept binary data that is hardcoded by the computers; typically these printers are only supported on Windows, and thus are named "Winprinters." Higher end printers have a processor on them that can typically interpret PCL5, PCL6, and PS; and possibly PDF. These printers are easily supported in Linux. Commercial label printers (like Zebras) always accept their own programming language.		This is a pretty difficult topic. Cheaper printers only accept binary data that is hardcoded by the computers; typically these printers are only supported on Windows, and thus are named "Winprinters." Higher end printers have a processor on them that can typically interpret PCL5, PCL6, and PS; and possibly PDF. These printers are easily supported in Linux. Commercial label printers (like Zebras) always accept their own programming language (ZPL).

	== VISTA and What It Really Sends ==		== VISTA and What It Really Sends ==

Shabiel: /* Printing PDFs from VISTA */

2016-10-27T01:36:47Z

Printing PDFs from VISTA

@@ Line 255: / Line 255: @@
    OPEN PARAMETERS: (comm="pcl6 -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -SOutputFile=
 /tmp/green-sheet.pdf -")::"pipe"        SUBTYPE: P-HP BARCODER
    TYPE: TERMINAL
 </pre>

Lindamry: /* Advanced Printing Topics */

2016-10-24T23:34:45Z

Advanced Printing Topics

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:34, 24 October 2016
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	__TOC__		__TOC__

	== How do ~~computers communicate~~ with ~~printers~~, ~~software~~-wise? ==		== How do Computers Communicate with Printers, Software-wise? ==
	This is a pretty difficult topic. Cheaper printers only accept binary data that is hardcoded by the computers; typically these printers are only supported on Windows, and thus are named "Winprinters." Higher end printers have a processor on them that can typically interpret PCL5, PCL6, and PS; and possibly PDF. These printers are easily supported in Linux. Commercial label printers (like Zebras) always accept their own programming language.		This is a pretty difficult topic. Cheaper printers only accept binary data that is hardcoded by the computers; typically these printers are only supported on Windows, and thus are named "Winprinters." Higher end printers have a processor on them that can typically interpret PCL5, PCL6, and PS; and possibly PDF. These printers are easily supported in Linux. Commercial label printers (like Zebras) always accept their own programming language.

	== VISTA and ~~what it really sends~~ ==		== VISTA and What It Really Sends ==
	VISTA sends PCL5 to laser printers; or a printer specific language for label printers--most commonly ZPL II for Zebra printers. For laser printers, you need to make sure that your printer supports PCL5. All HP Printers support PCL5, no matter how cheap; other manufacturers only support it on their higher end printers (not too high end--anything that isn't the cheapest printer may support PCL5). If you need to look it up, go to the manufacturer's website and look at the technical specs sheet. The section is typically called "supported emulations," or "supported languages." What VISTA sends is determined by the sub-type defined for the device.		VISTA sends PCL5 to laser printers; or a printer specific language for label printers--most commonly ZPL II for Zebra printers. For laser printers, you need to make sure that your printer supports PCL5. All HP Printers support PCL5, no matter how cheap; other manufacturers only support it on their higher end printers (not too high end--anything that isn't the cheapest printer may support PCL5). If you need to look it up, go to the manufacturer's website and look at the technical specs sheet. The section is typically called "supported emulations," or "supported languages." What VISTA sends is determined by the sub-type defined for the device.

	== Communicating with a ~~printer~~ on the ~~network~~ for the ~~first time~~ ==		== Communicating with a Printer on the Network for the First Time ==
	Nothing prevents you from using a USB printer or even a parallel port printer, but in my experience, nobody uses those interfaces in production anymore.		Nothing prevents you from using a USB printer or even a parallel port printer, but in my experience, nobody uses those interfaces in production anymore.

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	</pre>		</pre>

	== Setting up the ~~printer~~ in the ~~operating system~~ ==		== Setting Up the Printer in the Operating System ==
	After confirming the connection, you need to set up the printer in the operating system. VISTA does NOT need any drivers for the printers to be installed.		After confirming the connection, you need to set up the printer in the operating system. VISTA does NOT need any drivers for the printers to be installed.

	== Setting up a ~~printer~~ in VISTA ==		== Setting Up a Printer in VISTA ==
	See [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer\|this page]].		See [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer\|this page]].

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	The next menu option to try is Send Test Pattern to Terminal [XUTTEST]. If that works, then you are good to go.		The next menu option to try is Send Test Pattern to Terminal [XUTTEST]. If that works, then you are good to go.

	== Various ~~troubleshooting topics~~ -- ~~how fun~~! ==		== Various Troubleshooting Topics -- How Fun! ==
	There are various issues that come up regularly with VISTA.		There are various issues that come up regularly with VISTA.

