VFP6: Getting Lousy Output

I have a dot-matrix printer that I use for Q&D output. When I
print from DOS programs, it works great and spits out the output
quickly. When I print from VFP (or any other Windows app), it insists
on making it better quality. This takes several times longer. How do
I set the printer driver to give me low-quality (and fast) output?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Fred
Thu May 25 22:37:28 CDT 2006

You need to use the Generic Text driver. Set up a separate printer using
that driver and use that for your reports.

--
Fred
Microsoft Visual FoxPro MVP


"Gene Wirchenko" <genew@ucantrade.com.NOTHERE> wrote in message
news:49jc725od8u9vfj6nmvtu427t9ordfm84q@4ax.com...
> I have a dot-matrix printer that I use for Q&D output. When I
> print from DOS programs, it works great and spits out the output
> quickly. When I print from VFP (or any other Windows app), it insists
> on making it better quality. This takes several times longer. How do
> I set the printer driver to give me low-quality (and fast) output?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Gene Wirchenko
>

jsm
Fri May 26 02:01:59 CDT 2006

As I am in France, I had a problem with this driver : I had to use
CPCONVERT() to get all french special characters. The Generic Text driver
doesn't translate the codepages.

--
Jean à Grenoble
http://www.atoutfox.org

Andrew
Fri May 26 02:32:51 CDT 2006

"Gene Wirchenko" <genew@ucantrade.com.NOTHERE> wrote in message
news:49jc725od8u9vfj6nmvtu427t9ordfm84q@4ax.com...
> I have a dot-matrix printer that I use for Q&D output. When I
> print from DOS programs, it works great and spits out the output
> quickly. When I print from VFP (or any other Windows app), it insists
> on making it better quality. This takes several times longer. How do
> I set the printer driver to give me low-quality (and fast) output?

In addition to Fred's answer, there is also a raw print class on UT which
you could use. If you go to the VFP Zone and then enter "raw print" in the
title field you should find it.

--
HTH
Andrew Howell

Bernhard
Fri May 26 03:40:04 CDT 2006

Hi Jean

> As I am in France, I had a problem with this driver : I had to use
> CPCONVERT() to get all french special characters. The Generic Text driver
> doesn't translate the codepages.
That is, what this driver is for: do nothing with the print data, just transfer
it 1:1 from the application to the printer. So the application simply sends some
bytes to the printer and the printer builds letters from these bytes, exactly as
it was in the old dos days. A lot of printers are ascii text printers and the
ascii code page is different from standard windows code pages.

Regards
Bernhard Sander

jsm
Fri May 26 10:13:25 CDT 2006

>exactly as it was in the old dos days
should have been "exactly as it was in the GOOD old Dos days" ;-))

As I am 'old' (51) I did spend a lot of time on DOS !!

--
Jean à Grenoble
http://www.atoutfox.org
Bernhard Sander <fuchs@individsoft.de> a écrit dans le message :
OdXx#$JgGHA.3456@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hi Jean
>
> > As I am in France, I had a problem with this driver : I had to use
> > CPCONVERT() to get all french special characters. The Generic Text
driver
> > doesn't translate the codepages.
> That is, what this driver is for: do nothing with the print data, just
transfer
> it 1:1 from the application to the printer. So the application simply
sends some
> bytes to the printer and the printer builds letters from these bytes,
exactly as
> it was in the old dos days. A lot of printers are ascii text printers and
the
> ascii code page is different from standard windows code pages.
>
> Regards
> Bernhard Sander

Gene
Fri May 26 17:48:43 CDT 2006

[reordered to chronological]

On Thu, 25 May 2006 20:37:28 -0700, "Fred Taylor"
<ftaylor@mvps.org!REMOVE> wrote:

>"Gene Wirchenko" <genew@ucantrade.com.NOTHERE> wrote in message
>news:49jc725od8u9vfj6nmvtu427t9ordfm84q@4ax.com...
>> I have a dot-matrix printer that I use for Q&D output. When I
>> print from DOS programs, it works great and spits out the output
>> quickly. When I print from VFP (or any other Windows app), it insists
>> on making it better quality. This takes several times longer. How do
>> I set the printer driver to give me low-quality (and fast) output?

>You need to use the Generic Text driver. Set up a separate printer using
>that driver and use that for your reports.

Thank you. I did that and now get the fast output.

Unfortunately, it is only 10 CPI. I switch between 10 and 12 CPI
(or some close approximation) with set printer font. Those do not
work. I tried setting them up in the driver, and the resulting output
was garbage. Oh, well. Odd that the DOS window has no problem
working the way I want.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Bernhard
Sat May 27 07:35:31 CDT 2006

Hi Gene,
> Thank you. I did that and now get the fast output.
>
> Unfortunately, it is only 10 CPI. I switch between 10 and 12 CPI
> (or some close approximation) with set printer font. Those do not
> work. I tried setting them up in the driver, and the resulting output
> was garbage. Oh, well. Odd that the DOS window has no problem
> working the way I want.
Imagine it maybe like this:
If you SET PRINTER FONT ... then VFP asks the printer driver to take care for
the new font. Since Generic Text has no fonts built in and does not know what
printer is connected and also does not ask the printer what to do, then it
consequently does not add any control sequences into the data stream to the
printer. It is a purely pass thru driver.
Here it is up to you and your program to add the right control sequences in the
right moment. Just like in "good old DOS times".

Regards
Bernhard Sander