I need printing help!

**Martoch** · July 31st, 2002, 11:15 AM

Hello!

I'm printing from a GSX-190 Citizen using Windows 98.
PRINTER LINK
Here's what I'm trying to figure out...we (US Air Force) are trying to use this printer to print errors that are generated by our voice mail system. We are using tractor paper (you know, that continuous paper with holes on each side) and would like the printer to print an error message (usually 3 lines), then stop (line feed, not form feed) & wait for the next error message to be printed...what it's doing now is printing one error message, then form feeding an entire page before it prints the next error message. I would estimate that there are an average of about 30-40 error messages printed per day. Basically, we are wasting TONS of paper and would really like to avoid that. I've checked every setting inside of the printer properties in Windows and cannot find anything that will solve this problem. The people that have been working on this issue have tried every setting on the printer itself to correct this, but to no avail.

Do any of you know of anything that I can possibly do in Windows to make the printer print, then simply stop (or just line feed) instead of form feeding after every error message is printed? Basically, I need Windows to stop sending the 'form feed' command after a print job is complete.
Clear as mud?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Mike

**scotlandtb** · July 31st, 2002, 01:56 PM

Martoch, I would possibly say that you will need to change how the program sends, it sounds as if the program that prints the error not windows is sending the ff character. If it is an inhouse program you would change it to the lf character if it is custom designed you may need to get the programmers to do that.

I could be wrong though!!!! (I frequently am *LOL*)

**MDS** · July 31st, 2002, 02:18 PM

I also agree it has to do with the program itself, you may be able to change the paper size to like 2.75" length and that would make it think it is printing 4 pages but it really would only be 1 page.That might get what ya want, but other than that something would have to be changes in the software to either spool a whole page of error prior to printing or do away with the form feed.

**Martoch** · July 31st, 2002, 02:46 PM

That's what I was afraid of, but setting the page length to a very small size is a great idea...I'll have to try that out. Thank you both for your time and effort, it is definitely appreciated!

**Etruscan** · July 31st, 2002, 03:55 PM

I have a printer similar to what your describing and I found if I use a different driver there are diiferent page feed instructions. This dot matrix printer will use several different Epson drivers, IBMpro or a Panasonic driver. They all work different. If you have the manual, there may be alternate drivers you can use for your model. The drivers, if your printer is a few years old, will be found on the drivers list of your windows CD. Just a suggestion, might not work.

There is another alternative - writing a basic program to carry out the operation you want. I've done that in the past, but only in DOS. Again you need the manual with the instruction set for your printer. If you have a C+ or C programmer available, you can get a windows program written to control the printer.

**cowboybooter** · July 31st, 2002, 05:51 PM

Agree with Etruscan, but simpler.

Printer driver prog written in Visual Basic can add/remove CR/Lf whenever or wherever, I wrote one once.

Can't find my copy anywhere, maybe you could look at Planetsource, or vbexplorer.net