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Print To Hardware Port Enhancement
DocumentID: 650991
Revision Date: 29-Feb-96 8:29:03 PM

The information in this document applies to:
WordPerfect® 5.1 for DOS

Problem

Symptoms: The user needs a start up option to disable the test for DTR on a serial hook-up. The user is using DEC server 200 connected to a VAX computer as a modem control line, which doesn't support Data-Set-Ready. When WordPerfect finds his cable is not pinned (5 to 20) it sends back "Printer Not Accepting Characters". Solutions: Print to Hardware Port is a new enhancement that will probably be on the next release. This is a feature that will call the Print BIOS of the computer and go directly to the port specified. They have found on a 386 computer that this has increased the print speed of complex data by as much as 30%. This will not correct any signal we check that is being sent back from the printer to the computer. So, in the case of this customer, this option will not correct his problem of disabling pin 5 from checking the DTR signal sent serially by the printer because WP will continue to check this pin. This user could jump pin 5 to pin 4 on the computer end of his printer cable. Pin 4 is set high by the computer when it is turned on, and by jumping it with pin 5 it will remain high as well. However, this may bring on a new problem printer (ie. buffer overflow). Pin 5 is called a clear to send (CTS) pin, and if you fool the computer into thinking it is always ready for data, the printer has no way of stopping the printing process.

Answer:

Details:


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