You can connect the printer with the IBM i in as good as any way you want. Most customers are using printers, that are connected via the LAN, and the most used connections are:
1.Connect the printer with a printer device configured with port 9100. This is also referred to as raw socket.
2.Via a remote writer without a printer device.
3.Connection via a 5250 Printer session via iSeries Access.
If your printer is configured as a printer device with type: *IPDS on the IBM i, then the printer writer will refuse to print the merged *USRASCII spooled files from InterForm400. The solution is to connect the physical printer once more e.g. with one of the methods mentioned above.
Please notice the suggestion below to avoid MSGW (Message wait) on the writer job, when a spooled file with a different form type is printed.
Below is a comparison between the connection options above:
Pros |
Fastest reaction time i.e small spooled files print out fastest with a printer device. Simple to configure - port 9100 works for as good as any printer. You are informed with a message, if printing goes wrong e.g. if paper is missing in the printer. |
Fastest print speed for very large spooled files. More stable than a printer device, if you have a slow or bad connection to the printer. No error messages are issued i.e. you can leave a remote writer unattended. |
Connects to printers without a LAN connection e.g. USB connected printers. |
Cons |
A bad/slow connection may cause an error message, that should be manually answered. Does not work well with a slow or bad connection to the printer.. Slower than a remote writer, when printing large spooled files. |
Slow start up when printing. Slower than a printer device when printing many, small spooled files. You are not informed of any printing problems. You need to specify the correct remote print queue on the pysical printer on the outq definition. |
Slowest connection method of the three. Printer must be installed on the PC. Require that the used PC is running, and the 5250 emulation has been started. |
Avoid MSGW on the writer job
If you sometimes see this message on a writer job:
Message ID . . . . . . . . . : CPA3394
Message file . . . . . . . . : QCPFMSG
Library . . . . . . . . . : QSYS
Message text . . . . . . . . : Load form type '&4' device &5 writer &1. (G B
I H R C)
Then you should consider this:
1.It is a good idea always to generate merged spooled files in InterForm400 with the same formtype to avoid this. You can e.g. choose *STD for all.
2.You can also avoid this message, if you specify FORMTYPE(*ALL *NOMSG) for both the commands: STRPRTWTR and STRRMTWTR when the writer job is started.
3.If you are a system administrator you can e.g. also consider to copy the STRPRTWTR and STRRMTWTR command to a library higher in the library list and here change the command defaults to use FORMTYPE(*ALL *NOMSG).