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	http://www.pclviewer.com/resources/reference/		http://www.pclviewer.com/resources/reference/

	==== Extra ~~pages~~ ====		==== Extra Pages ====
	Extra pages can happen for three different reasons:		Extra pages can happen for three different reasons:

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	* 22 cpi 12 lpi Landscape (228 wide reports)		* 22 cpi 12 lpi Landscape (228 wide reports)

	==== Only a ~~single line prints~~ ====		==== Only a Single Line Prints ====
	You are seeing the staircase effect. See the Staircase section in [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer]].		You are seeing the staircase effect. See the Staircase section in [[Setting_up_a_VISTA_Printer]].

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	Zebras mostly auto calibrate printing on continuous media. Check your Zebra's manual on how to do that for the specific model.		Zebras mostly auto calibrate printing on continuous media. Check your Zebra's manual on how to do that for the specific model.

	==== Label not ~~aligned horizontally~~ ====		==== Label not Aligned Horizontally ====
	Zebras don't auto align to the width. You have to set the print width yourself. They can detect the start of the label though.		Zebras don't auto align to the width. You have to set the print width yourself. They can detect the start of the label though.

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	If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to look carefully at the actual feeding of the label into the zebra printer. Read the manual carefully. I have seen many people "wing it" and do it incorrectly. I have even seen a printer where the left margin guide wasn't used and a rubber band was placed there. After you turn off or restart the printer, it tries to self calibrate.		If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to look carefully at the actual feeding of the label into the zebra printer. Read the manual carefully. I have seen many people "wing it" and do it incorrectly. I have even seen a printer where the left margin guide wasn't used and a rubber band was placed there. After you turn off or restart the printer, it tries to self calibrate.

	==== Label Text is ~~not dark enough~~ ====		==== Label Text is Not Dark Enough ====
	There are two tunable circle things on the top of the print head that can be turned to increase the darkness. Try that. There is also a Zebra setting that can be changed to increase the darkness.		There are two tunable circle things on the top of the print head that can be turned to increase the darkness. Try that. There is also a Zebra setting that can be changed to increase the darkness.

	==== Label ~~gets cut off~~ ====		==== Label Gets Cut Off ====
	If the label gets cut off on the right hand side of the label, check your print width (see 'Label not aligned horizontally'), and if that's not the issue, check the position of the ribbon vis a vis the labels. The printer may be trying to print, but there is no ribbon at the place it's trying to print. If it is getting cut off from the left side, check that your labels are using the left hand guide and are not colliding with it. If it is getting cut off vertically, you need to calibrate the printer. If it still gets cut off, you need to capture the ZPL II that is sent by VISTA and see 1. that it's formatted correctly and 2. that there isn't too much information to print.		If the label gets cut off on the right hand side of the label, check your print width (see 'Label not aligned horizontally'), and if that's not the issue, check the position of the ribbon vis a vis the labels. The printer may be trying to print, but there is no ribbon at the place it's trying to print. If it is getting cut off from the left side, check that your labels are using the left hand guide and are not colliding with it. If it is getting cut off vertically, you need to calibrate the printer. If it still gets cut off, you need to capture the ZPL II that is sent by VISTA and see 1. that it's formatted correctly and 2. that there isn't too much information to print.

	==== VISTA ~~printed labels~~ are too ~~small~~ ====		==== VISTA Printed Labels are too Small ====
	This means that you bought a Zebra printer with the wrong dpi. You have to return it and buy another one. VISTA wants printers with 202 DPI. If you want to use the new printer, you need to re-write some of the label code.		This means that you bought a Zebra printer with the wrong dpi. You have to return it and buy another one. VISTA wants printers with 202 DPI. If you want to use the new printer, you need to re-write some of the label code.

	=== Advanced ~~troubleshooting~~ ===		=== Advanced Troubleshooting ===
	If you are stuck with a particularly difficult problem, it may be useful to capture the PCL and use a PCL emulator and print to a PDF; or ZPL II and use a Zebra emulator.		If you are stuck with a particularly difficult problem, it may be useful to capture the PCL and use a PCL emulator and print to a PDF; or ZPL II and use a Zebra emulator.

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	</pre>		</pre>

	== Finding the ~~ready status~~ of a ~~print queue~~ ==		== Finding the Ready Status of a Print Queue ==

	On Linux, the lpstat command tells you all the printers and what their status is.		On Linux, the lpstat command tells you all the printers and what their status is.

Lindamry: /* Finding the ready status of a print queue */

2016-10-24T22:45:56Z

Finding the ready status of a print queue

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:45, 24 October 2016
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	TEST-03 accepting requests since Fri 17 Mar 2017 10:03:00 AM EST		TEST-03 accepting requests since Fri 17 Mar 2017 10:03:00 AM EST
	</pre>		</pre>
	OR for a particular printer:		Or for a particular printer:
	<pre>		<pre>
	$ lpstat -p TEST-03		$ lpstat -p TEST-03

