Despite all the talk about going paperless, printers are an integral part of the IBM i world. Here is what you need to know and what alternatives are available.
Connecting a new printer to IBM i usually means building on what is already there. It is one of the reasons why remote writers are still often used to control printers. One of the major disadvantages involved with this, however, is the environmental aspect. A remote writer does not offer the possibility to pick up where the printer left off before it crashed – all you can do is print it all over again. For ages, there has been an alternative available in the form of SNMP.
This link refers to the documentation guiding you through the process of connecting a printer. SNMP cannot always be enabled for any printer, but fortunately the tables per brand indicate which connection options are available and which “Printer Model Settings for Host Print Transform” have to be selected. Many of you will be more familiar with the object type *WSCST, the “Workstation Customizing Object”.
The solution for printing lists
Often, the step from remote writer to SNMP has been taken, but the finer details when it comes to printing lists are lacking. Landscape lists with 132 are often characterized by a border on the right-hand side of the sheet that remains blank, as if it were an unprintable area. However, this link clearly explains how easily this can be solved. It will provide all information you need about the changes that have to be made.
If, after reading all of this, you think that you have more requirements regarding the adjustment of the standard WSCST settings, this link is the right place for you to get started and to learn more about it.
One of the matters discussed is paper tray control. In the past, this used to be of the things high on the wish list. If we do decide to print, it is good to know we can control the process on IBM i.
