Computer To Printer Data Transfers - HP 262SA Reference Manual

Integral Printer Control
COMPUTER TO PRINTER DATA TRANSFERS
With the printer selected as a destination device, you can copy up to 256 characters of a data
string from the computer to the printer. The data can be sent in either binary or ASCII form,
depending on the escape sequence used. To copy a binary data string to the printer from the
computer, use the following escape sequence:
Ec
&p <x>W <data 5tring>
This sequence transfers the first
((x"
bytes of the data string, in binary form, to the printer.
The maximum value for
((x"
is 256.
To copy an ASCII data string from the computer to the printer, use the following escape
sequence:
E c &p W<da t a 5 t ring>
The entire data string is copied. The string is terminated either by an ASCII line feed
character or by the 256th character.
PRINTER STATUS
It is possible for a program to determine several items of printer status information using
escape sequences. These items are:
• Whether or not the terminal contains an integral printer.
• Whether a printer error exists (no paper or the printer top cover is open).
• Whether or not the printer is busy.
• Whether the last command sent to the printer was completed or interrupted (by the
terminal operator pressing the
1:1
key).
• Whether the last command was completed sucessfully or failed.
For detailed information on printer status, refer to the Status section.
An alternative method exists for determining the status of the last command sent to the
terminal. After issuing a copy line, copy page, copy all, advance line, or advance page
Ec &p
sequence, the remote program can determine whether or not the operation was successfully
performed by executing an
I NPUT
(BASIC language) or similar instruction that requests one
ASCII character from the terminal.
The terminal responds by sending an
((5", ((F",
or
((U".
An
((5"
indicates successful completion,
an
((F"
indicates that the operation failed, and a
((U"
indicates that the terminal operator
interrupted the data transfer by pressing
1:1.
These completion codes cannot be suppressed by configuration parameters or any other
means. They are always transmitted and your programs should include input commands for
accepting them.
C-ll