A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What

Security: Verbal Use Only
Tech Guide 4: Mailboxes are from Mars, revision 1.0, published 7/1/00, last update 7/1/00
created by Marianne Orchard, Resource Desk Corporate Printers, CHSD
1
Multi-Bin Mailboxes
1.Which types of Mailbox are there?
There are several different types of mailbox which are supported on different printers. In addition, there are obsolete
mailboxes which cannot be used on all printers. We shall first look at what the different types of mailbox are.
8-Bin Mailbox
This mailbox has eight face-down bins which each hold up to 250 sheets, and one face-up bin which
holds up to 100 sheets. It increases the printer’s total output capacity to up to 2600 sheets.
There are two different 8-Bin Mailboxes, C3764A and C4785A. The easiest way to distinguish between
the mailboxes is to look for a LED in the top right-hand corner on the front of the mailbox. The
C3764A doesn’t have a LED, the C4785A does. The C3764A is one-speed, it can only print at 24
pages per minute. The C4785A is two-speed, it can print both at 24 pages per minute and 32 pages
per minute.
7-Bin Mailbox
This mailbox has seven face-down bins which each hold up to 125 sheets, and one face-up bin
which holds up to 100 sheets. It increases the printer’s total output capacity to up to 1475 sheets.
There is one 7-Bin Mailbox, C4783A. It has a LED and can print at both 24 pages per minute
and 32 pages per minute.
5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler
This mailbox has five face-down bins which each hold up to 250 sheets, a face-down stapler bin which
holds up to 350 sheets and one face-up bin which holds up to 100 sheets. The stapler is capable of
stapling up to 20 sheets of 20lb paper at a time. The mailbox with staple increases the printer’s total
output capacity to up to 2200 sheets.
There are two different 5-Bin Mailboxes with Stapler, C3774A and C4787A. The easiest way to
distinguish between the mailboxes is to look fo a LED in the top right-hand corner on the front of
the mailbox. The C3774A doesn’t have a LED, the C4787A does. The C3774A is one-speed, it can
only print at 24 pages per minute. The C4787A is two-speed, it prints at both 24 pages per minute
and 32 pages per minute.
2. Which mailboxes are supported by which printers?
LJ5Si
The LJ5Si supports two of the mailbox types listed above: the 8-Bin Mailbox and the 5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler.
It supports both of the 8-Bin Mailboxes, the C3764A and the C4785A. The C3764A was originally developed for the
LJ5Si. It is now obsolete and has been replaced by the C4785A. The C4785A is backward compatible and can be
used on the LJ5Si.
The LJ5Si also supports both of the 5-Bin Mailboxes with Stapler, the C3774A and the C4787A. The C3774A is
now obsolete and has been replaced by the C4787A. The C4787A is backwards compatible and can be used on
the LJ5Si.
LJ8000 and LJ8100
The LJ8000 and LJ8100 support all three mailbox types listed above: the 8-Bin Mailbox, the 7-Bin Mailbox and the
5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler. Unlike the LJ5Si, they only support the new mailboxes, thus the 8-Bin Mailbox - C4785A,
the 7-Bin Mailbox - C4783A and the 5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler - C4787A.
CLJ8500
The CLJ8500 only supports one type of mailbox - the 8-Bin Mailbox. It supports the new model of 8-Bin Mailbox,
the C4785A.
8-Bin Mailbox (obsolete) – C3764A
8-Bin Mailbox – C4785A
7-Bin Mailbox – C4783A
5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler (obsolete) – C3774A
5-Bin Mailbox with Stapler – C4787A
2
LJ5Si
ü
ü
û
ü
ü
LJ8000
û
ü
ü
û
ü
LJ8100
û
ü
ü
û
ü
CLJ8500
û
ü
û
û
û
3. Mailbox Modes
There are four different modes in which mailboxes can function. The modes which can be configured depend upon
which printer the mailbox is attached to. First we will look at which modes there are and then at what they mean.
