On Apr 4, 1:15 pm, Ian Northeast <i...@house-from-hell.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
> On Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:00:45 -0400, John B. wrote:
> > Programming in COBOL on a Unix mainframe - I'm trying to get Code 128
> > barcodes to print on an HP LaserJet 2430n. The appropriate PCL code is
> > sent via a print file and ends up in a Unix print queue. Everything is
> > recognized, except the start and stop characters of the barcode escape
> > sequence. They are passed as a Hex A2 and Hex A4, respectively, (and show
> > as such when displayed in hex) but are somehow "lost" come time to
> > physically print them on the HP. All I'm getting are the data characters
> > and check character in the barcodes, thus making them unscannable.
>
> > When I physically send those hex characters to the printer, they come out
> > as an inverted L for the Hex A2 and a double pipe for the Hex A4, which
> > are way off. Would they be getting mucked up going from EBCDIC to ASCII?
> > Are there any print queue settings on the Unix side I need to change?
> > Filters, perhaps? (The HP will successfully print a Code 128 barcode via
> > other methods, so it's not the printer itself.) Or is this simply not
> > possible to do??
>
> Could you please clarify the setup? What do you mean by a "Unix
> mainframe"? While there have been a couple of versions of UNIX for
> mainframes they are very rare and I believe they all use ASCII not EBCDIC.

He may be referring to the USS ("Unix System Services") component of
OS/390 and it's followons. If so, then he probably is working in
EBCDIC (CP037 or CP038). (FWIW, OS/390 was certified as Unix'95 by The
Open Group).

[snip]