Troubleshooting
Problem
This document provides information on things to check when a printer does not print from the desired drawer or paper tray.
Resolving The Problem
There are several different things to verify when the printer does not print from the desired drawer. The failure could occur because of the attributes of the spooled file, how the printer is configured on the operating system, the settings on the printer, or a hardware problem.
For the purposes of this document, the terms drawer and tray will be used interchangeably. In general, however, the term drawer refers to the source drawer specified in the operating system spooled file, and the term tray refers to the paper tray installed in the printer hardware.
When trying to determine why a spooled file did not print from the desired drawer, there are several things to gather to help determine what could be wrong. The information to gather includes a printer configuration page, the attributes of the spooled file, the printer device description or remote output queue description, and the writer joblog. The joblog may have messages about a specific error that is causing it to fail.
The Printer
For the printer, there are several things that can affect which drawer the printer selects. First, check the printer to determine if there are any messages on the printer panel or flashing lights indicating a problem at the printer. Make sure that the drawer requested has paper in it.
Then, print out a configuration page for the printer to check the following:
Spooled File Attributes
The following parameters in the spooled file attributes can affect drawer selection:
To display the spooled file attributes, use the Work with Spooled Files (WRKSPLF) or Work with Output Queue (WRKOUTQ) command, and then select Option 8 (Attributes). The Work with Spooled File Attr (WRKSPLFA) command can also be used, but that command requires knowing the settings for the Spooled file (FILE), Job name (JOB), and Spooled file number (SPLNBR) parameters.
Page Size
The page size specified in the spooled file attributes can affect which drawer is selected. For example, if the source drawer specified holds legal size paper but the spooled file attributes are for letter size paper, a drawer with letter size paper may be used. The parameters that define a page size are the Length, Width, Lines per Inch (LPI), and Characters per Inch (CPI). To determine the page size, multiply the LPI by the length of the paper and the CPI by the width of the paper.
To print landscape on legal paper (8.5" length x 14" width) with 6 LPI and 15 CPI, the following is calculated:
and the Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) or Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) command uses the following settings:
To print portrait on legal paper (8.5" length x 14" width) with 6 LPI and 15 CPI, the following is calculated:
and the Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) or Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) command uses the following settings:
An alternative is to specify the page size using the number of inches (or centimeters) rather than the number of rows and columns. For landscape the settings would be:
And for portrait the settings would be:
Note: If the page size specified is not recognized as a valid paper size, the system will handle it as if it were letter size paper. For example, if the spooled file attributes are: 51l, 210w, 9 LPI, 15 CPI, then this is not a valid page size because it would indicate a 5.6 inch x 14 inch paper. The system will send down the value for letter size paper instead. This letter size value will override the source drawer setting and will print from the drawer with letter size paper.
List of Standard Paper Sizes
Note: The length and width in inches for the international (A5, A4, A3, B5 and B4) paper sizes, and the length and width in millimeters for the US (Letter, Legal, Executive and Ledger) paper sizes are all approximate.
List of Standard Envelope Sizes
Note: The length and width in inches for the international (B5, C5 and DL) envelope sizes, and the length and width in millimeters for the US (Monarch, Number 0 and Number 10) paper sizes are all approximate.
Page Size Table Based on Paper Size, Orientation, Lines per Inch (LPI) and Characters per Inch (CPI)
The following tables provide the Paper Length (Rows) and Paper Width (Columns) values needed depending on whether the spooled file needs to be printed on Letter size (8.5 x 11 inch) or Legal size (8.5 x 14 inch) paper, in portrait or landscape, at 4, 6, 8, or 9 Lines per Inch (LPI) and at 10, 12, 15, or 20 Characters per Inch (CPI):
Notes:
Form Feed
If the form feed is anything but *AUTOCUT or *DEVD, the Source Drawer is ignored because of the manner that the paper is expected to be fed to the printer. The options for the Form Feed parameter are:
Source Drawer
If the Form Feed parameter in the spooled file attributes has *AUTOCUT, specify a value for the Source Drawer that relates to the drawer to print from. The options are drawer numbers 1 through 255, *E1, or *FORMDF. The value *E1 is used for printing from the envelope tray. If a Form Definition is used to specify a source drawer, use *FORMDF. Specify the Form Definition and the Library it is in.
Note: The number required to select a specific drawer may not be 1 = top drawer, 2 = middle drawer, 3 = next drawer, and so on. Examine the documentation for the printer to determine which drawer number must be specified. If the documentation does not list a drawer number to be used, do some experimenting with drawer numbers or contact the printer manufacturer for the information.
