P3005 drawer codes

[GrantFor]

Support:

Since purchase of P3005, we've been using this code (Internet Basic) to control drawer/tray selection. Works with XP-Win7 PC's and Server 2012. Existing workstations using the 2012 driver and still work OK.

 PRINT (1) (TR);(SETPRINTERINFO = 8, 260)          ! TRAY 2 HAS WHITE PAPER

 PRINT (1) (TR);(SETPRINTERINFO = 8, 261)          ! TRAY 3 HAS YELLOW PAPER

This does not work with new Win10 PC's even with latest 2017 driver. What are the codes for Win10 that replace 260 and 261.

Thanks, Grant

[dansdaduk]

Don't know the answer, just a comment or so:

• I've no idea what Internet Basic is, so can't comment on the format of the 'commands' you quote.

• The 260 and 261 values are almost certainly PCL5 tray identifier codes (relevant to that particular printer model) to select particular trays. 

• As such, being properties of the Page Description Language interpreter within the printer firmware, they are nothing to do with a particular OS version. 

• For this tray selection mechanism to work will depend on the printer driver offering the feature allowing you to 'inject' these 'instructions'.

• I've no idea of the capabilities of the driver you are using with Windows 10.

• It may be the case that only PCL5 drivers offer this injection feature - if you are now using a PCL6 (PCL XL) driver, the feature may not be present - even if it is, the tray identifier codes may be different with this different PDL.

[GrantFor]

The Win10's are fresh installs and it looks like they have the latest PCL6, "Universal", driver. 260 and 261 don't work, so I'm looking for what codes do work.

The working PC's, mostly Win7, are printing to a print server using the Server 2012 PCL6 driver. Circa 2012.

Hadn't considered that the Win10 PCL6 might not support drawer control.

It would be also nice if I could get the printer to tell me the codes.

[dansdaduk]

I've no idea whether or not the PCL6 (PCL X) drivers support any mechanisms for injecting data via driver interfaces.

PCL XL certainly supports tray selection; the standard enumerated value identifiers used within PCL XL for tray selection are:

    eDefaultSource: "<00>" 
    eAutoSelect: "<01>" 
    eManualFeed: "<02>" 
    eMultiPurposeTray: "<03>" 
    eUpperCassette: "<04>" 
    eLowerCassette: "<05>"
    eEnvelopeTray: "<06>"
    eThirdCassette: "<07>"

Note that the values (e.g. decimal 4 = hexadecimal 04) are binary values, rather than the ASCII-text values (e.g. ASCII digit 3 = codepoint decimal 51 = hexadecimal 33) used with PCL5.

[GrantFor]

Thanks, that gives me something to try on Monday when I go back on-site.

[GrantFor]

Made a few steps forward. With the help of another developer in Montreal, I was able to get the Win10 driver to give me the Tray 2 & 3 codes. Which are 259 and 258. In descending order. 

Anyway, I can get the printer to switch to Tray 2 to print the white copy, but it sticks there instead of switching to Tray 3 for the yellow copy. So, I've gone from yellow/yellow to white/white. Yuck!!

My friend vaguely remembers the problems he had going from Win98 drivers to XP drivers. He thinks there might be a code that tells the printer to allow tray switching. Is there such a thing?

I'm also going to try closing and reopening the printer between copies to see if separate print jobs will work.

[dansdaduk]

>> ... might be a code that tells the printer to allow tray switching. Is there such a thing? ...

Not to my knowledge.

With some printers, it is possible to 'lock' trays to prevent their use - but if this was the case, it would affect the output from your working Server 2012 drivers as well (which it plainly doesn't).

If I get the chance in the next day or so, I'll set up some test print jobs (using 'vanilla' versions of both PCL5 and PCL6 (PCL XL)).

Using these should confirm (or not) what media source identifier values work with your printer.

If they work, this would then enable you to refocus attention on the drivers, or method (and position) of 'injection' of the different media source identifier codes.

I'll assume that you want:

• To test media source identifiers 259 and 258.
• To use paper size of Letter (because of your reference to Montreal)  - correct me if I'm wrong.

[GrantFor]

Yes, another set of tests would help. 259 & 258 are what the PCL6 Win10 driver is giving me for Tray2 and 3. Letter is right. Just mentioned that he was in Montreal as an aside.

Is there the possibility that the tray switching commands don't reach the printer in the order issued.

[dansdaduk]

>> ... 259 & 258 are what the PCL6 Win10 driver is giving me for Tray2 and 3 ...

As a matter of interest, how did you determine this?

>> ... Letter is right. Just mentioned that he was in Montreal as an aside ...

Mention of Montreal indicated that you were possibly based in the North American continent and hence use imperial paper sizes; most of the rest of the world (except for a few South American countries, and some US- influenced ones (e.g. The Phiilipines)) use metric paper sizes.  

>> ... Is there the possibility that the tray switching commands don't reach the printer in the order issued ...

I have no  knowledge of your "Internet Basic" mechanism or of how it interacts with printer drivers, so I can't answer this; but I doubt it - it's perhaps more likely that the tray codes are incorrect, or are not being 'injected' as you think they should be.

Attached is a .zip file containing two print files (one using PCL5, the other using PCL6 (PCL XL)); they both use your suggested 'tray identifier' values 259 and 258.

The .zip also includes analyses of the two print files.

To test, just 'send' the content of each print file direct to the relevant printer port.

On a Windows system, with a network-connected printer, I'd use the 'lpr' command within a command -prompt session (you may need to enable certain Windows 'features' to make this command available); for example:

lpr  -S 192.168.1.76  -P any TrayMap_259_258_PCLXL.prn

to send the content of file TrayMap_259_258_PCLXL.prn to the printer with IP-address 192.168.1.76.

[GrantFor]

The above is the information I get back from the printer/driver about the Size and Source codes I need to send to the printer to get the desired tray changes. The above is after I switched to the latest PS driver. The tray codes are the same as the Win7/Server 2012 driver codes.

I still had to add a CLOSE/OPEN of the printer between the white and yellow copies to get the trays to switch.

LP4 is the Win10 driver and L14 is the Win7/Server 2012 driver.