[comp.lang.postscript] Getting printer to acknowledge End Of Job sooner

kalin@cbnewsm.att.com (andrew.j.kalinowitsch) (01/16/91)

Hi, all --

I've got a problem: I've got a postscript printer (IBM "E") hooked up to
a datakit network.  It's being used through the UNIX lp utility to
print relatively small (<15K) postscript files.  However, after
completing a job (the page has been ejected), the form feed light on 
the printer remains on and steady for about five additional seconds.  
Any new jobs sent during this time are lost (the FF light blinks, 
indicating that processing is occurring, but then it goes out and 
the job dies).

I need to figure out how to get the printer to acknowledge an "end of job"
as soon as possible after the job is complete.  I've checked the red, green,
& blue books; maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I can't find any
"reset printer" type commands.  Could this problem possibly be printer
dependent?  Any help would be appreciated . . . 

Andy

glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) (01/17/91)

In article <1991Jan15.191022.17506@cbnewsm.att.com> kalin@cbnewsm.att.com (andrew.j.kalinowitsch) writes:
>I need to figure out how to get the printer to acknowledge an "end of job"
>as soon as possible after the job is complete.

Lots of people will suggest sending control-D to the printer at the end
of your job, since it's connected over a serial line, and I'll suggest
it, too.

Many of those same people will also point out that control-D is really
part of the serial-line protocol and not part of the PostScript language,
which is why it's not in the PS code to begin with, and why the spooler
should add it at the end of each job.

Just out of curiosity, you might also try adding the "stop" operator to
the end of your file.  It should have a similar effect, I think, and would
be completely portable, unlike control-D.
-- 
 Glenn Reid				RightBrain Software
 glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us		NeXT/PostScript developers
 ..{adobe,next}!heaven!glenn		415-851-1785 (fax 851-1470)