[HECnet] Printing to an LA75 using VMS queues and form definitions

[Mark Wickens]

By default it starts up with DEC compatibility mode on the serial connection and IBM mode on the parallel connection - there is nothing connected to the parallel port.

It seems to honour the top and left margin definition ok, I'm wondering whether the 'control library' associated with the printer needs to be customised.

The alternative would be to use an equivalent of pr, or maybe even a compiled version of pr under OpenVMS. I couldn't find anything that would independently format a listing file under OpenVMS, although obviously some of the compilers do produce listings in a suitable format.

That or install ALLIN1 ;)

Regards, Mark.

On 08/03/11 22:05, Steve Davidson wrote:
Mark,

Does the LA75+ have a compatibility mode setting (usually via dip
switches)?   I seem to remember that it may have a DEC mode and/or an IBM
mode and/or somebody else mode.   This might make a difference... It's
been too long... Oh wait it hasn't been long enough!   Yeah, that's it!

-Steve


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On
Behalf Of Mark Wickens
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 16:59
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: Re: [HECnet] Printing to an LA75 using VMS queues and form
definitions

On 08/03/11 21:51, Steve Davidson wrote:
Mark,

Do you remember how you initially defined the queue?   Hoff is right
about them being a pain.   Printers and backups were the biggest
headaches on VMS at DEC without question.   LAT printers (queues) were
much worse than directly connected ones!   I remember it as being a bit
of a moving target on the best of days.

-Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On
Behalf Of Mark Wickens
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 16:28
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: [HECnet] Printing to an LA75 using VMS queues and form
definitions

Hi guys,

I have printing working to my LA75+ dot matrix printer via a spooled
VMS queue which communicates via LAT with the printer attached to a
DECserver 90L+. Everything is working fine except for two issues:

1. I'd like to be able to print with a form definition which leaves a
margin at the top and bottom of the page. I tried this:

$ DEFINE/FORM LISTING 3
/WIDTH=132/PAGE=66/MARGIN=(TOP=6,BOTTOM=6)/STOCK=DEFAULT/NOWRAP/TRUNCA
TE $ SET QUEUE/DEFAULT=FORM=LISTING LA75$PRINT_ALEPH$

I tried asking Hoff but I think he's sick of my 80's related
questions, his response was entitled:

Classic printing best left to masochistic perfectionists
<http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/766#comment-2424>
(http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/766)

I think I'm almost there, but the printer appears to be ignoring the
bottom margin - I get a top margin fine, and the listing is not
exhibiting 'rolling' ie the content of the output is aligned correctly
on each page.

Anyone got any ideas what I can do? I want to be able to put listings
in vertical binders, and that just doesn't work without both top and
bottom margins being honoured.

Regards, Mark

Oh, I think you might just now expose me as a noob...

I used DCPS to initially define the queue... forgetting that it's a
pointless exercise for this (distinctly non-postscript) printer!

Maybe I need to drop the queues and recreate?

As it stands the queue looks like this:

BUBBLE$$ show queue/full LA75$PRINT_ALEPH$ Terminal queue
LA75$PRINT_ALEPH$, idle, on ALEPH::LTA75:, mounted form DEFAULT
      /BASE_PRIORITY=4 /DEFAULT=(FORM=DEFAULT) Lowercase /OWNER=[SYSTEM]
      /NO_INITIAL_FF /PROTECTION=(S:M,O:D,G:R,W:S)

I deliberately set the LTA75: 'terminal' to /WIDTH=132 and /PAGE=66
which is the page length. The printer starts up in 132 column mode.

Mark.