12.19. Lexmark Printers

Some Lexmark printers do not send end of job status back unless configured to do so. Here is what is needed to force this. (This capability has been incorporated into the ifhp filter.)

    From: Matt White <whitem@bofh.usask.ca>
    To: lprng@lprng.com
    Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 18:25:50 -0600 (CST)
    Subject: Re: [LPRng] ifhp with Lexmark Optra N printer
    
    On Wed, 21 Jan 1998, Simon Greaves wrote:
    
    > Apologies in advance if this is way off mark, but we've been
    > evaluating a commercial print charging package (Geomica) which
    > works by talking to the printer in what I think is a similar way
    > to the ifhp filters. Lexmarks are currently a big headache because
    > they seem to fail to return the message that they have finished
    > printing which screws things up somewhat. In our case, it is believed
    > to be a problem with the Lexmark firmware which they are looking
    > into.
    
    There is a fix for that...it is originally from the Lexmark 4039
    series, but it still works on the Optra S 1650 machines that we
    have (and should work on the rest of the optra line).  Just send
    this little chunk of postscript to the printer once:
    
    -----------snip----------
    %! Postscript to set the 4039 printer into synchronous mode
    serverdict begin 0 exitserver
    statusdict begin true setenginesync end
    -----------snip----------
    
    Basically, it causes the printer to wait until it is finished
    printing before actually reporting that it is done.  I've got 3
    Optra S printers running with ifhp right now with no extra options
    (just defaults).
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    - Matt White                  whitem@arts.usask.ca
    - Network Technical Support   http://arts.usask.ca/~whitem
    - College of Arts & Science  University of Saskatchewan
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