HP Color LaserJet 1500 for VMS

[NATHAN CHAO]

Hi,

Is anyone using a HP Color LaserJet 1500 on VMS? We have such an IP printer but couldn't make it to print from VMS. For all our other JetDirect printers, we use dev control lib of laserjet, a 21-line txt lib. Is there a different dev lib for this particular model?

TIA
Nathan

[Karl Rohwedder]

We normally use the DCPS software for printing on different printers, but the LJ1500 is not mentioned in the list of supported printer.
May be you can just give it a try, some printer function as 'unsupported', but not all features like tray select ... are available.

The DCPS SPD is here:
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/info/SP4415/SP4415PF.PDF

[labadie_1]

try with the various symbionts that allow IP, so telnetsym, lpd, dcps (with both raw ip an lpd). I think a basic
$ init/que/start/on="@ip:9100"/proc=tcpip$telnetsym testlp

if this printer works on the port 9100, should work.

[Anton van Ruitenbeek]

All our printers are printing using telnetsym.
We don't use DCPS and for sure no LPD.
This because of the promblem if you are using setup modules. When using LPD and setupmodules, the printer resets itself after every module and then the printjob is comming out as plain.

$ define/system tcpip$telnetsym_raw_tcp true
$ define/system tcpip$telnetsym_suppress_formfeeds 35
> this to suppress the leading and trailing blank pages !
$ INIT/QUEUE/START/ON=":9100"/processor=tcpip$telnetsym queue

To finetune the other settings:
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_LOG_KEEP 3 !> max. of 3 logfiles, older will automaticly be purged
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_SCRATCH !> the scratch directory of the TELNETSYM printers OFF the systemdrive !
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_NO_OPCOM true !> no opcom messages for telnetprinters

AvR

[NATHAN CHAO]

Thank you all for your quick replies!
We are using tcpip$telnetsym and the printer IP with port 9100. It works for color laserjets 4500 but not for 1500. I tried the lpd and the result is the same. I can see the job entries submitted to the queue and the job seems like going through, but nothing comes out of the printer. Any other idea? Thanks, -Nathan

[Martin P.J. Zinser]

Hello Nathan,

is the system "talking" to the printer? I.e. if
you submit a job to the queue, does the printer show a "Processing..." (or the equivalent for the LJ1500) on the display and then just does not print or does the job never reach the printer in the first place?

Greetings, Martin

[Bojan Nemec]

Hi,

When I have troubles with printers (printer servers), I first try if the communication works. So try to stop all the queues pointing to this printer with STOP/NEXT. Then try to telnet to the printer:

$ TELNET printer-ip 9100

Try to type some characters and end with a L (form feed). If all is OK the characters will be printed. If not check the IP settings.

Bojan

[NATHAN CHAO]

A CLJ2500 works too. "telnet IP 9100" reaches the printer. Anything I key in goes through but still nothing out of the printer. On the 4500 or 2500, whatever I key in on the telnet session prints out.
Thanks, -Nathan

[Ian Miller.]

if you telnet to the printer (normal telnet port) do you get a prompt at which you can check settings?

It may be that the internal queue associated with port 9100 is misconfigured.

[Bojan Nemec]

Hi,

If the telnet test does not work, there is a problem on the printer or on the printer server.
I dont know the HP Color LaserJet 1500. It has a network card or you use a printer server? If you use a printer server check the connection to the printer. If the printer has more than one interface (Centronix,RS232,USB...) is there a setup to select the interface? Many printer servers have a command to print a test page, try this.

Bojan

[NATHAN CHAO]

It's connected to the net via a jetdirect print server and we can print to it from Windows machines with no problem.

[Bill Hall]

The Color LaserJet 1500 does not support PCL or Postscript. The HP support website for the printer lists the supported printer languages as simply "Host-based".

The device control library you have is probably PCL based and therefore will not work. You will probably have to lpr from VMS to a Windows system that has the "host based driver" installed on it.

[Bojan Nemec]

The LaserJet 1500 is a so called GDI printer? If it is so, this printer will not work from any operating system except Windows.

GDI printers have all its "inteligence" in the driver! And this drivers are available only for a few desktop operating systems (Windows). There, probably, will newer be such a driver for VMS.

Bojan

[Willem Grooters]

Nathan,

As other stated, since it doesn't understand Postscript, DCPS cannot be used. Still, you _can_ use (officially unsupported) printers but it will require some work - and limits use to srictly plain ASCII. If that's your only requirement, this printer can quite likely be used. It requires just some codes to setup the print-page, and that's simply a sequence of printer control codes that are stored in a text file. Any printer will accept that - and plain ASCII. You _can_ use the color feature but in that case you'll need to do some pre-formatting and -processing. I use(d) an Epson 600 inkjet printer on VMS that way.

Willem

[Rick Dyson]

I bet you have one of the JetReady printers. Check the specs at HP. I know the HP 3500 (color laserjet) is like this. It is a totally stupid printer with all print and bitmap work done by software on your WINDOWS or MAC PC. (remember "WinModems"?)

It will never work as a "network" printer even though you can purchase the printer in a "network" configuration. That is usually just an ethernet-->USB converter.

Don't assume that any new HP printer is better or more featured because it is a newer model.

Of course, I recall attending former DECUS/ETS meetings where HP claimed OpenVMS would be a tier 1 OS and printer drivers would be available out of the box...

rick

[Willem Grooters]

...where HP claimed OpenVMS would be a tier 1 OS and printer drivers would be available out of the box...


but only if it had some intelligence, probably. But the type of printers lacking even the most basic knowledge won't be used is our enviroment. Would they....

nevertheless, if the printer doesn't even react on plain ASCII (what I wrongly assumed to be so) it's off limits. Your VMS box will have better things to do that rendering, I guess. Sorry, it's too stupid to work then.

Willem

[NATHAN CHAO]

Karl,Labadie,Anton,Martin,Bojan,Ian,Bill,Willem,and Rick,

Thank you all very much for your ideas. Our dev ctrl lib is out of date and I was hoping that someone outthere using this model on a vms sys might be able to provide a newer version. Here is the text library of laserjet.

Creation date: 19-OCT-1990 14:20:44
Creator: VAX-11 Librarian V04-00
Revision date: 8-AUG-1996 19:11:54
Library format: 3.0
Number of modules: 21
Max. key length: 39
Other entries: 0
Preallocated index blocks: 11
Recoverable deleted blocks: 0
Total index blocks used: 1
Max. Number history records: 20 Library history records: 20

HEADERS_STR
LJ
LJ3_PS
LJ3_PSLAND
LJ3_RESET
LJ_DUP
LJ_HPGL
LJ_LAND
LJ_LAND10
LJ_LAND12
LJ_LAND14
LJ_LAND16
LJ_LINE
LJ_PORT11
LJ_PORT12
LJ_POST
LJ_REDUP
LJ_RESET
LJ_ROM10
NOBLANK
POST_RESET

I will keep the thread open.
Nathan