Digital Equipment DECLASER 1152 User manual

DEClaser1152Printer
User’sGuide
Order Number: EK–DECLP–UG. A01
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

First Printing, September 1992
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be
construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or copied
only in accordance with the terms of such license.
No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software on equipment that is not
supplied by Digital Equipment Corporation or its affiliated companies.
Restricted Rights: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to
restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer
Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1992.
All Rights Reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: A–to–Z, DECnet, DECprint,
DECwindows, DECwrite, MicroVAX, MicroVMS, OpenVMS, PrintServer, Scholar, TK, ULTRIX,
VAX, VAXcluster, VAX DOCUMENT, VAXstation, VMS, VT, and the DIGITAL logo.
PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Incorporated, which may be registered
in certain jurisdictions. AppleTalk, Localtalk, LaserWriter, and Macintosh are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft, MS, and MS–DOS, are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Centronics is a
trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark and IBM
PC/AT is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. LaserJet and PCL are
registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company. Palatino is a trademark of Linotype-Hell
AG. Times and Helvetica are registered trademarks of Allied Corporation. The following are
registered trademarks of International Typeface Corporation: ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book, ITC
Avant Garde Gothic Demi, ITC Bookman Demi, ITC Bookman Light, ITC Lubalin Graph Book,
ITC Lubalin Graph Demi, ITC Souvenir Demi, ITC Souvenir Light, ITC Zapf Chancery, ITC
Zapf Dingbats.
S1866
This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT, Version 2.1.

FCC NOTICE:
115 Volt model only
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. Any changes or modifications made
to this equipment may void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. This equipment
generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
To meet FCC requirements a properly shielded parallel cable is required to connect the device to
a personal computer or other Class B device.
This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT, Version 2.1.

Contents
Preface ..................................................... vii
Part 1: Basic Operations
1 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC
1.1 Connecting the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the PC . . .......... 1–1
1.2 Adding the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the MS-Windows Printers
Menu . . . ........................................... 1–3
1.3 Printing a File from MS-Windows ........................ 1–5
1.4 Printing a File from the MS–DOS Command Line. . .......... 1–5
1.5 If Your File Does Not Print . . ........................... 1–6
1.6 Finding Help ........................................ 1–7
2 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a
Macintosh Computer
2.1 Connecting the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the Macintosh ....... 2–1
2.2 Adding the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the Chooser Menu ....... 2–2
2.3 Printing a File ....................................... 2–3
2.4 Finding Help ........................................ 2–4
3 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer in VMS and
ULTRIX Environments
3.1 Printing Files in VMS ................................. 3–1
3.2 Printing PostScript Files in ULTRIX . . ................... 3–1
3.3 Finding Help ........................................ 3–1
v

Part 2: Advanced Operations
4 Setting Up Multiple Communications Channels
5 Fonts
6 Enhancing Picture Quality
6.1 Benefits of DECimage ................................. 6–1
6.2 When to Use DECimage................................ 6–3
6.3 Setting Up DECimage on VMS Platforms .................. 6–3
6.4 Invoking DECimage on VMS Platforms . ................... 6–5
6.5 Using DECimage on Non-VMS Platforms .................. 6–5
6.5.1 Invoking DECimage for the Current Print Job . .......... 6–6
6.5.2 Invoking DECimage Persistently . . . ................... 6–6
6.6 Setting Parameters ................................... 6–7
6.6.1 Setting the Punch Parameters ........................ 6–7
6.6.2 Setting the Sharpness . . . ........................... 6–8
6.6.3 Setting the Dotsize................................. 6–9
6.7 Setting Up DECimage for Special Effects .................. 6–9
6.7.1 DECimage for VMS Setup Modules . ................... 6–10
6.7.2 DECimage for Non-VMS Systems . . ................... 6–10
A Adobe PCL4 Emulation
Figures
4–1 Communication Channels on the DEClaser 1152 Printer. . . . 4–1
6–1 Pictures With and Without DECimage .................. 6–2
Tables
6–1 Setting Values to Change Picture Characteristics ......... 6–9
vi

Preface
Who Should Read This Guide
This guide is helpful to every user, from the novice to the system manager.
How to Read This Guide
This guide is divided into two sections:
•Part 1 — Basic Operations
This section helps you set up your DEClaser 1152 on your PC, Apple
Macintosh, ULTRIX, or VMS system, and start printing right away. This
section assumes that the printer is set to the factory default settings. The
best way to use this section is to read the chapters that apply to your
operating system. It is not necessary to read the entire book sequentially.
•Part 2 — Advanced Operations
This section explains how to take advantage of the features of the
PostScript Level 2 DEClaser 1152 printer. This section covers these
topics:
• Using multiple communications channels
• Accessing and using fonts
• Using DECimage for picture enhancement
This guide does not cover all the features of the DEClaser 1152 printer
or your operating system. For more information about your printer,
see the DEClaser 1152 Printer Installation/Operator’s Guide. For more
information about your operating system commands and features, refer to
your host documentation.
vii

