[ale] Dot matrix printer/start of page problems.

[Beddingfield, Allen]

It is too high. They are positioning the print head about 1/3 the way down, but it rolls the paper back to where the print head is higher on the page. On the old one that is of the same exact model, it did not reposition the paper - it would just start printing where ever they had rolled it to.
Allen B.


From: John Pilman [mailto:jcpilman at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2013 12:26 PM
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts <ale at ale.org>
Subject: Re: [ale] Dot matrix printer/start of page problems.


You didn't say if the printing is too low or too high on the form. If it is too low you can tear off one check part way from the top.  That will give you a new starting point.

...John

On Aug 30, 2013 9:58 AM, "Beddingfield, Allen" <allen at ua.edu<mailto:allen at ua.edu>> wrote:
One of my clients for my consulting business has an umm…VERY legacy setup.  They have an old server that went out of warranty 8 years ago, running SCO Unix, and an old RM/COBOL-85 application.  They were mid-migration to a new Windows-based product, when the vendor for that product went out of business, so we are stuck with it for a while longer (another whole topic of discussion).

Anyway, here is my issue:  They have three Okidata Microline 320 dot matrix printers with Axis print servers attached.  Each is assigned to a queue on the Unix box, and each does a special purpose.  One does forms on special paper stock, one prints checks, and one prints reports on plain paper.
The one that prints checks recently had a mechanical failure, so I temporarily swapped the report printer with it so that they could print their monthly check run.  That is where things got weird.
Apparently their procedure for years when printing checks has been to load the checks in the printer, crank the knob to line up the print head with the spot on the check where the first line (check number) should print, power cycle the printer, and print.  On the old printer, this left the print head lined up with that spot on the check, and it began printing at that spot.  When I put the other printer there, and they follow the same procedure, the printer repositions the paper back to the top of the sheet of paper before printing, putting the check number and everything else out of alignment.
The person who used to support them is no longer around, and all they know is that "the last guy changed something on the printer to make it work that way".
I've looked up the manual for the ML 320 printer, and it sounds like this may have something to do with a "page tear off" setting, or a "start of page" setting.  It has been 15+ years since I messed with a dot matrix printer, and then it was pretty much just to print normal paper through.
Does anyone have any ideas of what to try with this?!
They owe me a significant sum of money for a few months of work, so I have a lot of motivation to get their check printer working again!

Allen B.

--
Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
The University of Alabama

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