Page Rotation
The Page Rotation parameter can affect output that prints. If the page rotation is *AUTO or *COR, the spooled file might go through the Computer Output Reduction (COR) process. For additional information, refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document New (refer to the link at the end of this document).
If the Page Rotation is 0 or 180, the spooled file will print in a portrait orientation. If the Page Rotation is 90 or 270, the spooled file will print in a landscape orientation.
To ensure that the spooled file is set up to print from a specific drawer, the spooled file attributes should have the Form Feed set to *AUTOCUT, the Source Drawer set to the appropriate number for the drawer requested, the correct Page Size specified for the size of paper that is being printed to, and the Page Rotation set to the value corresponding to the desired print orientation. In some cases, when a default or auxiliary drawer is desired, rather than changing the above parameters, changing the Form Feed to *CUT or *CONT might be a solution.
Printer Configuration on the Operating System
How the printer is configured on the operating system can also affect on how the drawer request is handled.
To generate a printout of the printer device description, run the following Display Device Description (DSPDEVD) command:
DSPDEVD DEVD(printer_device_name) OUTPUT(*PRINT)
To generate a printout of the output queue description, run the following Work with OUTQ Description (WRKOUTQD) command:
WRKOUTQD OUTQ(output_queue_name) OUTPUT(*PRINT)
IPDS Printers
If the printer is configured as an *IPDS, AFP *YES device description, the printer will return information to the operating system about what the printer capabilities are. If the Form Feed and/or Source Drawer is not supported by the printer, an error message is posted in the joblog. If the printer is using a PSF Configuration Object, the Page Size Control parameter does affect the formfeed or the drawer selected, even though it allows the attributes of the spooled file to have more control over how the output appears.
If the printer is configured as an *IPDS, AFP *NO device description, the printer does not send information about the capabilities of the printer to the operating system. It does send information about the Device Type it emulates. Based on the Device Type information returned by the printer, certain assumptions are made as to the printer's capabilities and the type of paper it has. Some of these assumptions are:
SCS Printers
Printers that are configured as Device Class *LCL or *RMT with a Device Type of something other than *IPDS and have Host Print Transform (HPT) set to *NO are considered to be SCS printers. These printers use Device Types that are assumed to have *CONT paper feed. The only exceptions to this are the printers configured as Device Type 4214, 4247, 5219, or 3812 that need to have the correct value (*AUTOCUT, *CUT, *CONT, and so on) in the Form Feed parameter of the device description.
ASCII Printers
ASCII printers could be configured as a Device Description or a Remote Output Queue depending upon the attachment method and the hardware capabilities. If the printer is attached to a PC, some type of emulation program (for example, IBM® AS/400® Client Access PC5250) is used. Some of the device descriptions do not need HPT turned on; however, network-attached ASCII printers do need HPT. Host Print Transform is used to transform certain AS/400 datastreams to ASCII.
Some of the Host Print Transform Manufacturer Types and Models do not have the drawer tags or data values for printing from drawer 3 or above. Therefore, a Workstation Customizing Object must be created that includes this information to print from those drawers. This information has already been added for some of the newer Manufacturer Types and Models. If editing the Source for a particular Manufacturer Type and Model, verify if the information is already included with the Drawer tags or at end of the Source before adding it.
In addition, some Manufacturer Types and Models use different drawers for the default drawer (source drawer 1). Some may pull from the manual feed tray while others may pull from tray 1. For example, the Manufacturer Type and Model *HP5si pull from the manual feed tray as the default tray, but the *HP5 pulls from drawer 1. If this happens, try changing the Manufacturer Type and Model.
Note: This document is written with the assumption that the Device Description or Remote Output Queue is using HPT with a Manufacturer Type and Model without a Workstation Customizing Object (WSCST). How a WSCST will handle the spooled file depends upon what it is customized to do. Workstation Customizing Objects are handled under a consulting agreement.
For device descriptions, make sure that the Form Feed is correct for the type of printer being used. If it is not correct, the Source Drawer parameter may be ignored, and Host Print Transform may cause the output to print differently than expected. The parameters for Paper Source 1 and Paper Source 2 can also affect on the drawer. Therefore, verify they have the correct paper size specified. If the value in the parameter does not match what the printer has in the drawer, another drawer with the paper size specified in the spooled file attributes may be used, or the printer may prompt to load the correct paper size in the drawer.
For Client Access PC5250 printer sessions, ensure that when using Host Print Transform, that the Printer Model (manufacturer type and model), Drawer 1, and Drawer 2 are correct. The parameters Drawer 1 and Drawer 2 correspond to the Paper Source 1 and Paper Source 2 parameters mentioned above. The Form Feed is automatically set to *AUTOCUT in the device description. For Client Access PC5250 printer sessions, there are two other options for transforming the spooled file than using HPT. Those options are to use a PDT or the Microsoft® Windows® driver.
