Printer Options


Configuring Printers

The default printer configuration uses polled mode and LPT1 of the NetWare server running the print server.


Procedure

  1. From the browser, select the Details dialog for the printer you want to configure by double-clicking on the printer object.

    The printer Identification page appears.

    2.

  2. Complete or modify the fields as needed.

    These fields are optional.

    • Other name Lists identification information associated with this printer that helps you search for and identify specific printers.

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    • Description Describes the function the printer performs (such as print Sales documents).

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    • Network Address Lists the 16-digit (8-byte) number associated with the NetWare Server or workstation that this printer is cabled to.

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    • Location Specifies the printer's physical location (such as a person's office).

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    • Department Shows the department or division that generally uses the printer.

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    • Organization Lists the organization that can use the printer.

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  3. Select the Configuration page.

    A printer Configuration page appears similar to the following shown for a parallel printer. This page allows you to store or define information about the hardware configuration of this printer and how it is used in the network.

    Figure 17
    Printer Configuration Page

    4.

  4. Complete the configuration fields as required by your printer type.

    • Printer Type Displays the list of types from which you can select. Types of printers currently appearing in this menu are

      Parallel
      Serial
      UNIX ® Printer
      AppleTalk Printer
      Other/Unknown (for example, OS/2 or configured by NPRINTER)
      XNP
      AIO

      Parallel, serial, XNP (eXtended NetWare Printer protocol) AppleTalk, UNIX and AIO printers require unique settings.

      The default values are for a parallel printer that is cabled to the LPT1 port of a NetWare Server running PSERVER.NLM.

      •

    • The Communication parameter windows Allow you to view and modify the values defined for the selected printer type. Different dialogs are used depending on which printer type is selected. The appropriate window appears automatically whenever you change the printer type except when Other/Unknown or XNP (eXtended NetWare Printer protocol) is selected.

      Communication can be used to access these parameter windows.

    • Banner Type Shows whether the printer produces banner pages in text or PostScript mode. The banner type must match the default printer type.

    • Service Interval Shows how often the print server checks the print queue for print jobs going to this printer. The default is every 5 seconds. Values from 1 to 255 are allowed.

    • Buffer Size in KB Shows how large each piece of data sent to this printer can be. The default is 3 KB (3,072 bytes). Values from3 to 20 are allowed.

    • Starting Form Shows the number of the printer forms that this printer will service when the NetWare port driver is loaded. Printer forms are defined in the Organization or Organizational Unit object above this printer. Any Form Number defined there can be used here (values from 0 to 254 are possible).

    • Network Address Restrictions Shows the network addresses that this printer can use. Set is used to add an IPX network address to this field.

    • Service Mode for Forms Determines how forms needed for print jobs affect the order in which the print server processes those jobs. Selecting this field displays the list of service modes from which you can select.

      When a print job requests a printer form other than the form currently mounted in the printer, the print server does not service the job until a print server operator reports that the new form is mounted. A print server operator can use PCONSOLE, PSC, or NetWare Administrator to mount the new form.

      The following service mode options determine how often the print server requires you to change printer forms:

      Change forms as needed The priority of each print queue and the order of print jobs in the print queue determine which print job to service next. You might have to change forms often.

      Minimize form changes within print queues The print server requires you to mount a new form for a print job before servicing print jobs with the currently mounted form in a print queue with a lower priority.

      Minimize form changes across print queues The print server services all print jobs requiring the currently mounted form before requesting a form change. Print jobs in lower priority print queues that require the mounted form are serviced before print jobs in a high priority print queue that require a different form.

      Service only currently mounted form The print server never requests a form change. If no print job requiring the current form is available, nothing is printed.

    5.

  5. When you are finished, select OK.

    6.

Viewing and Modifying a Printer's Status

You must be an operator or user of a print server that services a printer to be able to see the printer's status.

Use the following procedure to view a printer's status.


Procedure

  1. From the browser, select the Details dialog for the printer you want to configure.

    The printer Identification dialog appears.

    2.

  2. Select Printer Status.

    A dialog appears similar to the following showing the various status elements for printers.

    If the printer status option does not appear, the printer is not connected.

    Figure 18
    Printer Status Dialog

    3.

  3. Modify this printer's status as necessary.

    • Status Status shows the current status of this port driver and printer. Possible statuses include the following:

      Not connected
      Waiting for form
      Out of paper
      Printing
      Paused
      Stopped
      Off-line
      Private
      Ready
      Waiting for job
      Ready to go down

      NOTE:  The port driver (NPRINTER) status for a defined but unattached serial printer is Waiting for job even though the printer is not attached, and the printer status is Running. If a print job is put into the queue for this printer, the port driver status changes to Ready (Waiting for printer) or Printing job but the printer status changes to Offline.Defined but unattached parallel printers show a status of Not connected.

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    • Mounted Form Shows the number of the form that is currently mounted in the printer. Only print jobs that specify this printer form number can be printed until a new printer form is mounted by selecting Mount Form.

    • Service Mode Shows which service mode is being used by this printer and its associated print queue. The Service Mode determines how jobs within a print queue are organized for the most efficient use of the printer.

    • Current Job Information Includes all of the information about the print job that is currently being printed on this printer. Most of this information can only be changed by going to the print queue and selecting this print job from the list of jobs.

      Print Queue Indicates the print queue that is submitting this print job.

      Description Indicates the banner name. By default, the banner name with CAPTURE is the port and with NPRINT it is the filename.

      Job Number Is the print job ID.

      Form Shows which printer form this print job is using. This print job cannot be printed unless this Form matches the Mounted Form field above the Current Job Information.

      Copies Requested Indicates the number of copies of this print job that the User who submitted it requested to be printed.

