GCC Printers Elite XL - Manual (Page 115)

Chapter 4 Using the Elite XL with Windows and DOS
4-36 Chapter 4
Port configuration – DOS
In order for successful printing to take place, DOS, your DOS application, and
the Elite XL must be configured to communicate through the same port and
with the same port settings. Your PC and the Elite XL may be connected
through either a parallel or RS-422 serial interface.
Parallel Port
To set up the parallel port for communication between the Elite XL and the PC,
issue the following MS-DOS command before printing:
Type: MODE LPT1:,,P
This command allows the Centronics busy signal to be active for extended
periods of time so that the computer does not abort long print jobs. If you are
printing through a parallel port other than LPT1, substitute that port’s number
in the above MODE command.
Serial Port
To set up the RS-422 serial port for communication between the Elite XL and
the PC, issue the following MS-DOS command before printing:
Type: MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1
The above MODE command configures the PC serial port for a baud rate of 9600,
no parity, 8 data-bits, 1 stop-bit, and for XON/XOFF flow control. These settings
match the Elite XL’s RS-422 front panel factory default settings. XON/XOFF flow
control is widely used, but check your application’s documentation to see if that
handles this protocol. It is important that the application support XON/XOFF
because standard DOS commands such as PRINT and COPY cannot.
However, we recommend that instead of XON/XOFF flow control, you use
DTR flow control. DTR flow control is preferred, because DOS has better
support for it, as it matches the flow control preferred by Windows, and it
provides more reliable communication when sending PCL jobs to the printer.
To use DTR flow control, issue the following MS-DOS commands before
printing:
Type: MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1,P
Note: In both the parallel and serial Mode command examples shown on this page, the
P switch may be replaced by the B switch. The B switch is available with versions of
MS-DOS, 4.0 and later. (Not all applications support the B switch.)
Note: You will
need to change
the Elite XL’s
flow control
submenu
setting to DTR
if you use the
this MODE
command. (See
page 2-10.)