A Printer Definition Table (PDT) will transform the spooled file to an ASCII file. It works along the same lines as HPT because it uses similar types of control strings and hex values to control the drawers other than that the transformation is done at the PC. There are not many PDTs. Therefore, most printers will not have one available to use. If the PDT does not print to the drawer correctly, it is possible to modify it.
Note: Not all parameters in a PDT are used for all printers. There is little documentation on customizing a PDT for drawer selection. Therefore, using an HPT Workstation Customizing Object might be preferable. Customizing a PDT is handled under a consulting agreement.
If the Windows driver is used, then the printer is controlling which drawer is used. There is no way to control this using the spooled file attributes or by changing the settings in the Windows driver.
Remote Output Queues do not have the parameters for Form Feed, Paper Source 1, or Paper Source 2. If the spooled file attributes has Form Feed *DEVD, the Manufacturer Type and Model in the Remote Output Queue will be used to determine the formfeed. Refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document New for information on the default form sizes used by various manufacturer types and models. To link to the document, go to the bottom of this document.
Other Issues
The Application
The application can also affect the drawer selected if it is sending something in the datastream that would override the drawer; for example, specifying cut sheet or continuous sheet feed or that it is letter size paper, and so on. If the spooled file is created as a *USERASCII spooled file, the operating system does not transform it, and it will just pass it through. Therefore, the application will need to have all specific data put into the datastream.
Printing Envelopes
Envelopes can be printed from the manual feed tray by specifying in the spooled file attributes the Form Feed of *CUT or from the automatic envelope feed by specifying the Form Feed of *AUTOCUT with Source Drawer *E1.
Tracing
If printing from the correct drawer still fails after these things have been checked, a trace helps to narrow down what is being sent to the printer and may point to what is causing the problem. Contact Support Line for assistance.
For More Information (Additional References)
Printer Hardware and Host Print Transform (HPT)
Computer Output Reduction (COR) Considerations
Drawer Selection when using Host Print Transform (HPT)
Drawer Selection when using a Printer Definition Table (PDT) File for PC5250 Printer Sessions
For the purposes of this document, the terms drawer and tray will be used interchangeably. In general, however, the term drawer refers to the source drawer specified in the operating system spooled file, and the term tray refers to the paper tray installed in the printer hardware.
When trying to determine why a spooled file did not print from the desired drawer, there are several things to gather to help determine what could be wrong. The information to gather includes a printer configuration page, the attributes of the spooled file, the printer device description or remote output queue description, and the writer joblog. The joblog may have messages about a specific error that is causing it to fail.
The Printer
For the printer, there are several things that can affect which drawer the printer selects. First, check the printer to determine if there are any messages on the printer panel or flashing lights indicating a problem at the printer. Make sure that the drawer requested has paper in it.
Then, print out a configuration page for the printer to check the following:
| o | Is the printer reporting that the drawer is installed? If the printer does not report that the drawer is installed, this prevents the printer from selecting that drawer. This is a hardware problem with the printer. |
| o | Is the printer reporting the correct paper size (legal, letter, and so on) in the drawer? If the printer reports the wrong paper size in the drawer, it could cause the printer to select a different drawer. Try reseating the paper in the drawer, or check for a hardware problem. |
| o | Is the printer reporting a paper type of PLAIN in the drawer? Many printer models have the ability to set a paper type, such as PLAIN, LETTERHEAD, PREPRINTED and so on. Host Print Transform (HPT) does not specify a paper type, unless a modified Workstation Customizing Object (WSCST) has been created to request a particular paper type, so by default HPT will only print to a drawer that is setup for PLAIN paper. If the preferred paper tray has been assigned a specific paper type, then the printer will most likely choose a different drawer or issue a message to load PLAIN paper in the desired paper tray. |
| o | Is tray re-numbering turned on? If the printer has tray re-numbering turned on, what is the drawer number set to? This could affect what drawer number is used in the Source Drawer parameter of the spooled file attributes. |
| o | Is tray linking or tray switching turned on? Tray linking, or tray switching, is the function that allows paper to be automatically pulled from another drawer when the current drawer runs out of paper. For some printers, when tray linking is turned on, the printer is not able to select a specific drawer to print from because it sees all the drawers as one drawer. In this case, disabling the tray linking allows printing from specific drawers. |
Spooled File Attributes
The following parameters in the spooled file attributes can affect drawer selection:
| o | The Page size (PAGESIZE) parameter, which includes the Page length, Page width, and Measurement method. |
| o | The Lines per Inch (LPI) parameter. |
| o | The Characters per Inch (CPI) parameter. |
| o | The Source drawer (DRAWER) parameter. |
| o | The Font identifier (FONT) parameter. |
| o | The Form feed (FORMFEED) parameter. |
| o | The Degree of page rotation (PAGRTT) parameter. |
Page Size
The page size specified in the spooled file attributes can affect which drawer is selected. For example, if the source drawer specified holds legal size paper but the spooled file attributes are for letter size paper, a drawer with letter size paper may be used. The parameters that define a page size are the Length, Width, Lines per Inch (LPI), and Characters per Inch (CPI). To determine the page size, multiply the LPI by the length of the paper and the CPI by the width of the paper.
