Question

how to get a dot-matrix printer as fast as it is in DOS

Asked by: pitwood

Greetings all!
My installation has 5 Seikosha BP5870 printers which print very fast from my DOS programmes.
I have installed the printer and am printing the reports from my Windows VB app, but Windows insists on printing in graphics mode, printing each line twice or more - for perfect clarity  o:{

I have set the quality to draft , and tried adjusting the Dithering and Resolution, but all to no avail.

Is there any way to get the printer just printing text in the good, ol' fashioned way?

Regards
Tony

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Asked On
2004-10-11 at 12:18:35ID21164024
Tags

dot

,

matrix

Topic

Visual Basic Programming

Participating Experts
3
Points
500
Comments
10

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Answers

 

by: eeshahidtPosted on 2004-10-11 at 12:35:12ID: 12280042

Is the program which is insisting on you choosing the best quality, you own vb app or someone else's. If someone else's, then he has probably written a poor app. If it is your vb app, you could try setting reference to 'Microsoft Common Dialog' controls and call the ShowPrinter function. Alternatively, you could just say...

Printer.PrintQuality = vbPRPQDraft or
Printer.PrintQuality = vbPRPQHigh or
Printer.PrintQuality = vbPRPQLow, etc...

Hope this answers your question

 

by: Noel_CastilloPosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:18:33ID: 12283355

If you are using the printer object in vb. that is:
Printer.Print ........
....
....
Printer.EndDoc

then there should be no problem. try installing a generic text(make it default) instead of the actual printer driver. and you'll find your printer printing the old fashion way. (dont forget to set the font in the printer console ok? make it draft)


but if you're using a report writer like crystal report. we have the same problem and still seeking for an answer.
:)

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:33:59ID: 12283451


Boy, I used to work for Seikosha Tech Support nearly 20 years ago.  Didn't think I would ever hear that name again after all these years.

I think that you discribed the problem correctly.  When windows prints to the Printer object it prints in graphics mode on those old dot matrix printers.  What you need is to write directly to the printer port (LPT1:) instead of using the Printer object.  However, I don't know if that is as easy as it used to be in VB.  I can probably find out for you, but probably someone else will be able to answer the question faster.  If not, then I'll look for something.

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:36:52ID: 12283474


Maybe try something like this:

Open "LPT1" For Output as #1

Print #1, "Hello World!!!"

Close #1

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:38:21ID: 12283483


I just realized that I can't test anything since I have an Network printer and nothing connected to my LPT (PRN) port.  So, all I can do is suggest stuff to try (like the above).  Sorry.

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:40:04ID: 12283494


Also try "LPT1:" with the colen.  Sometimes it requires a colen to work.

So, try

Open "LPT1:" For Output As #1

.....

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:40:59ID: 12283500


Oh, you know I could probably redirect LPT1 to my Network printer and test it that way.  Let me try that....hold up...

 

by: EnladePosted on 2004-10-11 at 19:57:18ID: 12283549


Yea...that works.  You just need to use Open and Print.  If you want to use fonts or bold or italic or any other text format then you will need to use the printer control codes to set those on your printer.  For instance, if you want Elite type font you would look up the control code in the back of your Seikosha manual for Elite font (its something like 27, 69 though I don't remember so look it up).  Still, lets say it is 27, 69 so I can show you how to make use of that control code.  You would do something like this.

Open "LPT1:" For Output As #1

Print #1, Chr(27) & Chr(69) & "Hello World!!!!"

Close #1

Hope that helps; though, I might add that printing directly to the printer is not all that common an approuch to printing.  But if you have an old dot matrix printer then it is probably the solution you are looking for.

 

by: pitwoodPosted on 2004-10-12 at 01:11:22ID: 12284765

Thanks, guys, for your speedy responses.

Enlade has given me the answer - the one I feared!  o:}

I will have to write a completely different section for my printing routines (lots of work!) to allow for the dot-matrix printers - basically just the same as I did in my old DOS Basic programmes.

I'll check it out and report back

Regards
Tony

 

by: pitwoodPosted on 2004-10-20 at 13:37:10ID: 12363016

Muchos gracias, Eldane,

It works a dream

Regards
Tony

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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