Thanks for a most informative answer.

I just want to print nice boxes etc for my Sudoku solver. The solver is written in UniVerse Basic so I wanted to print results (and intermediate results) etc. My prior printer (an el cheapo HP) did print graphic boxes etc so I thought my new printer would too.

I don't doubt your claims but I find it difficult to understand why defined characters in the ^179 to ^217 range don't print correctly through UV.

Oh, well....  Life wasn't meant to be easy!

Louis

GDI mode in UV is exactly that: it uses Windows device calls to render on the printer. These calls render text/graphics at a high/abstract level, leaving the specific implementation of e.g. Font handling to the device driver.

The problem comes when you want to send sequences that are not part of the text, eg. PCL. In effect this is duplicating the work of the GDI itself - PCL is not directly supported by Windows GDI - even if the HP drivers map some GDI calls into PCL. Most GDI switches into graphics mode so escape sequences like PCL get lost OR interpreted as literal characters. Quite simply, Windows has no way of knowing that you want to pass these sequences through unmodified.

The only way to force through PCL without interpretation is to use a generic/text only driver, if it will work with your printer. Unfortunately (increasingly) that isn't always the case.

It isn't really a UV failing but a clash of models: Windows, unlike Unix, expects applications to play by its rules and that doesn't include sendiny raw control sequences to devices.

AD  - sort of:

I've become frustrated by this and other spooler limits and so wrote an API that now produces PDF documents and Windows prints directly from UV bypassing the spooler. This supports full text and graphics control, and conversion of existing prints. I'm packaging this for release hopefully in a couple of months - it has been running at a client site for about 9 months - and I have plans to add PCL interpretation as well.

Anyone interested please contact me off-list.

Brian


prints windows -

-----Original Message-----
   From: "Louis Windsor"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
   Sent: 22/05/06 03:53:25
   To: "u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org"<u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org>
   Subject: Re: [U2] Help with non functional printer

   With further "messing about" using the GDI,DEFAULT addition I now can
   print text at least.

   It doesn't seem to support even PCL3 as a simple orientation string (to
select landscape printing) is ignored. Also the graphic set, like "light
   down
and left/light down and right/light horizontal etc are completely screwed.

   Well, at least I can now print text so that is a gain but any further
   suggestions
   to print graphic characters would be appreciated.

   I am really puzzled as under Windows it is a superb printer.  Does
   everything
   I hoped it would but un UniVerse ....

   Thanks for the responses so far,

   Louis

----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Nichol" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
   To: <u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org>
   Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 9:02 AM
   Subject: Re: [U2] Help with non functional printer



[Message truncated. Tap Edit->Mark for Download to get remaining portion.]
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