Lindamry: /* Typical PCL String */

2016-10-24T22:42:43Z

Typical PCL String

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:42, 24 October 2016
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	* Set Line Carriage mode (CR, CRLF, or LF)		* Set Line Carriage mode (CR, CRLF, or LF)
	* Set Orientation (Portrait or Landscape)		* Set Orientation (Portrait or Landscape)
	* Set Character Set (optional; not needed for US printing; may need to Spanish)		* Set Character Set (optional; not needed for US printing; may need to change for Spanish)
	* Set Margins (optional; but you will probably need it at some point)		* Set Margins (optional; but you will probably need it at some point)
	* Set Font		* Set Font
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	... ; Character Set Omitted		... ; Character Set Omitted
	W *27,"&l4E" ; Top Margin 4 lines		W *27,"&l4E" ; Top Margin 4 lines
	W *27,"&a5L" ; Left ~~Martin~~ 5 columns		W *27,"&a5L" ; Left Margin 5 columns
	W *27,"(s0p12h0s0b4099T" ; Fixed Pitch; 12 cpi, fixed pitch for secondary font, Medium Weight, select courier font.		W *27,"(s0p12h0s0b4099T" ; Fixed Pitch; 12 cpi, fixed pitch for secondary font, Medium Weight, select courier font.
	</pre>		</pre>

Lindamry: /* Various troubleshooting topics -- how fun! */

2016-10-24T22:02:48Z

Various troubleshooting topics -- how fun!

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:02, 24 October 2016
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	== Various troubleshooting topics -- how fun! ==		== Various troubleshooting topics -- how fun! ==
	There are various ~~issue~~ that come up regularly with VISTA.		There are various issues that come up regularly with VISTA.

	=== Laser Printer Issues ===		=== Laser Printer Issues ===
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	Extra pages can happen for three different reasons:		Extra pages can happen for three different reasons:

	* By default, VISTA prints an extra page after each print job. This is for historical reasons; as most of the early printers were dot-matrix. Today, it's recommended ~~to disable~~ this. To disable ~~this~~, you can do it at the device level or the terminal type level. At the device level, set <code>SUPPRESS FORM FEED AT CLOSE</code> to yes. For the terminal type, set <code>CLOSE EXECUTE</code> to <code>S IONOFF="" W $C(27)_"E"</code>		* By default, VISTA prints an extra page after each print job. This is for historical reasons; as most of the early printers were dot-matrix. Today, it's recommended that this be disabled. To disable the extra page, you can do it at the device level or the terminal type level. At the device level, set <code>SUPPRESS FORM FEED AT CLOSE</code> to yes. For the terminal type, set <code>CLOSE EXECUTE</code> to <code>S IONOFF="" W $C(27)_"E"</code>
	* The text doesn't fit the page and spills over to the next page. VISTA printing options must follow the IOSL value (Page Length in Terminal Type or Device--Device overrides Terminal Type). Most of the time this has to do with the fact that the text size for the report is too large; or that the margins are not appropriate. Based on visual inspection, you should decide what to do. The unlikely case is that the VISTA programmer is not obeying IOSL; but that is for you to determine.		* The text doesn't fit the page and spills over to the next page. VISTA printing options must follow the IOSL value (Page Length in Terminal Type or Device--Device overrides Terminal Type). Most of the time this has to do with the fact that the text size for the report is too large; or that the margins are not appropriate. Based on visual inspection, you should decide what to do. The unlikely case is that the VISTA programmer is not obeying IOSL; but that is for you to determine.
	* If both of the above fail, it's likely that VISTA sends a hard coded form feed to the printer. You need to capture the output by capturing the print to a file (use HFS;subtype) and visually examine it in a programming editor.		* If both of the above fail, it's likely that VISTA sends a hard coded form feed to the printer. You need to capture the output by capturing the print to a file (use HFS;subtype) and visually examine it in a programming editor.
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	</pre>		</pre>

	If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to look carefully at the actual feeding of the label into the zebra printer. Read the manual carefully. I have seen many people "wing it" and do it incorrectly. I have even seen a printer where the left margin guide wasn't used and a rubber band was placed there. After you turn off ~~the~~ restart the printer, it tries to self calibrate.		If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to look carefully at the actual feeding of the label into the zebra printer. Read the manual carefully. I have seen many people "wing it" and do it incorrectly. I have even seen a printer where the left margin guide wasn't used and a rubber band was placed there. After you turn off or restart the printer, it tries to self calibrate.

	==== Label Text is not dark enough ====		==== Label Text is not dark enough ====

Lindamry: /* Testing Printers */

2016-10-24T21:47:36Z

Testing Printers

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 24 October 2016
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	To test printers in VISTA after setting it up, there are a few steps you have to go through.		To test printers in VISTA after setting it up, there are a few steps you have to go through.

	If you run this on ~~Cache~~, ~~Cache~~ steals your IO device between prompts. Therefore U IO to D ^%ZISC need to be on a single line.		If you run this on Caché, Caché steals your IO device between prompts. Therefore U IO to D ^%ZISC need to be on a single line. For example,

			<pre>
			U IO W "TEST",!,"TEST",! D ^%ZISC
			</pre>

	Invoke via %ZIS first.		Invoke via %ZIS first.