Meaning of Handshake Option in PostScript Driver (69424)

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Meaning of Handshake Option in PostScript Driver

There are two selections available when you choose the Handshake option with a PostScript device: Hardware and Software. Normally, Hardware is the preferable handshaking method to select.

A frequent misconception is that the Handshake option in the Windows PostScript driver is used to set the method Windows uses to perform handshaking with the printer. This is incorrect. The handshaking method used by Windows is set in the Ports section of the Windows Control Panel.

The Handshake option in the PostScript driver is used to set the handshaking method the PostScript printer uses. It does not affect the handshaking method Windows uses. The Windows handshaking method must be set in the Control Panel to match the method set in the PostScript driver.

To set the PostScript driver Handshake option, do the following:

1. In the Control Panel window, choose the Printers icon.
2. Select the PostScript printer from the list of installed printers and choose the Configure button.
3. In the Configure dialog box, choose the Setup button.
4. Choose the Options button in the PostScript Printer dialog box.
5. Choose the Handshake button.

When you use the PostScript Handshake option button to set the printer's handshaking, the driver sends actual PostScript language code to the printer. This code sets the handshaking method the printer then uses. This setting remains intact, even if the printer is turned off, until reset using the same option.

NOTE: In the Windows Control Panel, handshaking is referred to as Flow Control. Also, software handshaking is referred to as Xon/Xoff.

PostScript Printer Driver Handshake Option Doesn't Change

When you use the Handshake option in the PostScript printer driver to change the handshake setting of the printer from Hardware to Software, the setting in the dialog box remains set to Hardware. This is expected behavior.

It is a common misconception that the Handshake dialog box for the PostScript printer driver indicates what the current handshake setting is for the printer. Because Windows cannot query the printer to determine which handshaking mode is being used, there is no way for the driver to indicate the current setting to the user. This dialog box is intended to send the appropriate PostScript code to the printer, which sets the printer to either hardware or software handshaking.

PostScript Code Sent to the Printer When Handshake Set to Hardware

When you configure the PostScript printer driver for printer handshaking with Hardware, the following PostScript program is sent to the printer:

   !PS-Adobe-3.0
   %Creator: Windows PSCRIPT
   %Title: PSSWHand
   statusdict begin statusdict /jobname (PSSWHand) put end
   serverdict begin 0 exitserver/Helvetica findfont 20 scalefont
      setfont
   100 200 moveto statusdict begin 25 sccbatch exch pop 4 ne{25 25
      sccbatch
   pop 4 setsccbatch(Hardware handshaking enabled.)}{(Hardware
      handshaking already enabled.)}ifelse show 100 100 moveto
      defaulttimeouts 60
   lt{300 setdefaulttimeouts(Wait timeout changed.)}{pop pop(Wait
      timeout already properly set.)}ifelse show showpage quit