To print landscape on legal paper (8.5" length x 14" width) with 6 LPI and 15 CPI, the following is calculated:
| 6 LPI x 8.5 inch paper (length) = 51 lines long 15 CPI x 14 inch paper (width) = 210 characters wide |
and the Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) or Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) command uses the following settings:
| PAGESIZE(51 210 *ROWCOL) LPI(6) CPI(15) PAGRTT(90) or PAGRTT(270) |
To print portrait on legal paper (8.5" length x 14" width) with 6 LPI and 15 CPI, the following is calculated:
| 6 LPI x 14 inch paper (length) = 84 lines long 15 CPI x 8.5 inch paper (width) = 127.5 characters wide |
and the Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) or Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) command uses the following settings:
| PAGESIZE(84 127 *ROWCOL) LPI(6) CPI(15) PAGRTT(0) or PAGRTT(180) |
An alternative is to specify the page size using the number of inches (or centimeters) rather than the number of rows and columns. For landscape the settings would be:
| PAGESIZE(8.5 14 *UOM) LPI(6) CPI(15) PAGRTT(90) or PAGRTT(270) UOM(*INCH) |
And for portrait the settings would be:
| PAGESIZE(14 8.5 *UOM) LPI(6) CPI(15) PAGRTT(0) or PAGRTT(180) UOM(*INCH) |
Note: If the page size specified is not recognized as a valid paper size, the system will handle it as if it were letter size paper. For example, if the spooled file attributes are: 51l, 210w, 9 LPI, 15 CPI, then this is not a valid page size because it would indicate a 5.6 inch x 14 inch paper. The system will send down the value for letter size paper instead. This letter size value will override the source drawer setting and will print from the drawer with letter size paper.
List of Standard Paper Sizes
| Paper Size |
Length and Width
(in inches) |
Length and Width
(in millimeters) |
Page Length (PAGLEN)
(in 1440ths of an inch) |
Page Width (PAGWTH)
(in 1440ths of an inch) |
| A5 |
5.83 x 8.3 inches
|
148mm x 210mm
|
8352
|
11952
|
| A4 |
8.3 x 11.7 inches
|
210mm x 297mm
|
11952
|
16848
|
| A3 |
11.7 x 16.5 inches
|
297mm x 420mm
|
16838
|
23811
|
| B5 |
7.2 x 10.1 inches
|
176mm x 250mm
|
10368
|
14544
|
| B4 |
10.1 x 14.3 inches
|
250mm x 353mm
|
14570
|
20636
|
| LETTER |
8.5 x 11.0 inches
|
215mm x 278mm
|
12240
|
15840
|
| LEGAL |
8.5 x 14.0 inches
|
215mm x 355mm
|
12240
|
20160
|
| EXECUTIVE |
7.25 x 10.5 inches
|
184mm x 266mm
|
10440
|
15120
|
| LEDGER |
11.0 x 17.0 inches
|
278mm x 430mm
|
15840
|
24480
|
Note: The length and width in inches for the international (A5, A4, A3, B5 and B4) paper sizes, and the length and width in millimeters for the US (Letter, Legal, Executive and Ledger) paper sizes are all approximate.
List of Standard Envelope Sizes
| Paper Size |
Length and Width
(in inches) |
Length and Width
(in millimeters) |
Page Length (PAGLEN)
(in 1440ths of an inch) |
Page Width (PAGWTH)
(in 1440ths of an inch) |
| B5 |
7.2 x 10.1 inches
|
176mm x 250mm
|
10368
|
14544
|
| C5 |
6.3 x 9.0 inches
|
162mm x 229mm
|
9184
|
12983
|
| DL |
8.5 x 11.0 inches
|
110mm x 220mm
|
6236
|
12472
|
| Monarch |
3.875 x 7.5 inches
|
99mm x 192mm
|
5580
|
10800
|
| Number 9 |
3.875 x 8.875 inches
|
99mm x 227mm
|
5580
|
12780
|
| Number 10 |
4.125 x 9.5 inches
|
106mm x 243mm
|
5940
|
13680
|
Note: The length and width in inches for the international (B5, C5 and DL) envelope sizes, and the length and width in millimeters for the US (Monarch, Number 0 and Number 10) paper sizes are all approximate.
