Numbers printed during print

[sdunn]

I have a Oki Microline 391 Turbo printer running on a Redhat Linux ES 3 system. The printer is connected to a Windows pc using Samba.

I can print to the printer just fine. However the printer prints a set of numbers at the top of every page. I have used every driver I can think of. I have used Text Only, Raw Text, Postscript, Generic 24 and 48 ping, I even used the Oki Microline 391 Turbo driver, but I still get the numbers. I have also updated the driver on the windows machine.

What else is there to try? I uninstalled the printer and reinstalled it. Could it be possible that the printer isn't linux compatible? The printer itself is in IBM mode, I changed it to be Epson but that screwed up the whole print job. So I moved it back to IBM Proprinter.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[nabis]

I think you might try the Okidata imaling list
http://www.linuxprinting.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/okidata-list
brose the archive, maybe it will give you some ideas.

[sdunn]

Thanks for the link.

[banzaikai]

Have you tried printing a test page from the Win box?

What numbers, exactly, are being printed?

Is the Windows driver set for ProPrinter emulation mode?

How are the dipswitches on the Oki set (other than emulation mode)?

Is the Win driver sending an "Init" to the printer before spooling?

My hunch is that some formatting/setup codes are being passed through that the Oki doesn't understand, and this data gets printed as numbers. So turn off the spooler's inits and double-check the emulation modes in Windows and on the printer.

banzai "dot matrix" kai

[sdunn]

I am checking in to your questions.

Here are the numbers

10Ok0S16D

[banzaikai]

Hmmm. Nothing I'm familiar with. It doesn't look like ESC/P2 codes or PostScript headers. Are you in IBM ProPrinter or AGM mode (the Oki supports Epson ESC/P2, IBMPPR, and IBMAGM)?

I know Epsons will display a number like this on their test page - not sure about Okidata.

banzai "oki dokie" kai

[sdunn]

IBMPPR We tried the others and the print gets all screwed up

[banzaikai]

Okay. Let me get my head back into dot-matrix mode...

Are you getting this number on the first page of the job, or every page printed? That is, if you send a 4-page job, only page one has it?

Does this do the same when printing a self-test (may be accessed via front panel, but you can usually load up the paper and hold down the LF, FF, or Font button while turning on the printer to get the various pages. If you don't, then we're back to drivers, if you do, then it's the printer.

On the driver, are you using the correct paper feed? If using the auto-feed cut-sheet, then you want to still select "Continuous" or "Tractor Feed". The "Manual" setting is for single-feeding sheets, and will send a code to the printer to pause for you to load, which may cause the Oki to print those numbers instead of actually pausing. Also check for any "Skip Perf", and toggle it to see what happens.

Try setting margins to "None" or zero, as these are typically adjusted by you when setting the tractor/auto feed anyway.

I'm thinking there's a code being sent out that the Oki isn't interpreting correctly in IBMPPR mode, or that is being duplicated by both the driver and printer. The result is the extraneous numbers being printed. Since they're short, and the rest of the job is okay, this seems to indicate it's some sort of formatting/operational code that you're seeing.

banzai "NLQ" kai

[sdunn]

Thanks, I will check into your questions and let you know