How to Default an HP IIIsi Printer to PostScript or PCL5 (97812)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft LAN Manager 2.0
- Microsoft LAN Manager 2.1
- Microsoft LAN Manager 2.1a
- Microsoft LAN Manager 2.2
This article was previously published under Q97812 SUMMARY
An HP IIIsi printer that supports PostScript and PCL5 and is hooked
up to a LAN Manager server that also is running LAN Manager Services
for Macintosh sometimes does not complete PostScript printing jobs
for the Mac. This condition can be avoided by "misinforming" OS/2
about the number of configured printers, then adding some code written
by Microsoft to ensure the printer defaults to the correct setting
after each job.
MORE INFORMATION
The HP IIIsi driver used by Windows 3.1 workstations resets the
printer to the appropriate mode (PCL or PostScript) before beginning a
print. Some MS-DOS applications do this, too. But not all
clients--even when using the Windows 3.1 IIIsi driver--switch the
printer back to default mode after a job. Windows generates a piece of
code at the end of each job to do this, but it doesn't always work.
This means the printer sometimes is left in PCL mode, so PostScript
jobs sent to it are not printed.
If you try selecting two drivers for one printer (MSNULL and PSCRIPT)
then create a queue for each driver with the usual print separators to
swap things back and forth, the MacPrint service will not initialize
on the NULL (that is, the non-PostScript) driver.
OS/2 does not allow you to define two printers connected to the same
port, but you can "misinform" OS/2 there is only a PostScript printer
attached to LPT1 on the server. This leaves only one network print
queue on the server, so you can connect LPT1 to the print queue and
then define two Windows printers, both connected to LPT1: an HP
LaserJet IIIsi, and an HP LaserJet IIIsi PostScript.
Microsoft has produced two small pieces of HP printer control language
code that serve as page separator for the print queue. One resets the
printer to PostScript between jobs (guaranteeing that PostScript Mac
jobs print in the instance described above), and the other forces a
reset to PCL5. If you want to use page separators, insert the code at
the beginning of the page separator file, but make sure to end it with
a linefeed ONLY. If you use a CR/LF it won't work.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 9/30/2003 |
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| Keywords: | KB97812 kbAudDeveloper |
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