Page Size Table Based on Paper Size, Orientation, Lines per Inch (LPI) and Characters per Inch (CPI)
The following tables provide the Paper Length (Rows) and Paper Width (Columns) values needed depending on whether the spooled file needs to be printed on Letter size (8.5 x 11 inch) or Legal size (8.5 x 14 inch) paper, in portrait or landscape, at 4, 6, 8, or 9 Lines per Inch (LPI) and at 10, 12, 15, or 20 Characters per Inch (CPI):
| Paper Size | Orientation |
Lines per Inch (LPI)
|
Paper Length (Rows)
|
Characters per Inch (CPI)
|
Paper Width (Columns)
|
| A5 sized (148mm x 210mm or 5.83 x 8.3 inch) |
Portrait (148 x 210) |
4
|
33
|
10
|
58
|
|
6
|
49
|
12
|
70
|
||
|
8
|
66
|
15
|
87
|
||
|
9
|
74
|
20
|
117
|
||
| Landscape (210 x 148) |
4
|
23
|
10
|
83
|
|
|
6
|
35
|
12
|
99
|
||
|
8
|
46
|
15
|
124
|
||
|
9
|
52
|
20
|
166
|
||
| A4 sized (210mm x 297mm or 8.3 x 11.7 inch) |
Portrait (210 x 297) |
4
|
46
|
10
|
83
|
|
6
|
70
|
12
|
99
|
||
|
8
|
93
|
15
|
124
|
||
|
9
|
105
|
20
|
166
|
||
| Landscape (297 x 210) |
4
|
33
|
10
|
117
|
|
|
6
|
49
|
12
|
140
|
||
|
8
|
66
|
15
|
175
|
||
|
9
|
74
|
20
|
234
|
||
| A3 sized (297mm x 420mm or 11.7 x 16.5 inch) |
Portrait (297 x 420) |
4
|
66
|
10
|
117
|
|
6
|
99
|
12
|
140
|
||
|
8
|
132
|
15
|
175
|
||
|
9
|
148
|
20
|
234
|
||
| Landscape (420x 297) |
4
|
46
|
10
|
165
|
|
|
6
|
70
|
12
|
198
|
||
|
8
|
93
|
15
|
247
|
||
|
9
|
105
|
20
|
330
|
||
| B5 sized (176mm x 250mm or 7.2 x 10.1 inch) |
Portrait (176 x 250) |
4
|
40
|
10
|
72
|
|
6
|
60
|
12
|
86
|
||
|
8
|
80
|
15
|
108
|
||
|
9
|
90
|
20
|
144
|
||
| Landscape (250 x 176) |
4
|
28
|
10
|
101
|
|
|
6
|
43
|
12
|
121
|
||
|
8
|
57
|
15
|
151
|
||
|
9
|
64
|
20
|
202
|
||
| B4 sized (250mm x 353mm or 10.1 x 14.3 inch) |
Portrait (250 x 353) |
4
|
57
|
10
|
101
|
|
6
|
85
|
12
|
121
|
||
|
8
|
114
|
15
|
151
|
||
|
9
|
128
|
20
|
202
|
||
| Landscape (353 x 250) |
4
|
40
|
10
|
143
|
|
|
6
|
60
|
12
|
171
|
||
|
8
|
80
|
15
|
214
|
||
|
9
|
90
|
20
|
286
|
| Paper Size | Orientation |
Lines per Inch (LPI)
|
Paper Length (Rows)
|
Characters per Inch (CPI)
|
Paper Width (Columns)
|
| Letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) |
Portrait (8.5 x 11) |
4
|
44
|
10
|
85
|
|
6
|
66
|
12
|
102
|
||
|
8
|
88
|
15
|
127
|
||
|
9
|
99
|
20
|
170
|
||
| Landscape (11 x 8.5) |
4
|
34
|
10
|
110
|
|
|
6
|
51
|
12
|
132
|
||
|
8
|
68
|
15
|
165
|
||
|
9
|
76
|
20
|
220
|
||
| Legal sized (8.5 x 14 inch) |
Portrait (8.5 x 14) |
4
|
56
|
10
|
85
|
|
6
|
84
|
12
|
102
|
||
|
8
|
112
|
15
|
127
|
||
|
9
|
126
|
20
|
170
|
||
| Landscape (14 x 8.5) |
4
|
34
|
10
|
140
|
|
|
6
|
51
|
12
|
168
|
||
|
8
|
68
|
15
|
210
|
||
|
9
|
76
|
20
|
280
|
||
| Executive sized (7.25 x 10.5 inch) |
Portrait (7.25 x 10.5) |
4
|
42
|
10
|
72
|
|
6
|
63
|
12
|
87
|
||
|
8
|
84
|
15
|
108
|
||
|
9
|
94
|
20
|
145
|
||
| Landscape (10.5 x 7.25) |
4
|
29
|
10
|
105
|
|
|
6
|
43
|
12
|
126
|
||
|
8
|
58
|
15
|
157
|
||
|
9
|
65
|
20
|
210
|
||
| Ledger sized (11 x 17 inch) |
Portrait (11 x 17) |
4
|
68
|
10
|
110
|
|
6
|
102
|
12
|
132
|
||
|
8
|
136
|
15
|
165
|
||
|
9
|
153
|
20
|
220
|
||
| Landscape (17 x 11) |
4
|
44
|
10
|
170
|
|
|
6
|
66
|
12
|
204
|
||
|
8
|
88
|
15
|
255
|
||
|
9
|
99
|
20
|
340
|
Notes:
| o | The Paper Length (Rows) is calculated by multiplying the paper length (in inches) by the Lines Per Inch (LPI). In some cases, this may not come out to an integer values. For example, when printing on Letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) or Legal sized (8.5 x 14 inch) paper in landscape at 9 Lines Per Inch (LPI) the page length would be 8.5 inches x 9 LPI or 76.5 lines. In these instances, the value in the above tables have been truncated to show the maximum number of rows available. |
