Disable PJL HP Color LaserJet 3800 Printers

[CompDept101]

Thank you so much for this thread! I have spent the last couple of days trying to figure out this PJL password issue by reading HP's PJL Manual and countless blogs on the internet. Anybody working with PJL knows that the knowledge-base and research behind PJL is fairly sparse and it is hard to find acurate content in a single place.

I would just say for any future user working on this issue, make sure that the code (as posted above) and character set is saved in "UNICODE" format in Notepad (or Notepad++) instead of "ANSI" or "UTF-8". If it is not, then the printer will not be able to read the code you send it.

You can then send it to the printer using "NCat" software. NCat is a file transfering protocol created by the makers of NMap that sends files in a raw, unaltered way. The Windows file transfer protocol (FTP) won't work because I believe it alters the layout of files while passing. Plus, the software download is free, and helps TONS if you don't have USB printers.

When you use NCat, the command that you would implement in a DOS window/Command Prompt (on Windows OS) is as follows:

type NameOfTxtFile.txt | ncat -v -v <Printer IP Address> 9100

Remember, NCat MUST be downloaded in order to use the above command on command prompt. Also, 9100 is the port in which you wish to send the file through. I would highly suggest using 9100 as this port is open on all HP printers unless it is deliberately closed off or filtered.

Of course, if you have another method of sending the file to the printer, go with what you know best. I believe JetAdmin has a system for setting passwords and such for PJL, but our decision was to use the NCat software as it was suggested to us from an external source.

Best of luck,

MK

[dansdaduk]

@CompDept101 - good that my advice has provided some help.

Not sure about your "...make sure that the code (as posted above) and character set is saved in "UNICODE" format in Notepad (or Notepad++) instead of "ANSI" or "UTF-8" ..." comment though, since:

• The content of the PJL_Password.prn file is not Unicode (in the sense that it doesn't contain double-byte characters).
• It's just a byte stream, most of which is plain ASCII text, with a few control-code characters (Escape (0x1B), LineFeed (0x0A), CarriageReturn (0x0D)), so this could also be considered to be valid UTF-8.

As regards 'sending' such data to a printer port, there are various utilities available: for example, the PRN File Print tool in the PCL Paraphernalia application, available via http://www.pclparaphernalia.eu