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In article <35.2b41ce0c@wrglex>, l_seibert@wrglex writes...
> 
>I have a problem to use a postscript printer as a postscript printer under VMS.
>The printer is a Brother HL-10PS, it is connected serial with the DECserver200 
>and everything is working fine as long as I use it as a text printer, but as
>soon as I send a postscript file or I connect it to a queue created with DEC's 
>CPS-software, it doesn't print anything. If it is connected to a text queue, 
>the printer tells me IGNORE DATA. If it is connected to a CPS queue, it takes
>sometime and then the queue is stalled.
> 

The CPS software inquires from the printer as to what kind of printer it is.
If its not recognized, it assumes DEC LN03R (Scriptprinter), and utilizes 
vendor and model specific knowledge in communicating to the "LN03R".  Of
course, if its not an LN03R, that's likely not to work.  DEC is comming out
with a new software package which might expand into knowlegde of non-DEC
printers, but I haven't seen any promises as to what will be supported.

Various third party vendors offer solutions to these problems, I don't have the
names of the top of my head, but your Brother and/or DEC salesmen might
actualy know.

Connecting the printer in Poscript mode to a text queue isn't likely to work
unless you find another way to add the necessary handshaking and Postscript
commands to your printouts prior to queueing them, which brings you back to 
needing software.  Typically text queues are one-way communications (except for
flow control via XON/XOFF or modem signals), but often Postscript does a bit
of two way (like CPS's inquiring what kind of printer).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Koehler                     |   Any illusion to these opinions being other
rkoehler@author.gsfc.nasa.gov   |   than just mine alone is just that.

 " Life is life, and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die. "
                         - Blixie

In article <35.2b41ce0c@wrglex>, l_seibert@wrglex writes:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a problem to use a postscript printer as a postscript printer under VMS.
> The printer is a Brother HL-10PS, it is connected serial with the DECserver200 
> and everything is working fine as long as I use it as a text printer, but as
> soon as I send a postscript file or I connect it to a queue created with DEC's 
> CPS-software, it doesn't print anything. If it is connected to a text queue, 
> the printer tells me IGNORE DATA. If it is connected to a CPS queue, it takes
> sometime and then the queue is stalled.
> 
> 
> Any help or idea, how to solve this problem is appreciated.
> 
> Happy New Year
> 
> Lars
> 
> --
> Lars Seibert                          UUCP  : ...!drilex!wrglex!katec!l_seibert
> System Manager                        phone : +49 6181 9404-69
> TEC Systems KATEC/GRACE GmbH          fax   : +49 6181 46646
-- 
Lars,
 
Without seeing the actual hardware, it is difficult to be sure, 
but the symptoms you describe seem to indicate a communications 
problem. For starters, I would get a copy of a PostScript 
exception handler (If you want, I can send you a copy of the one 
that I use, it is in the public domain). You may also be seeing a 
problem with flow control and character settings between the 
printer and the terminal server.
 
I hope that the above is helpful. If I have been unclear, or if I 
can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me by 
email or phone.
 
- Bob
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Robert "Bob" Gezelter                       E-Mail:  gezelter@rlgsc.com  |
| Robert Gezelter Software Consultant         Voice:   +1 718 463 1079     |
| 35-20 167th Street, Suite 215               Fax:       (on Request)      |
| Flushing, New York  11358-1731                                           |
| United States of America                                                 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

In article <31DEC199209514502@author.gsfc.nasa.gov>, rkoehler@author.gsfc.nasa.gov (Bob Koehler) writes:
>In article <35.2b41ce0c@wrglex>, l_seibert@wrglex writes...
>> 
>>I have a problem to use a postscript printer as a postscript printer under VMS.
>>The printer is a Brother HL-10PS, it is connected serial with the DECserver200 
>>and everything is working fine as long as I use it as a text printer, but as
>>soon as I send a postscript file or I connect it to a queue created with DEC's 
>>CPS-software, it doesn't print anything. If it is connected to a text queue, 
>>the printer tells me IGNORE DATA. If it is connected to a CPS queue, it takes
>>sometime and then the queue is stalled.
>
>The CPS software inquires from the printer as to what kind of printer it is.
>If its not recognized, it assumes DEC LN03R (Scriptprinter), and utilizes 
>vendor and model specific knowledge in communicating to the "LN03R".  Of
>course, if its not an LN03R, that's likely not to work.  