| o | The Paper Width (Columns) is calculated by multiplying the paper width (in inches) by the Characters Per Inch (CPI). In some cases, this may not come out to an integer values. For example, when printing on Letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper in portrait at 15 Characters Per Inch (CPI) the page width would be 8.5 inches by 15 CPI or 127.5 columns. In these instances, the value in the above tables have been truncated to show the maximum number of columns available. |
| o | When either the Paper Length (Rows) or the Paper Width (Columns) do not come out to integer values, then it recommended that the Page size (PAGESIZE) parameter be specified as an exact paper size using *UOM, along with the Unit of measure (UOM) parameter, on either the Change Printer File (CHGPRTF) or Override with Printer File (OVRPRTF) command. For example: PAGESIZE(8.5 11.0 *UOM) UOM(*INCH) for Letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper in portrait PAGESIZE(11.0 8.5 *UOM) UOM(*INCH) for Letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper in landscape PAGESIZE(21.0 29.7 *UOM) UOM(*CM) for A4 sized 210mm x 297mm (8.3 x 11.7 inch) paper in portrait PAGESIZE(29.7 21.0 *UOM) UOM(*CM) for A4 sized 210mm x 297mm (8.3 x 11.7 inch) paper in landscape |
| o | Due to the unprintable border on most laser printers, spooled files will typically be unable to print on all lines or all columns specified in the Page size (PAGESIZE) parameter. For example, when printing on Letter size (8.5 x 11 inch) paper in portrait at 6 LPI and 10 CPI, the page size would be 66 rows x 85 columns, but the printer does not allow the spooled file to print on top and bottom few rows and will have an 80-column print line rather than an 85-column print line. |
Form Feed
If the form feed is anything but *AUTOCUT or *DEVD, the Source Drawer is ignored because of the manner that the paper is expected to be fed to the printer. The options for the Form Feed parameter are:
| o | *CUT - indicates that cut forms are manually fed to the printer, so this overrides the Source Drawer parameter. The drawer printed from is expected to be the manual feed or auxiliary tray. |
| o | *CONT - indicates the printer has Continuous forms paper, so it would print from the continuous feed mechanism, or from drawer 1 if there is not a continuous feed mechanism installed. |
| o | *CONT2 - indicates the printer has Continuous forms paper fed from the rear tractor feed attachment. |
| o | *AUTOCUT - indicates that cut paper will be automatically fed to the printer; therefore, the Source Drawer parameter is used. |
| o | *DEVD - the system will look to the Form Feed parameter of the device description. If there is no device description, the Manufacturer Type and Model parameter is used to determine the type of form feed. The Source Drawer parameter may be ignored because of the values of these parameters. |
Source Drawer
If the Form Feed parameter in the spooled file attributes has *AUTOCUT, specify a value for the Source Drawer that relates to the drawer to print from. The options are drawer numbers 1 through 255, *E1, or *FORMDF. The value *E1 is used for printing from the envelope tray. If a Form Definition is used to specify a source drawer, use *FORMDF. Specify the Form Definition and the Library it is in.
