Enables forms to be aligned in the printer before a job is despooled. This is particularly useful for setting up special forms such as cheques and pre-printed invoices before printing.
Form Queue or Despooler (D
SP-ALIGN [ despooler-name (D || queue-name ]
queue-name (Queue)
is the name of the formqueue containing the print job to align.
despooler-name (Despooler - D)
is the name of the Despooler which is despooling the print job to align.
D Defines the preceding parameter to be a Despooler name.
When the A option is assigned to a formqueue using SP-ASSIGN, each print job entering the formqueue then takes the A option.
You can assign the A option to one or more print jobs in a formqueue using SP-OPTS.
When a print job with the A option reaches the head of the formqueue it takes the 'Align' status and is suspended ready for alignment. It remains suspended until execution of SP-ALIGN is resumed using the following procedure.
On entering SP-ALIGN or Action Code 13 with form queue or Despooler name, you are prompted with:
(ALIGN) (P)RINT OR (Q)UIT
Before continuing, ensure that the printer is set up correctly with any special forms required for the print job, then enter one of the following:
A{n} To align the first print job to the form in the printer, where n is an integer number.
Entering A prints a character mask of
the whole print job.
Entering An prints a
character mask of the first n lines of the print job.
The character mask comprises an X for every alphabetic character and a 9 for every numeric character. Punctuation characters remain the same.
P To resume printing from the formqueue. This outputs the aligned print job. On completing the despooling of the print job, the formqueue will continue despooling print jobs, as determined by assigned options, until the next print job with A option assigned reaches the head of the formqueue.
Q Quit. To exit from Action
Code 13 (SP-ALIGN) without having aligned or printed anything, enter
Q.
When a print job with A option assigned again reaches the head of the formqueue, despooling is suspended again until Action Code 13 or SP-ALIGN is executed.
SP-ASSIGN without option A must be entered to cancel the A option assignment on the formqueue.
To align and print cheques from the formqueue ACCOUNTS.
First assign the A option to all print jobs entering the formqueue ACCOUNTS. Enter:
SP-ASSIGN =ACCOUNTS (A
Now send the print report(s) to be printed on the cheque(s) to the printer. For example,
CP CHEQUES 100455 100456 100457
Now enter:
SP-JOBS
This shows the cheque print jobs queued in ACCOUNTS, the first one with 'Align' status and the remainder 'Queued'. Now select Action Code 13 on the Print Jobs screen.
At the next prompt, enter the formqueue name, as follows:
Form Queue or Despooler (D - ACCOUNTS
This displays:
(A)LIGN (P)RINT (Q)UIT:
Note: Before proceeding, ensure that the special forms, in this case cheques, are loaded into the printer correctly.
To check the alignment of the print job, enter: A.
Note: If you wanted to align the
first two lines only, you enter: A2.
Entering the A option causes the Spooler to output a mask print job to the printer. So, for example, if the first print job is:
22nd March 1999 D. G Smith Four Hundred and Fifty Pound £450.00 D.G. SMITH
then by selecting the A option, a character mask with alpha characters replaced by X's and numerals by 9's is output to the printer, as follows:
99XX XXXXX 9999 X. X. XXXXX Xxxx XXXXXXX XXX XXXXX XXXXX 999.99 9.9. 99999
You are then returned to the prompt:
(A)LIGN (P)RINT (Q)UIT:
where you can repeat the ALIGN check or you can start to PRINT by entering
P.
The next print job then moves to the head of the queue and takes 'Align'
status. You must now re-run SP-ALIGN (or Action Code 13) and either repeat the
alignment procedure by entering A, or if you are
satisfied with the form alignment, entering P.
This procedure must be repeated for each print job with 'Align' status.
Once you have completed the printing of cheques, remove the cheque forms from the printer and enter the following to cancel the A assignment from the formqueue.
SP-ASSIGN =ACCOUNTS