Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!lethe!tvcent!comspec!darrell
From: darrell@comspec.uucp (Darrell Grainger)
Subject: Re: HP Laserjet III from a Amiga. How to control.
Organization: Comspec Communications Inc  Toronto Ontario
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 91 16:48:34 GMT
Message-ID: <1991Jun22.164834.9345@comspec.uucp>
Summary: PAR: not PRT:
Keywords: hp, control
References: <1991Jun19.212436.14899@cbnewse.att.com>
Sender: Darrell Grainger

In article <1991Jun19.212436.14899@cbnewse.att.com> hjanssen@cbnewse.att.com (hank janssen) writes:
>I have a Laserjet III, and i wanted to write a  programm  that  prints
>stuff  to  it from intuition. (Yes i know that they are out there, but
>none of it does what i want it to do)
>
>I  want  to  controll the printer by bypassing the printer.device from
>amiga and directly go to PRT:
>
>Example a string like this. (THis is only an example)
>
><ESC>[5j
>
>Will result on the prinout as:
>
>5j
>
>Is there something i am doing basicly wrong. 
>
 Assuming the printer is connected to the parallel port you should be sending
your output to PAR:, not PRT:. 
All output to PRT: is analyzed for ANSI X3.64 commands. An example of an ANSI
X3.64 command would be   <ESC>[1m   this is convert to whatever Preferences
states is the codes for Boldface on. So no matter which printer I have
connected I just set the printer type in Preferences then <ESC>[1m turns
Boldface printing on. It was designed to help programs. The program no longer
has to worry which printer is connected... Preferences which convert the codes
to what it thinks the printer wants. In your example of <ESC>[5j I can find
no equivalent in the ANSI X3.64 list (see Appendix D, Printer Escape Codes in
your Introduction to the Amiga manual) so <ESC>[ is probably pulled off then
5j is checked against the list of ANSI codes. None is found so the 5j is 
printed but the <ESC>[ (which I believe is called <CSI>) is filtered out.

 If you output to the PAR: it will use the parallel.device. PRT: uses the
printer.device.

>
>Thanx,
>
>Hank Janssen,
>
>att!ihlpb!hjanssen

-- 
Darrell Grainger % Comspec Communications Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
darrell@comspec  % Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are my own. 
(416) 617-1475   % (416) 633-5605	(416)785-3553