      Copies Complete Indicates how many of those copies requested have been printed so far.

      Size of 1 Copy Indicates the size of each copy of this print job. This is like the File Size field when you see the details of a print job within the print queue.

      Bytes Printed Indicates the total number of bytes in one copy of a print job that have been printed

      Percent Complete Indicates how much of this print job is completed, which is determined both by the size of one copy and the number of copies requested for this print job.

    • Abort Job Allows you to cancel this print job and immediately stop printing.

    • Pause Changes the status of this printer to Paused. If no jobs are printing and Paused is used, the status is changed to Stopped. Only a print queue operator can perform this action.

    • Start Changes the status of this printer from Paused to Printing, Stopped to Printing, or Stopped to Waiting for Job.

    • Mount Form Allows you to specify a new printer form that you have mounted on this printer. When you use this option, the Mounted Form field will change to reflect the newly mounted form. Only print jobs that specified the new form can be printed.

    • Eject Page Sends a command to this printer to eject the page that is being printed. This is like a Form Feed command.

    • Close Closes this dialog and returns to the Identification page of the Printer object dialog.

    4.

  4. Choose Close to return to the Identification page of the Printer object dialog.

    5.

Changing Printer Type

Use the following procedure to change your printer type.


Procedure

  1. From the browser, select the Details dialog for the printer you want to configure by double-clicking on the printer object.

    The printer Identification page appears.

    2.

  2. Choose Configuration.

    The printer Configuration page appears.

    3.

  3. Using the down arrow to the right of the Printer Type field, choose the correct printer type from the list.

    For printers that attach directly to the network, select type Other/Unknown. (For example, HP* IIIsi or 4si, COMPAQ* PageMarq 20, GENICOM 7170, or Talaris 1794 Printstation.)

    A dialog appears where you must check the communication values for the selected printer type. (Other/Unknown and XNP do not have a dialog; they are configured elsewhere.)

    4.

  4. Make any necessary changes in the communication parameters dialog for this printer type.

    See Configuring Printers for information on these parameters.

    5.

  5. Choose OK.

    You return to the Configuration page.

    6.

Setting Up Printer Event Notifications

The Notification page controls the objects that are notified when the printer requires servicing (for example, when it is out of paper or jammed). You can do the following:


Procedure

  1. From the printer's Identification dialog, select the Notification page.

    A page similar to the following is displayed:

    Figure 19
    Printer Notification Page

    2.

  2. On this page, configure your notification options.

    The Notification list box shows objects that are notified about this printer.

    • Add Allows you to add objects to the Notify list.

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    • Notification Settings Allow you to specify how long (in minutes) after an event that a first notice is sent to the objects in the Notify field and how long (in minutes) after the first notification of an event that subsequent notices are sent to the objects.

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    • Delete Allows you to delete the selected object from the Notification list box. If you delete the (Print job owner) entry, you can add it to the list by selecting the Notify Print Job Owner check box.)

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    • Notify Print Job Owner Enters the print job owner as an object in the Notification list, so that the object that sends the print job receives notifications. By default, this object is included in the Notification list.

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    • OK Saves changes in all pages of this dialog.

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    • Cancel Closes this dialog without saving changes in any page.

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Changing a Print Queue's Priority

A print queue's priority determines whether the print server will send print jobs from that print queue to the printer before or after print jobs in other print queues assigned to the printer.

Use the following procedure to modify a print queue's priority.


Procedure

  1. Select a Printer object from the browser and go to the Assignments page.

    The priority of the selected print queue is shown in the Priority field.

    2.

  2. Enter the new priority for the selected print queue in the Priority field.

    You can select a number from 1 to 10, inclusive. Print queues with lower priority numbers will be serviced before print queues with higher numbers.

    3.

  3. Choose OK.

    The priority is changed, and you return to the browser.

    4.

Designating a New Default Print Queue


Procedure

  1. Choose the arrow to the right of the Default Print Queue field.

    The print queues listed above in the Print Queues list appear in the drop-down list box.

    2.

  2. Select a print queue from the list.

    The selected print queue appears in the Default Print Queue field.

    3.

The default print queue will be used for print jobs that specify a printer but do not specify a print queue (for example, with the CAPTURE command).


Specifying Printer Features

The printer Features page allows you to store information about your printer, including the following:

You can access this information through searches. For example, you can search for printers with at least 4 MB (4096 KB) of memory and the Futura font.


Procedure

  1. From the printer's Identification dialog, select the Features page.

    A page similar to the following is displayed:

    Figure 20
    Printer Features Page

    2.

  2. On this page, specify the information you want to store:

    • Page Description Language Shows the languages supported by the printer. To add a language, choose the button to the right of the Page Description Language field and then choose Add for each language the printer supports.

      A printer language is a protocol or type of printing that this printer can receive (for example, PCL, PCL-V, or PostScript).

      Enter the main printer languages that this printer supports so that users can search for printers that support the language they need.

      To enter other printer languages for this printer, choose the button to the right of the Page Description Language field. Add other descriptions in the Add Value dialog that appears.

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    • Memory in KB Shows the amount of RAM installed in the printer.

    • Supported Type Faces Shows the fonts that the printer can use. You must enter the correct typefaces; they are not read from the printer.

      A typeface is a collection of fonts in different stroke weights and sizes that this printer can produce (for example, Helvetica and Times Roman).

      Enter the typefaces that this printer supports so that users can search for printers that support a typeface they need.

    • Supported Cartridges Lists the font cartridges that the printer can use. You must enter the correct cartridges; they are not read from the printer.

    • OK Saves changes in all pages of this dialog.

    • Cancel Closes this dialog without saving changes in any page.

    3.


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