Hum... Status checking is better but printer's serial port has to support it. Except if you have a third party card, LaserJet III factory serial port do NOT support status checking so you MUST use TT18... -- ================================================== Denis St-Amand (Remove "removeit." from email address) ================================================== "Doug Werth" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message news:3d4159a6$1@skycache-news.fidnet.com... > Re: > > > > Reconfigure the serial port as term type 18 if it isn't already. Simpler= > > is=20 > > sometimes better. > > I have to disagree here. The most likely culprit for the original problem is a > bad serial cable. The spooler is sending a status request to the printer > (<ESC>?) and expecting a ACK (CTRL-F) as a reply. When the ACK is not received > it dumps out the cryptic messages on the console that were detailed in the > original post and stops the spooler. This is a design feature to prevent lost > data. > > Printer type 18 is XON/XOFF protocol with no status checking. The spooler > simply sends data until it receives an XOFF. If there indeed is a broken wire > or connector, somebody tripped over the wire and ripped it out of the back of > the printer, or even if the printer is simply powered off, reports will go > directly to the bit bucket. Why? Because you have a one-way conversation. > Sometimes the problem is just with the wire or pin that transmits data back to > the system. In that case the printer will receive data but cannot respond with > an ACK (type 22) or an XOFF (type 18 and 22). Setting the printer to 18 will > most likely mask the real problem or make it worse with reports that disappear > or printouts with missing data in the middle. > > The prudent thing to do is determine the root cause of the problem and not > just blindly reconfigure the system. > > Doug. > > Doug Werth Beechglen Development Inc. > [log in to unmask] Cincinnati, Ohio > > * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * > * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html * > * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *