Different PCL tray select codes

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jhogenkamp

Hi,

We are using a progress application to print reports on a couple of HP
Laserjet 5 si printers.
These reports are not just straight forward reports; some pages are
printed
on blank paper, some on preprinted paper.
In the application PCL codes are used to tell the printer which tray it
must
use to grab its paper from.
In tray 2 we have blank paper, in tray 3 we have pre-printed paper.
We are using PCL codes 1H for tray 2 and 4H for tray 3. That works
fine.

Now one of our Laserjet 5 si printer needs to be replaced because it is
getting too old and it is malfunctioning.
We have a Laserjet 8000 printer availble to replace this 5 si.
When we print the reports on the 8000 printer, it works fine with tray
2 but
not with tray 3.
According to the manuals, the PCL code for tray 3 is different on both
printers.
On the 5 si the PCL code for tray 3 is 4H. The 8000 uses this code to
grab
paper from tray 1 which is the manual feed tray.
On the 8000 the PCL code for tray 3 is 5H. If we would change the PCL
code
in the application from 4H to 5H, then we would have a problem with the
other 5 si printers. The 5 si printers use code 5H to grab paper from
2000
sheet tray 4, but we do not have a 4th tray on the 5 si printers. When
we
send PCL code 5H to the 5 si printer, it is grabbing its paper from
tray 2
instead of tray 3.

To my opinion it would be the best solution to change the PCL code 5H
to 4H
on the 8000 printer. I don't know if that is possible, but in that way
the
8000 would have the same behavior as the 5 si.
Another possibility would be to change the progress application in a
way
that it would check on which printer the report is going to be printed
and
then send the proper PCL codes. I don't like this solution, because
there
are a lot of reports involved with this problem. That would take a
programmer a lot of time. Not only to figure out which report source
codes
need to be changed, but also to test all reports.
And some of those reports require a lot of information to be entered,
before
you can print them.

Any help is appreciated!
 
Hi,

We are using a progress application to print reports on a couple of HP
Laserjet 5 si printers.
These reports are not just straight forward reports; some pages are
printed
on blank paper, some on preprinted paper.
In the application PCL codes are used to tell the printer which tray it
must
use to grab its paper from.
In tray 2 we have blank paper, in tray 3 we have pre-printed paper.
We are using PCL codes 1H for tray 2 and 4H for tray 3. That works
fine.

Now one of our Laserjet 5 si printer needs to be replaced because it is
getting too old and it is malfunctioning.
We have a Laserjet 8000 printer availble to replace this 5 si.
When we print the reports on the 8000 printer, it works fine with tray
2 but
not with tray 3.
According to the manuals, the PCL code for tray 3 is different on both
printers.
On the 5 si the PCL code for tray 3 is 4H. The 8000 uses this code to
grab
paper from tray 1 which is the manual feed tray.
On the 8000 the PCL code for tray 3 is 5H. If we would change the PCL
code
in the application from 4H to 5H, then we would have a problem with the
other 5 si printers. The 5 si printers use code 5H to grab paper from
2000
sheet tray 4, but we do not have a 4th tray on the 5 si printers. When
we
send PCL code 5H to the 5 si printer, it is grabbing its paper from
tray 2
instead of tray 3.

To my opinion it would be the best solution to change the PCL code 5H
to 4H
on the 8000 printer. I don't know if that is possible, but in that way
the
8000 would have the same behavior as the 5 si.
Another possibility would be to change the progress application in a
way
that it would check on which printer the report is going to be printed
and
then send the proper PCL codes. I don't like this solution, because
there
are a lot of reports involved with this problem. That would take a
programmer a lot of time. Not only to figure out which report source
codes
need to be changed, but also to test all reports.
And some of those reports require a lot of information to be entered,
before
you can print them.

Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
why not just change paper going into the trays on the 8000, just put a
sign on it so the monkeys know which paper goes to which tray?
 
You could consider using a permanent macro(s), which sets up the page for
the printer. You then execute the macro from you jobs, instead of dooing the
page setup on the computer. The printer will use the "page setup" which you
saved as a resistent macro.
 
Hi, I know this thing is very old ... but I'm looking for a working example of a PCL file that instructs the printer to select a certain tray. We can't seem to figure out where to put the PCL command. If we but it at the beginning (right after the PJL commands) it prints out gibberish, if we put it at the end it only works if we have a document that is only 1 page long.

So if OP or anyone else still has a working example of this after 10 years .. I'd love to have it.
 
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