Kermit 95 Printer Setup and Troubleshooting

• Postscript Printing
• Print Redirection
• Using Windows Print Queues
• Bidirectional Printers
• SET PRINTER Command Summary
• "WinPrinters"
• Troubleshooting

As of: Kermit 95 2.1.3

Kermit 95 supports both host-directed and local text-mode printing for one printer at a time, selected by the SET PRINTER command.

Kermit 95 sends text directly to the printer without any preprocessing or reformatting beyond what might already have been done to it already by the terminal emulator (e.g. character-set translation). So if your printer can't accept plain text, you need to install a standard input/output print filter.

To clarify the preprocessing comment: If you Print-Screen (\Kdump) or use the Windows Print Screen key, the characters are taken "from the screen" and so have already been formatted and possibly translated by the terminal emulator. The same is true for host-directed autoprint, print-screen, or print-line operations. BUT... host-directed transparent print operations redirect all the bytes from the host straight to the printer, including escape sequences and untranslated characters, completely bypassing the screen and terminal emulator.

When configuring a printer you may choose to use its DOS name, such as PRN or LPT1, or its Windows queue name; the choice implies totally different drivers and spooling mechanisms. When printing to a DOS Device name the data may be converted by the underlying printer drivers to the necessary format. When using the Windows Printer Queue mechanism the output from Kermit 95 is treated as raw data and is not altered before being sent to the printer. This means that if you are using a WinPrinter (a printer designed for use with only Microsoft Windows operating systems) you will be unable to print to the printer via the Windows Print Queue method.

It's usually not possible to know which method works with which printer, so in general, try using a Windows Print Queue first; then if that doesn't work, try a DOS Device name.

Postscript Printing

  SET PRINTER /POSTSCRIPT /WIDTH:80 /LENGTH:66

Print Redirection

  SET PRINTER /COMMAND:textps.exe>lpt1
  SET PRINTER /COMMAND:{textps.exe>lpt1}
  SET PRINTER /COMMAND:{ textps.exe > lpt1 }
  SET PRINTER /COMMAND:|textps.exe>lpt1
  SET PRINTER /COMMAND:{| textps.exe > lpt1 }

Note: SET PRINTER /PIPE: is an acceptable synonym for SET PRINTER /COMMAND.

Using Windows Print Queues

  SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE:HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)

  K-95> set printer /windows-queue:? Print Queue, one of the following:
    HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)   IBM_1403   Xerox_9700
  K-95> set printer /windows-queue:HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)
  K-95> set printer /windows:hp                          (Abbreviation OK)
  K-95> set printer /win:H<ESC>P_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)       (Completion works)

Material to be printed is sent to Windows print queues, as it is to any other kind of printer, in "raw" character form, that is, without conversion to PostScript, PCL, rasters, or other format. So if you have (e.g.) a PostScript or PCL printer, the material to be printed must already have been converted to the appropriate format prior to printing; certain host applications (e.g. DEC ALL-IN-1) do this, but others do not. If conversion (e.g. to PostScript) is needed, you can't use a Windows printer; instead, you'll need to use a print-filter and a DOS printer.

Bidirectional Printers

A bidirectional printer works just like an ordinary printer, except that all characters that arrive from the printer port are sent directly to the host, at all times, no matter what the state of the "terminal printer".

Thus, during host-controlled printing operations, K95 becomes a completely transparent bidirectional connection between the printer and the host. Here's a demonstration: plug a terminal into one of your PC's serial ports; make a Telnet connection from K95 to a host computer; set your host terminal type to agree with the terminal on your COM port; set K95's terminal type to VT100 or above; have the host send ESC [ 5 i ("start transparent print"); now conduct a host session on the physical terminal.

In practice, K95's bidirectional printing feature is primarily useful with handheld barcode scanners and similar devices, although it can also be used to allow file transfers from a non-networked computer over the network, or to turn K95 into a reverse terminal server.

SET PRINTER Command Summary

  SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE:
  SET PRINTER /TIMEOUT:300
  SET PRINTER /END-OF-JOB-STRING:\12

1. A dump screen operation (\Kdump, Alt-P by default).

2. All of the material copied to the printer starting with "Printer on" and ending with "Printer off". This includes:

   • Alt-O / Alt-O sequences (\Kprtauto)
   • Host-directed Autoprint sequences (CSI ? 5 i ... CSI ? 4 i)
   • Host-directed Transparent print sequences (CSI 5 i ... CSI 4 i)
   • Host-directed print-line, print-region, print screen.

   See the /TIMEOUT switch for additional information.

3. Mouse printing: whatever mouse action, if any, is assigned to the \Kdump verb, button 1 Ctrl-Shift-Drag by default, which sends the selected area to the printer.

4. Kermit's own PRINT command.

Note: Copy-to-printer operations, of all the kinds in item 2 above, while in progress, can also be terminated using the \Kreset verb, which is assigned to Alt-R by default.

Besides the SET PRINTER command, you can also use the SET TERMINAL PRINTER command to affect how incoming material is printed:

SET TERMINAL PRINT { AUTO, COPY, OFF, USER }

Allows selective control of various types of printing from the Terminal session. AUTO prints a line of text from the terminal screen whenever the cursor is moved off the line. COPY prints every byte received as it is received without interpretation. USER prints every byte after interpretation by the terminal emulator translates character-sets and interprets escape sequences. The default is OFF.