Note: The number required to select a specific drawer may not be 1 = top drawer, 2 = middle drawer, 3 = next drawer, and so on. Examine the documentation for the printer to determine which drawer number must be specified. If the documentation does not list a drawer number to be used, do some experimenting with drawer numbers or contact the printer manufacturer for the information.
Page Rotation
The Page Rotation parameter can affect output that prints. If the page rotation is *AUTO or *COR, the spooled file might go through the Computer Output Reduction (COR) process. For additional information, refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document New (refer to the link at the end of this document).
If the Page Rotation is 0 or 180, the spooled file will print in a portrait orientation. If the Page Rotation is 90 or 270, the spooled file will print in a landscape orientation.
To ensure that the spooled file is set up to print from a specific drawer, the spooled file attributes should have the Form Feed set to *AUTOCUT, the Source Drawer set to the appropriate number for the drawer requested, the correct Page Size specified for the size of paper that is being printed to, and the Page Rotation set to the value corresponding to the desired print orientation. In some cases, when a default or auxiliary drawer is desired, rather than changing the above parameters, changing the Form Feed to *CUT or *CONT might be a solution.
Printer Configuration on the Operating System
How the printer is configured on the operating system can also affect on how the drawer request is handled.
To generate a printout of the printer device description, run the following Display Device Description (DSPDEVD) command:
DSPDEVD DEVD(printer_device_name) OUTPUT(*PRINT)
To generate a printout of the output queue description, run the following Work with OUTQ Description (WRKOUTQD) command:
WRKOUTQD OUTQ(output_queue_name) OUTPUT(*PRINT)
IPDS Printers
If the printer is configured as an *IPDS, AFP *YES device description, the printer will return information to the operating system about what the printer capabilities are. If the Form Feed and/or Source Drawer is not supported by the printer, an error message is posted in the joblog. If the printer is using a PSF Configuration Object, the Page Size Control parameter does affect the formfeed or the drawer selected, even though it allows the attributes of the spooled file to have more control over how the output appears.
If the printer is configured as an *IPDS, AFP *NO device description, the printer does not send information about the capabilities of the printer to the operating system. It does send information about the Device Type it emulates. Based on the Device Type information returned by the printer, certain assumptions are made as to the printer's capabilities and the type of paper it has. Some of these assumptions are:
| o | Device Type 4028 is recognized as having *AUTOCUT and *CUT but no *CONT. It is also the only one recognized as having an envelope feed. |
| o | Device Type 3812 is recognized as having only *AUTOCUT paper feed. |
| o | Device Type 4224, 4230, or 4247 can be *CONT, *CUT or *AUTOCUT. Therefore, the spooled file attributes must specify the correct value in the Form Feed parameter. Refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document N1010236 for additional information about the 4247 printer. To link to the document, go to the bottom of this document. |
SCS Printers
Printers that are configured as Device Class *LCL or *RMT with a Device Type of something other than *IPDS and have Host Print Transform (HPT) set to *NO are considered to be SCS printers. These printers use Device Types that are assumed to have *CONT paper feed. The only exceptions to this are the printers configured as Device Type 4214, 4247, 5219, or 3812 that need to have the correct value (*AUTOCUT, *CUT, *CONT, and so on) in the Form Feed parameter of the device description.
ASCII Printers
ASCII printers could be configured as a Device Description or a Remote Output Queue depending upon the attachment method and the hardware capabilities. If the printer is attached to a PC, some type of emulation program (for example, IBM® AS/400® Client Access PC5250) is used. Some of the device descriptions do not need HPT turned on; however, network-attached ASCII printers do need HPT. Host Print Transform is used to transform certain AS/400 datastreams to ASCII.
Some of the Host Print Transform Manufacturer Types and Models do not have the drawer tags or data values for printing from drawer 3 or above. Therefore, a Workstation Customizing Object must be created that includes this information to print from those drawers. This information has already been added for some of the newer Manufacturer Types and Models. If editing the Source for a particular Manufacturer Type and Model, verify if the information is already included with the Drawer tags or at end of the Source before adding it.
In addition, some Manufacturer Types and Models use different drawers for the default drawer (source drawer 1). Some may pull from the manual feed tray while others may pull from tray 1. For example, the Manufacturer Type and Model *HP5si pull from the manual feed tray as the default tray, but the *HP5 pulls from drawer 1. If this happens, try changing the Manufacturer Type and Model.