Mailbox Mode
This mode enables the assignment of trays to groups or individuals. Each of the mailboxes can be selected as a
separated output destination. In this mode the printer driver sends the following PJL command to select the desired
mailbox:
@PJL SET OUTBIN=OPTIONAL OUTBIN#
2 = Mailbox 1
3 = Mailbox 2
4 = Mailbox 3
5 = Mailbox 4
6 = Mailbox 5
7 = Mailbox 6
8 = Mailbox 7
9 = Mailbox 8
Job Separation Mode
In this mode, each print job is sent to a different bin starting from the top (bin 1) to the bottom. In this mode, copies
(or mopies) within a job are sent to the same mailbox tray. For example, if the user is printing from Word and selects
to print five copies of a document, all these copies will be sent to the same mailbox bin. The printer software sees the
mailbox as one logical bin, it is the printer’s firmware which determines which mailbox tray the job will be sent to.
In Job Separation Mode, the printer driver sends the following PJL command to send the job to the Job Separator:
@PJL SET OUTBIN=OPTIONAL OUTBIN 2
(This is the same command for selecting Mailbox 1 when the mailbox is configured to Mailbox Mode, for selecting
the Stacker when the mailbox is configured to Stacker Mode and for selecting the Collator when the Mailbox is
configured to Collator Mode).
Stacker Mode
This mode stacks the printed output from the lowest bin to the top, regardless of job boundaries. So, if a mailbox
tray becomes full halfway through a job, the rest of the job will be sent to the next mailbox tray above. The printer
software sees the mailbox as one logical bin, it is the printer’s firmware which determines which mailbox tray the
job will be sent to.
In this mode, the printer driver sends the following PJL command to send the job to the Stacker:
@PJL SET OUTBIN=OPTIONAL OUTBIN 2
(This is the same command for selecting Mailbox 1 when the mailbox is configured to Mailbox Mode, for selecting
the Job Separator when the mailbox is configured to Job Separation and for selecting the Collator when the Mailbox
is configured to Collator Mode).
Collator Mode
In this mode the device automatically separates mopies. Each mopy is sent to a different bin starting from Mailbox 1
continuing down to the lowest bin. A requirement for this mode to function correctly is mopying. If the job is not mopied,
all copies contained in the job will go to the same mailbox bin. Therefore, if a job is not mopied and the mailbox is
configured to Collator Mode, the effect will be the same as Job Separation Mode.
In Collator Mode, the printer driver sends the following PJL command to send the job to the Collator:
@PJL SET OUTBIN=OPTIONAL OUTBIN 2
(This is the same command for selecting Mailbox 1 when the mailbox is configured to Mailbox Mode, for selecting
the Job Separator when the mailbox is configured to Job Separation and for selecting Stacker when the printer is
configured to Stacker Mode).
Which printers can be configured in which modes?
LJ5Si
Mailbox Mode
Job Separation Mode
Stacker Mode
Collator Mode
ü
ü
ü
û
LJ8000
ü
ü
ü
ü
LJ8100
ü
ü
ü
ü
CLJ8500
ü
ü
ü
û
3
How to Configure Mailbox Modes?
The mailbox modes cannot be configured by the driver (although it is necessary to select the mailbox as destination
from the driver, see section 2 below). The reason for this is that if every user selected a different mode with their
print job, nobody would be able to find their job because there would be no consistency. The idea is that a network
administrator decides which mode is necessary in their working environment and that everyone works accordigly.
As we have just seen in the previous section, the driver sends the same commands to the printer regardless of
which mode is selected. If Stacker, Job Separator or Collator Mode are selected, the driver sends the same PJL
destination command:
@PJL SET OUTBIN=OPTIONAL OUTBIN 2
Therefore, what influences how the job ends up in the mailbox, is the mode in which it has been configured. There are
different modes depending on which printer is concerned. The steps which need to be taken to configure the mailbox
follow the same principle on all printers.
1. Configure the Mailbox Mode on the printer
LJ5Si and CLJ8500
The Mailbox Mode on these printers can either be configured from JetAdmin or with PJL commands. To configure
the printer using PJL commands, the user should enter the PJL commands for the mode required in DOS Edit (or
comparable text editor), save the file and then copy it directly to the printer from the DOS prompt. If nothing prints
out but the data light flashes, the commands have probably worked.
