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

[Steve Davidson]

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.