Now here's the SET PRINTER command:

SET PRINTER [ switches ] [ name ]

Selects the named printer for all future print actions: the PRINT command, host-directed transparent or autoprinting, screen dumps, mouse printing, etc. If the name is omitted, then any switches that are given apply to the currently selected printer. If a name is given, the current printer, if any, is closed and the new printer is selected; any options left over from previous SET PRINTER commands continue to apply unless overridden by new options. Access to the named printer is via DOS calls unless the /WINDOWS-QUEUE switch has been included or a Windows print queue name has has been completely specified in the name field. A DOS printer name such as PRN: or LPT1: should end with a colon (:).

/NONE

Include this switch to specify that all printer actions should simply be skipped. Use this, for example, if you have no printer.

/DOS-DEVICE[:name]

Include this to declare a DOS printer and, optionally, to specify its name. You can use any of the following forms:

SET PRINTER /DOS-DEVICE:xxx

Selects xxx as your printer, using DOS access (xxx would typically be PRN, LPT1, etc).

SET PRINTER /DOS-DEVICE /maybe-other-switches xxx

Says that the printer that you will name later in the command ("xxx" in this example) will be a DOS printer.

SET PRINTER /DOS-DEVICE

Redeclares the current printer device to be a DOS device. This works only if the current printer name is a valid DOS device name, such as PRN or LPT1 (or NUL), or else a network printer name.

/WINDOWS-QUEUE[:[queue-name]]

Include this to declare a Windows printer and, optionally, to specify its queue name. If you use /WINDOWS-QUEUE with a colon but without a queue name the default Windows printer queue is used. If you omit the colon too, the command specifies that the currently selected printer is a Windows really a Windows Print Queue. You can type a question mark (?) after the colon (:) to see a list of known queue names. Windows printer queue names must be entered with underscores instead of spaces, for example:

  HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)

You can use the following forms:

SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE:HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)

Selects "HP LaserJet 5L (PCL)" as your printer, using Windows spooling. Note the substitution of spaces by underscores.

SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE HP_LaserJet_5L_(PCL)

Selects "HP LaserJet 5L (PCL)" as your printer, using Windows spooling. Note the substitution of spaces by underscores.

SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE:

Selects the default Windows printer queue.

SET PRINTER /WINDOWS-QUEUE

Redeclares the current printer device to be a Windows printer queue. This works only if the current printer name is a valid print queue name.

/FILE[:name]

Specifies that all printer material is to be appended to the named file, rather than being sent to a printer. If the file does not exist, it is created the first time any material is to be printed. If the colon and the name are omitted, this declares that any previously selected name should be treated as a filename. When supplying a filename, you should include the full pathname in case you change directories later.

/COMMAND[:name]

Specifies that all printer material is to be sent as standard input to the program or command whose name is given. If the colon and the name are omitted, this declares that any previously selected name to be a pipename. The name can begin with "|" to emphasize it's a pipe, but this optional; for example: SET PRINTER /COMMAND:lpr and SET PRINTER /COMMAND:|lpr are equivalent. Synonym: SET PRINTER /PIPE.

If you give a printer name without specifying any of these switches, then:

1. If it matches the name of a Windows print queue exactly, it is assumed to be a Windows print queue;

2. If if starts with "|" it is assumed to be a pipe;

3. Otherwise it is assumed to be a DOS printer name or a filename.

Examples:

  SET PRINTER {HP LaserJet 5L (PCL)}  ; Windows queue
  SET PRINTER PRN                     ; DOS device
  SET PRINTER OOFA.TXT                ; Filename
  SET PRINTER {Name With Spaces.Txt}  ; Filename
  SET PRINTER |lpr                    ; Pipe
  SET PRINTER {| textps > lpt1}       ; Pipe
  SET PRINTER {| lpr -Plaser}         ; Pipe

Note: braces are required if the name contains any spaces.

The next group of switches tells whether the printer is one-way or bidirectional (two-way):

/OUTPUT-ONLY

Include this to declare the printer capable only of receiving material to be printed, but not sending anything back. This is the normal kind of printer, and Kermit's default kind, and is the opposite of /BIDIRECTIONAL.

/BIDIRECTIONAL

Include this to declare the printer bidirectional. This is the opposite of /OUTPUT-ONLY. You can also use this option with serial printers, even if they aren't bidirectional, in case you need to specify speed, flow control, or parity.

The next group applies only to bidirectional and/or serial printers:

/FLOW-CONTROL:{NONE,XON/XOFF,RTS/CTS,KEEP}

Flow control to use with a serial bidirectional printer, default KEEP; i.e. use whatever the Windows driver for the port normally uses.

/PARITY:{NONE,EVEN,ODD,SPACE,MARK}

Parity to use with a serial printer, default NONE; i.e. use 8 data bits and no parity. If you omit the colon and the keyword, NONE is selected.

/SPEED:number

Interface speed, in bits per second, to use with a serial printer, such as 2400, 9600, 19200, etc. Type SET PRINTER /SPEED:? for a list of possible speeds.

The next switch lets you specify the character set used by the printer, in case it is different from the default.

  SET PRINTER LPT3
  SET PRINTER /JOB-HEADER:burst-page.txt
  SET PRINTER /END-OF-JOB:{\13\10\12}
  SET PRINTER /TIMEOUT:30

  set printer xxx

  run copy /b xxx prn

  [D:/kermit/src/] C-Kermit> sh print
  Printer: prn:
   /OUTPUT-ONLY
   /WINDOWS-QUEUE
   /TIMEOUT:0
   /END-OF-JOB-STRING:(none)
   /JOB-HEADER-FILE:(none)

  SET PRINTER /DOS-DEVICE:name

  SET PRINTER name

  PSS ID Number: Q128345
  PSS ID Number: Q132425
  PSS ID Number: Q133152
  PSS ID Number: Q133438
  PSS ID Number: Q135889
  PSS ID Number: Q135890

  http://support.microsoft.com/support