DEC LA120 Emulation
Form Length and Form Feed
Form length is the distance from the top of the form to the bottom of the form. A form feed will advance the paper to the top of the next form. Some programs do not send form feeds. Instead, they count line feeds, and send the appropriate number of line feeds to fill out the page. The usual rational is that the program is then in complete control of form length, and will work on any printer without requiring the correct form length to be set. However, the correct form length should always be set on the FormsPro 4000. Even if the program does not use form feeds, the printer will automatically scroll a completed form up to the tear bar to be torn off. This automatic scroll is based upon form length. The easiest way to set form length is via the "Length:" value in the "Setup: FORM" menu, so it will be correctly set for everyone using the form. If correct form length cannot be guaranteed from SETUP, then each program should set the correct form length.
Set Form Length in Lines | ESC [ n t |
Sets the form length to n lines at the current line spacing. 1³n³255. Maximum form length is 37.9 inches. Invalid form lengths will be ignored. Overrides the "Length:" value in the "Setup: FORM" menu.
For example, an 11 inch form contains 66 lines at 6 LPI, but 88 lines at 8 LPI. If line spacing is changed after setting the form length, the physical form length (in inches) will not be changed.
Resets top of form to the current position, so it is wise to be at top of form before setting form length. Issuing a form feed will guarantee this. Vertical margins are cleared.
Example: The following escape sequence will set form length to 66 lines. At 6 LPI, this will result in a form length of 11 inches.
Escape sequence: | ESC | [ | 6 | 6 | t |
Hexadecimal: | 1B | 5B | 36 | 36 | 74 |
Form Feed |
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| FF |
Causes the current line to be printed, and then advances the paper to the top of the next form. If a top margin is set, printing will continue at the top margin. The "FF at TOF: No" value in the "Setup: INTERFACE" menu allows a form feed to be ignored if the paper is already at top of form. If "Auto CR: On" is selected in the "Setup: INTERFACE" menu, a carriage return will also be performed.
Control code: | FF |
Hexadecimal: | 0A |
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