Ah, but if you have no genuine LN03R printers in your system then try to 
replace the module LPS$$LN03R_INITPSDEVICE in SYS$LIBRARY:CPS$DEVCTL.TLB
with the following:

% Copyright 1988, 1989, Digital
% V2.1-2a
% Modified for non-LN03R printers (papersize and papertray stuff removed)
statusdict begin/returnstatus{(%%[ ReturnStatus: )print(0123456789)cvs
print counttomark{counttomark -1 roll( ")print print(")print}repeat
pop( ]%%\n)print flush} end

Extract these 6 lines to the file LPS$$LN03R_INITPSDEVICE.TXT and do a 
library/text/replace on the device control library.  Happy printing!

CAVEAT: You may run into problems if you also have LN03R printers! In that
        case you can create a module with the missing stuff and send that
	as a SETUP to your genuine LN03R printers (include that as part of
	the queue definitions in the CPS startup file).
AND:	Whatever you do, make a copy of the original .TLB file before you
	start playing...

Cheers


Bernhard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Bernhard Fabricius              |
Academic VAX/VMS Support           |  "I am a Bear of Very Little Brain,
Department of Nuclear Physics      |           and long words Bother me."
Australian National University     |
                                   |                           - A.A. Milne
InterNet: BEAR@NUC.ANU.EDU.AU      |
    POSTMASTER@NUC.ANU.EDU.AU      |

In article <31DEC199209514502@author.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
rkoehler@author.gsfc.nasa.gov (Bob Koehler) writes:
>The CPS software inquires from the printer as to what kind of printer it is.
>If its not recognized, it assumes DEC LN03R (Scriptprinter), and utilizes 
>vendor and model specific knowledge in communicating to the "LN03R".  Of
>course, if its not an LN03R, that's likely not to work.  

I always wondered how DEC managed to not support a standard Postscript printer.
Thanks for the info. If they weren't trying to lock you into their own printers,
of course, they'd assume a standard Postscript printer if they didn't recognize
what they got back. Assuming an LN03R is ludicrous, since that is one they WOULD
recognize! I wonder what marketting guru thought of that little ploy.

>DEC is comming out
>with a new software package which might expand into knowlegde of non-DEC
>printers, but I haven't seen any promises as to what will be supported.

I just got a blurb on it from the Digital Reference Service, but I threw it out
after looking it over and not seeing my printer on the list. Only a very few
non-DEC printers are supported. One is the LaserWriter series, which I believe
requires custom setup. If any of the others are relatively normal beasts, it
might be that the new software _could_ support them, but if it continues to
check for specific supported printers and assumes everything else is something
they know it isn't, then it won't work any better than the current stuff. Cute,
huh?

BTW, it would almost certainly be possible, with a sufficient knowlege of
Postscript, to program your printer to lie about what it is. Of course, one must
first get that program on to the printer, but once loaded, it could be made to
survive until the next power cycle. If the printer has a hard disk, it might
even be possible to make the change permanent. That way, if any supported
printers are reasonably compatible with yours, you could fake out the software.

I've always thought it was stupid how DEC will go to great lengths not to
support something not on their list, when letting it work would be easier (modem
support for DSNlink springs immediately to mind). Account control is the only
possible motivation for this.

>Various third party vendors offer solutions to these problems, I don't have
>the
>names of the top of my head, but your Brother and/or DEC salesmen might
>actualy know.

I use a Data Products Postscript laser printer. The software I use instead of
DEC's stuff is ScriptServer by GrayMatter software - +1.206.281.8800. Their
licensing policies are a bit stupid for small clusters of small machines, but
the software itself is fine. Not having used DEC's software, I can't compare
them, but I'm happy with ScriptServer. I believe there is also free software
available from DECUS, but I haven't used it either, and don't know the name of
it. I'm unaware of any other products, but they're probably out there.
--
Terry Poot <tp@mccall.com>                   The McCall Pattern Company
(uucp: ...!rutgers!depot!mccall!tp)          615 McCall Road
(800)255-2762, in KS (913)776-4041           Manhattan, KS 66502, USA