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

[Ron Frazier (ALE)]

I haven't read the whole thread but here are some random ideas.  You may have already solved the problem since I'm behind on email.

Look for dip switches anywhere on the outside or the inside of the printer.  Compare the one that did what you want to the one that doesn't and change accordingly.  Make sure you note the position of each before you change in case you need to return the printer to it's original task instead of backup duty.

Look at any mechanical levers on the printer and make sure one is not set to double line feed, etc.

Make sure the paper is feeding properly and that any paper sensors are working.

See if there is an escape code or something you can send it to reset to factory defaults.

Sincerely,

Ron



"Beddingfield, Allen" <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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--

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Ron Frazier
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