RE: using printer stapler in pcl6

[Chris Bipes <chris.bipes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I briefly demo a product call Savin OMS, (Output Management Solutions for
the AS/400).  This took your AS400 Spool file and created an ASCII PCL6
spool file.  This worked with the Savin digital copier/printer.  It includes
such features as Stapling and hole punch.  Other features include PDF
generation and e-mail of reports.  This package was around $11,000 US$.  Out
of my budget so it was a brief demo.  The library on the AS400 is FMG and
the copyright is  elite Document Solutions, Inc. My demo has expired but did
give me the following contact info:


      FORMation mg
  15540 Rockfield Blvd
        Suite A
    Irvine, CA 92618

  Voice (800) 693-3933
  Fax   (714) 598-8899

Try it and let us know if this works for you.

Christopher K. Bipes      mailto:Chris.Bipes@Cross-Check.com
Operations & Network Mgr  mailto:Chris_Bipes@Yahoo.com
CrossCheck, Inc.          http://www.cross-check.com
6119 State Farm Drive     Phone: 707 586-0551 x 1102
Rohnert Park CA  94928    Fax: 707 586-1884


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Tykodi [mailto:paul@intermate-us.com]

In the case of PCL compatible printers, the OS/400 based Host Print
Transform function was created by IBM to handle the creation of properly
formatted ASCII spool files that included the necessary PCL commands
required to format the pages of a report correctly for printing by a PCL
compatible printer.

It was assumed that PJL commands would be handled by a different lower level
driver functionality that could be developed by printer manufacturers who
read the OS/400 print API's. Unfortunately, there has been little interest
shown by printer manufacturers to date in performing the driver construction
task for OS/400 so that the only PJL driver that exists today is the one
authored by IBM known as *HPPJLDRV. This driver will insert the necessary
UEL commands at the beginning and at the end of each spool file to show the
target printer the spool file boundaries but it offers no capability to be
customized to send other PJL commands that might be required by a particular
printer to activate a certain feature.

This typically leaves an iSeries or AS/400 end user with the following
options:

1. The *HPPJLDRV driver expects the target printer to support bi-directional
PJL command - response conversational capabilities. Many of the digital
copier/printer products currently being sold in the marketplace do not yet
offer this facility. If the copier/printer in question does support this
function, you can try to activate the required finishing option through a
front panel setup of the copier/printer along with a *LAN configuration
(using the *HPPJLDRV driver) on the IBM host. This option is limited and
often doesn't work well when the printer is being shared across multiple
hosts.

2. You can investigate using Client Access or a third party printing
emulation package. In this scenario, you do not always activate the OS/400
based host print transform feature. Client Access and a number of third
party packages support the TN5250E transport protocol. They appear to the
IBM host as typical 3812 model 1 system printers capable of receiving an
EBCDIC data stream directly. In an operating system environment (frequently
Windows) that offers a pre-built print driver for the target copier/printer,
it is possible to bring the EBCDIC data into the host sponsoring the TN5250E
printer client software and then convert the incoming data from EBCDIC to
ASCII and pass the result to a print driver for final formatting and
delivery to the target printer. Under this scenario, all of the
pre-requisite PJL commands will be sent to the target printer at the
appropriate time by the driver selected.