Q: Each invoice is one different spool file (4K size, plain ASCII from IBM AS/400). The user has a badge to release over 1000 invoices/day. The printer used to print these invoices is a 80 copies / minute machine, which takes 8 seconds to initialise when processing a new spool.
Collecting the jobs manually, we tested the speed of the machine and it has improved significantly, even in duplex mode.
A: Well you have 2 issues to solve here:
1. Collecting all jobs using the archive functionality:
[AS400in]
; assuming ELP receives the data in this queue named "AS400in", if you have only one queue
; then use the rule GLOBAL instead
OutArchiveDir=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#\archive;#DATESERIAL#_#MILLISECONDS#.prn
; store all jobs sorted by their incoming time
; Do print nothing
NoPrinting=ON
; Note:
; If the job misses a Form Feed at the end, then you can add it:
; ELP_COMMAND=C1I1;
; Dummy command to draw form plain paper but needed to add the form feed
; ELP_EXIT_JOB=\x0C
2. Triggering the printout, so all collected jobs are really printed.
Actually there are 2 ways to activate the final print out, which may be combined any way, to make sure that in the evening all jobs are printed:
2.1 Time based version 1:
Use the any freeware utility or batch file to repeat every X times the print of the remaining data streams.
Note: In addition you may need to reset the Job_Counter.var file in the patch process like this:
copy /b c:\ProgramData\WELP\archive\invoice*.* \\MyELPPC\PrintQueueName
rem then delete the files:
del c:\ProgramData\WELP\archive\invoice*.* /Q
del c:\ProgramData\WELP\job_counter.var
The file init_count.var is an ASCII file which has only one line of text data, a zero.
2.2 As wished every X invoices.
Add to the AS400in/Global rule this line:
JobCounter=#ELP_FORMS_PATH#job_counter.var
Generate a new rule
[On every 50th job]
; Primary trigger, which comes for all jobs true
Trigger_Binary=1
Trigger_Variable=#JOB_COUNTER#:50
CloseArchivesBeforeCall=ON
Call=The same batch file as used in 2.1
2.3 Time based version 2:
Find here: Start time [and date] triggered processes an example which does include 2.2, but as well also prints the collected jobs latest X minutes after the last job did arrive.