PostScript Level 2 Features
The DEClaser 1152 is an Adobe PostScript Level 2 printer. A Level 2
PostScript printer includes all of the Level 1 operators with the additional
Level 2 operators. Although most Level 1 drivers will properly control the
DEClaser 1152, you will require a Level 2 driver to take advantage of the
benefits of PostScript Level 2. PostScript Level 2 drivers are available from
your vendors.
Some of the benefits of PostScript Level 2 are:
• Better performance for some compute-intensive jobs
• Better memory management for processing complex jobs
• Multiple-host capabilities
• Better control of some graphics capabilities
• Built-in file compression/decompression utilities
• Backward compatibility with Level 1 applications
This guide does not attempt to describe the language in detail, but will show
you how to set-up and use some of your DEClaser 1152’s Level 2 features.
For a complete description of the PostScript Level 2 language, refer to the
PostScript Language Reference Manual, Second Edition.
Software Requirements
When you print to the DEClaser 1152 printer, you may use any commands
your operating system supports. To use the commands listed in the following
chapters, this guide assumes that your operating system has the following
software installed:
Operating System Required Software
MS–DOS MS–DOS, Version 4.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows, Version 3.0 or higher
Apple Macintosh Apple Macintosh, System 6, System 7
ULTRIX ULTRIX, Version 4.0
VMS DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS, Version 1.0
viii

PostScript and PCL4 Files
The DEClaser 1152 printer primarily a PostScript printer. For applications
that do not have a PostScript printer driver, the DEClaser 1152 printer
provides Hewlett-Packard PCL4 emulation as an alternate language interface.
These two language interfaces are quite different in nature. This section
describes the differences between the two languages.
PostScript is a programming language designed to efficiently create what is
known as a ‘‘Page Description.’’ PostScript is a Page Description Language
(PDL). While PostScript is composed of only the printable ASCII characters,
it is not necessarily these characters that get printed on your printer. When
the DEClaser 1152 printer receives a PostScript file, the built-in PostScript
interpreter parses the file for instructions on how to create and lay out the
images and text to be placed on the paper.
The emulation of Hewlett_Packard’s PCL4 language is created from within
the PostScript interpreter. PCL4 is a Printer Control Language composed of
ASCII text embedded with special sequences of printer control instructions
that are preceded with the ASCII decimal 27 character, more commonly known
as the Escape character. The collection of printer control instructions is known
as escape sequences. With very few exceptions, the PCL4 emulator produces
output equivalent to the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP printer.
When configuring the printer drivers in the following sections, keep in mind
that the DEClaser 1152’s communication channels are ready to interpret the
incoming data as a PostScript Language program.
Conventions
The following terms and conventions are used in this guide.
Term/Convention Meaning
Note Provides additional information.
Caution Provides information for preventing equipment or
software damage.
Warning Provides information for preventing personal injury.
Bullet (
 ) A bulleted statement in a procedure describes a result
after performing a step.
Bold type Text in boldface designates messages that appear on the
control panel and menu options in DECwindows.
ix

Term/Convention Meaning
filename Represents a generic file name. Replace it with the name
and extension of your file, using your operating system’s
syntax.
queuename Represents a generic queue name. In commands, replace
it with the name of a real queue.
ENTER Represents the key to press on the control panel.
x

Part1:
Basic Operations
The following chapters describe how to send a print job to the DEClaser
1152 printer from different platforms using the factory default settings of
the printer. The following DEClaser 1152 factory default settings satisfy the
requirements for most single-host configurations:
• Three enabled communications channels:
1. Parallel (Centronics)
2. Serial (Either EIA-232 or DEC423, not both)
3. LocalTalk
• All communications channels interpret the incoming data as PostScript.
• The serial communications settings are:
9600 Baud
8 Data Bits
1 Stop Bit
No Parity
XON/XOFF flow control
To change the default settings of the printer, see the DEClaser 1152 Printer
Installation/Operator’s Guide, which lists other settings that may also be
selected. See Chapter 4 to use this printer in a multihost configuration.

1
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152
Printer with a PC
This chapter explains how to set up the DEClaser 1152 printer to print from
your PC running MS-Windows, Version 3.1 or MS–DOS, Version 5.0.
1.1 Connecting the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the PC
The DEClaser 1152 printer supports the following cables for PCs:
Cable Order Number
Parallel BC19M–10
DEC423 Serial BC16E–10 cable (included)
EIA-232 Serial H8571–E or H8571–J adaptor (See the DECdirect catalog for more
information.)
Most installations use the parallel cable for faster data transfer. We
recommend using the BC19M-10 or an equivalent parallel printer cable
(not included) to connect your printer to the PC.
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC 1–1

To connect the printer to your PC, use the following procedure:
1. Turn off the printer.
2. Plug the parallel cable from the PC into its connector on the printer.
MLO-009496C
Parallel
Communications
Port
3. Turn on the printer.
1–2 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC

1.2 Adding the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the MS-Windows
Printers Menu
Note
If you want to print from the MS–DOS command line, skip to
Section 1.4.
To print PostScript files from your MS-Windows applications, you must add the
DEClaser 1152 printer to the Printers menu.
1. From the Main menu, select the Control Panel icon.
2. From the Control Panel, select the Printers icon.
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC 1–3

The Printers menu appears.
3. Click on Add>>.
The List of Printers menu expands to display the list of supported
printers.
1–4 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC

4. Select Digital DEClaser 1150.
Note
If you are using Microsoft Windows, Version 3.0, select PostScript.
5. Click on Install....
You can install the printer in two ways:
• If the printer driver file is not already installed, install it and click on
OK.
• If you know the disk where the file is located, enter the drive name and
directory where the file is located and click on OK.
Windows copies the file to the resident disk drive. The Printers menu now
lists the DEClaser 1150 on LPT1: under Installed Printers. If the Digital
DEClaser 1150 does not appears as your default printer, click on Set As
Default Printer.
6. Click on Close....
1.3 Printing a File from MS-Windows
To print PostScript files from MS-Windows, you will usually use the
Print feature of an MS-Windows application. Although the menus among
applications may vary, the procedure for printing files is similar.
For example, to print from an application, such as MS-Paint, pull down the
File menu and select Print.
1.4 Printing a File from the MS–DOS Command Line
To print PostScript files from MS–DOS, you will usually use the Print feature
of an MS–DOS application. Consult your application’s documentation for more
specific information.
To print PostScript files from the MS–DOS command line, you can use the
COPY command or the PRINT command.
Note
To print text files, change the interpreter mode to PCL.
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC 1–5

• Issue the COPY command in the following format:
COPY filename.ps LPT x :
LPTxis the port where your printer is attached.
• Issue the PRINT command in the following format:
PRINT filename.ps
The system may prompt you for the name of the port:
Name of list device [PRN]:
If your printer is connected to LPT1:, you can press ENTER without
supplying any additional information. Otherwise, enter the port where
your printer is attached.
Note
The PRINT command may send extraneous characters to the printer,
preventing your first print job from completing sucessfully. However,
this should only happen the first time after the PC has been power
cycled.
1.5 If Your File Does Not Print
If your PostScript file does not print, print a test page. Press On Line , then
Test/Font . In the Communications Information section, check that the
parallel settings on the printer are:
Parallel
Interpreter: PostScript
Enabled: True
On: True
Protocol: Normal
OutputDevice: None
If your settings are different, change the printer’s settings, using Menu Mode.
See the DEClaser 1152 Printer Installation/Operator’s Guide for details on
changing the settings.
1–6 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC

1.6 Finding Help
For more information about the printer, printing options, and MS–DOS, see
the following sources:
•DEClaser 1152 Printer Installation/Operator’s Guide
•Microsoft Windows User’s Guide
•Microsoft Windows Help
•Microsoft MS–DOS User’s Guide
• The commands HELP MODE and HELP PRINT on MS–DOS, Version
5.0.
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a PC 1–7

2
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152
Printer with a Macintosh Computer
You can connect the DEClaser 1152 printer directly to a System 6 or System 7
Macintosh computer.
2.1 Connecting the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the Macintosh
To connect the printer to your Macintosh computer, use the following
procedure:
1. Turn off the printer and the Macintosh.
2. Attach cables to the printer and the Macintosh.
a. To connect the printer directly to the Macintosh, attach a
Macintosh Plus to ImageWriter II cable (or equivalent) to the LocalTalk
port of the printer and to the Macintosh.
b. To connect the printer to a LocalTalk network, attach a
LocalTalk connector box to the LocalTalk port of the printer. Then,
connect a 2-meter LocalTalk cable from the LocalTalk connector box
on the printer to the LocalTalk connector box on your Macintosh. (See
the LocalTalk Cable System Owner’s Guide included in the LocalTalk
Locking Connector Kit Din-8 for detailed information.)
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a Macintosh Computer 2–1

MLO-009495C
LocalTalk
Communications
Port
3. Turn on the Macintosh, then the printer.
2.2 Adding the DEClaser 1152 Printer to the Chooser Menu
To print PostScript files from your Macintosh applications, you must add the
DEClaser 1152 printer to the Chooser menu. The following steps show you
how:
1. Select Chooser from the Apple menu.
2. From the Chooser menu, click on LaserWriter.
The LaserWriter icon is highlighted and the printer list displays
DEClaser 1152.
2–2 Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a Macintosh Computer

3. Click on DEClaser 1152.
4. Make sure the Appletalk button in the lower-right corner of the Chooser
menu is set to Active.
5. Close the Chooser.
2.3 Printing a File
To print PostScript files from the Macintosh, you will usually use the Print
option of an application. The menus among applications may vary, but the
procedure for printing files is similar.
1. Print a file, using the Print... option in the File menu of your application.
The top line of the dialog box displays DEClaser 1152.
Note
Make sure Font Substitution is selected in the Page Setup menu.
2. Click on OK to send the file to the DEClaser 1152 printer.
Installing and Using the DEClaser 1152 Printer with a Macintosh Computer 2–3