[comp.os.vms] Modifying header page for printouts

lui@CS.UCLA.EDU (10/23/87)

We use the standard VMS printer software to run our QMS laser printers. 
VMS assumes the printer can print 132 characters per line and the header
pages from our laser printers consist of 4 pages. Since this is a waste
of paper, we would like to modify the header page. Does anyone know how
to do this?


	Stephen Lui
	UCLA Department of Computer Science and

	Hughes Aircraft Company
	2000 E. Imperial Hwy.
	El Segundo, CA

	(213) 305-2085

	ARPA:  lui@cs.ucla.edu
	UUCP:  ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!lui
	Stephen Lui
	UCLA Department of Computer Science and

	Hughes Aircraft Company
	2000 E. Imperial Hwy.
	El Segundo, CA

	(213) 305-2085

	ARPA:  lui@cs.ucla.edu
	UUCP:  ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!lui

leichter@VENUS.YCC.YALE.EDU ("Jerry Leichter") (10/24/87)

	We use the standard VMS printer software to run our QMS laser
	printers.  VMS assumes the printer can print 132 characters per line
	and the header pages from our laser printers consist of 4 pages. Since
	this is a waste of paper, we would like to modify the header page.

The width the standard symbiont uses is taken from the form definition for
the queue.  If you don't make any form definitions, the system default
form is used - and it probably defines a 132 column by 66 line line printer
page.  Forms and form setting are described in the DCL book - look up
DEFINE/FORM and INITIALIZE/QUEUE=FORM:xxx.  (Note that there were changes
in the way some of this stuff worked as VMS V4 evolved - it was all new to
VMS V4.0.  I don't remember exactly, but I think the ability to define a
default form for a queue may have been added in VMS V4.2; maybe even later.
If you have trouble finding these commands in your documentation set, be
sure it's up to date!)
							-- Jerry
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unknown@cunyvm.UUCP (10/25/87)

I'm sure that this isn't the first or last time this question is asked on
the network.

The VMS print symbiont decides how wide to make the header page based upon
the width of the form on which it is printing.

If your printouts are printing on DEFAULT forms a command something like

$ define/form default 0/width=90 ! see HELP DEFINE/FORM


OR IF YOU DON'T WANT THE HEADERS AT ALL, TURN THEM OFF.   This is much easier
than modifying them if they are considered a "waste of paper".