Hilmar, if I understand GDI printers correctly, they do not have an on-board CPU to handle the print rendering with a rendering language that contains a predefined set of features nor RAM to render the page. GDI printers instead support what the Windows GDI supports for a rendering language. They require the local computer's CPU and Windows GDI to perform the print rendering. They use the GDI to render the image and then pass the rendered page as a bitmap image to the printer instead of sending PCL to the printer itself and rendering the page on the printer. This creates a problem for all of my reports that are printed using ??? and @...say and condensed, bold, standard printing is set using ???. The printer doesn't recognize any esc codes. Unless I am mistaken???

Oh yeah, the standard Epson dot-matrix printers do NOT fall into this category, but the newer low-end windows printers (c40/c60/c80/etc) as well as most low-end Lexmarks do.

Tracy


>>Hi Hilmar,
>>Thanks for replying! The problem I am having is that the GDI printers ignore the printer codes. They print everything in the standard format-no condensed printing, etc. If I understand GDI printers, they MUST go through the windows GDI to print and you cannot send printer codes directly to the printer using ???, correct? The reports work as is using ??? or @...say to standard printers (HP Lasers, Okidata Dot Matrixes, etc), but not to the GDI printers.
>
>Well, I'm not quite sure what is meant by GDI printers. Do the standard Epson dot-matrix fall in this category? Anyway, sending printer codes, followed by a text-file (loaded into RAM) to an Epson Dot-Matrix printer works for me.
>
>Example:
>
>

>printer_codes = CHR(27) + CHR(15) && Condensed printing, usually 17 CPI for Epson
>* Optional: SET PRINTER TO ...
>??? printer_codes + FileInRam
>

>
>
>Hilmar.