Note: This document is written with the assumption that the Device Description or Remote Output Queue is using HPT with a Manufacturer Type and Model without a Workstation Customizing Object (WSCST). How a WSCST will handle the spooled file depends upon what it is customized to do. Workstation Customizing Objects are handled under a consulting agreement.
For device descriptions, make sure that the Form Feed is correct for the type of printer being used. If it is not correct, the Source Drawer parameter may be ignored, and Host Print Transform may cause the output to print differently than expected. The parameters for Paper Source 1 and Paper Source 2 can also affect on the drawer. Therefore, verify they have the correct paper size specified. If the value in the parameter does not match what the printer has in the drawer, another drawer with the paper size specified in the spooled file attributes may be used, or the printer may prompt to load the correct paper size in the drawer.
For Client Access PC5250 printer sessions, ensure that when using Host Print Transform, that the Printer Model (manufacturer type and model), Drawer 1, and Drawer 2 are correct. The parameters Drawer 1 and Drawer 2 correspond to the Paper Source 1 and Paper Source 2 parameters mentioned above. The Form Feed is automatically set to *AUTOCUT in the device description. For Client Access PC5250 printer sessions, there are two other options for transforming the spooled file than using HPT. Those options are to use a PDT or the Microsoft® Windows® driver.
A Printer Definition Table (PDT) will transform the spooled file to an ASCII file. It works along the same lines as HPT because it uses similar types of control strings and hex values to control the drawers other than that the transformation is done at the PC. There are not many PDTs. Therefore, most printers will not have one available to use. If the PDT does not print to the drawer correctly, it is possible to modify it.
Note: Not all parameters in a PDT are used for all printers. There is little documentation on customizing a PDT for drawer selection. Therefore, using an HPT Workstation Customizing Object might be preferable. Customizing a PDT is handled under a consulting agreement.
If the Windows driver is used, then the printer is controlling which drawer is used. There is no way to control this using the spooled file attributes or by changing the settings in the Windows driver.
Remote Output Queues do not have the parameters for Form Feed, Paper Source 1, or Paper Source 2. If the spooled file attributes has Form Feed *DEVD, the Manufacturer Type and Model in the Remote Output Queue will be used to determine the formfeed. Refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document New for information on the default form sizes used by various manufacturer types and models. To link to the document, go to the bottom of this document.
Other Issues
The Application
The application can also affect the drawer selected if it is sending something in the datastream that would override the drawer; for example, specifying cut sheet or continuous sheet feed or that it is letter size paper, and so on. If the spooled file is created as a *USERASCII spooled file, the operating system does not transform it, and it will just pass it through. Therefore, the application will need to have all specific data put into the datastream.
Printing Envelopes
Envelopes can be printed from the manual feed tray by specifying in the spooled file attributes the Form Feed of *CUT or from the automatic envelope feed by specifying the Form Feed of *AUTOCUT with Source Drawer *E1.
Tracing
If printing from the correct drawer still fails after these things have been checked, a trace helps to narrow down what is being sent to the printer and may point to what is causing the problem. Contact Support Line for assistance.
For More Information (Additional References)
Printer Hardware and Host Print Transform (HPT)
- Information on Printers from Various Manufacturers
- Printer Model Settings for Host Print Transform (HPT)
Computer Output Reduction (COR) Considerations
Drawer Selection when using Host Print Transform (HPT)
- Instructions for Modifying a Workstation Customizing Object (WSCST)
- Drawer Redirection for HP PCL5 Compatible Printers
- Drawer Redirection for Xerox Document Centre Printers
- Controlling and Troubleshooting Drawer Selection in a WSCST
- Forcing Output to Print from Drawer 2 Using Host Print Transform (HPT)
- Forcing Auto Select for Drawer Selection using Host Print Transform (HPT)
- Handling Pre-Punched Paper When Printing on Both Sides (Duplexing)
- Printing from Envelope Feeder Using Host Print Transform (HPT)
- D/T4247 Three Trays, One Tractor Feed Support
- D/T4247; Multiple Tractor and/or Sheet Feed Support
- Using Host Print Transform (HPT) with a *LAN Device Description
- Using Host Print Transform (HPT) with a Remote Output Queue (RMTOUTQ)
- Using Host Print Transform (HPT) with a *LCL or *RMT Device Description
- Using Host Print Transform (HPT) with a PC5250 Printer Session
- Using Host Print Transform (HPT) with a Third Party Emulation Package
Drawer Selection when using a Printer Definition Table (PDT) File for PC5250 Printer Sessions
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Modified date:
08 January 2021
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