To configure the mode from JetAdmin the following steps should be taken:
a. Open JetAdmin and double-click on the printer
b. Select the Output tab
c. Under Mode select either Mailbox, Job Separator or Stacker
LJ8000/LJ8100
The mailbox mode on these printers can, like the LJ5Si and CLJ8500, be configured using PJL commands or from
JetAdmin. In addition, there is a simpler way to configure the mode through the printer control panel. These steps
should be followed to configure the mode through the control panel:
a. Go to the Configuration of MBM# Menu on the printer (# can be 5,7 or 8 depending on which mailbox is
installed)
b. Go with the Item key until “Operation Mode: x” appears in the display (x is the mode the mailbox is currently
configured in)
c. Press the value key until the preferred mode appears in the display to the right of “Operation Mode”
d. Press the select key to save the mode setting.
To check which mode the mailbox is configured to on all printers, look at the Configuration page of the printer. The
mailbox will be differently described depending upon which mode it is configured to. On the Configuration page of
the CLJ8500 this information appears under the Installed Options and Output Paper Handling Device section on the
bottom left-hand side of the page. On the LJ5Si, this information appears under the Paper Handling Options section
on the bottom right-hand side of the page. On the LJ8000 and LJ8100 it appears under the Paper Trays and Options.
If the mailbox is configured to mailbox mode, it will appear as “Hewlett-Packard Multibin Mailbox” and the individal
mailboxes will be listed. If the mailbox is configured to Stacker Mode, it will appear as Hewlett-Packard Stacker and
only one face-down output bin will be listed. On the LJ8000 and LJ8100 it is also possible to check which mode is
configured by looking in the MBM menu.
4
LJ5Si Configuration Page - Mailbox is configured in Mailbox Mode
5
LJ5Si Configuration Page - Mailbox is configured in Stacker Mode
6
2. Select the Mailbox Mode in the driver
For all printers it is now necessary to select the mode in the driver in which the mailbox has already been configured.
Note: The driver does not change the Mailbox Mode of the printer, it is merely so that the user knows which mode
has already been configured. If the user selects Stacker Mode in the driver but the Mailbox Mode on the printer is
Job Separator, the job will print out in Job Separator Mode. This does not mean that the printer is overriding the
driver. The driver does not have the ability to change the mode, it only has the ability to select the destination of
the job, i.e. top output bin, face-up bin or the mailbox. The printer does have a default setting for Job Destination
which the driver does override. The default setting for Job Destination is in the Configuration Menu of the LJ5Si and
in the Paper Handling Menu of the CLJ8500, LJ8000 and LJ8100. If the paper destination is set to the upper bin
on the printer and Mailbox 1 is selected in the driver, the job will be sent to Mailbox 1. This shows that the driver
does override the printer settings.
Where the mode is selected in the driver depends on which driver is being used. It is always selected in the same tab
as where the mailbox can be installed. This is a screen shot from the LJ8100 PCL5e driver for NT4.0. In this driver the
mailbox can be installed and the mode can be selected in the Configure tab in the properties of the driver.
7
3. Select the mailbox as destination for the job
When sending the job to the printer, it is necessary to select the mailbox bin, stacker, job separator or collator as
output destination. Usually this is done in the destination tab of the driver but it can differ deending on which operating
system and which driver is being used. This is an example of the LJ8100 PCL5e driver for NT4.0 when printing from
Word 97. Go to File>Print>Properties. Select the Destination tab and select the mailbox as job destination. In this
example the driver is set to Stacker Mode.
8
Stackers
Which Stackers are there?
There are two different stackers, the 3000-Sheet Stacker and the 3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker. They can only be
used with the LJ8000 and LJ8100. They both require a minimum firmware version. The 3000-Sheet Stacker/Stapler
comes with two firmware DIMMs in the box - one DIMM for the LJ8000, one for the LJ8100. This table shows the
minumum firmware required in order to be able to use the Stacker and Stacker/Stapler on the LJ8000 and LJ8100.
3000-Sheet Stacker
3000-Sheet Stacker/Stapler
LJ8000
v.4.28
v.4.48
LJ8100
v.5.33
v.5.44
If the printer doesn’t have the necessary firmware, the Stacker or Stacker/Stapler may not function
correctly. On the LJ8100, if the Stacker/Stapler is attached and the printer doesn’t have the
minimum firmware required, the printer will take the stapling setting from the control panel instead
of from the software. This is incorrect because the software should override the hardware. If the
correct firmware is installed the software does override the hardware.
3000-Sheet Stacker
The 3000-Sheet Stacker holds up to 3000 sheets of paper inthe face-down stacker and up to 125
sheets in the face-up bin. It can be configured to three different modes - Offset Action=yes (Job
Offset), Offset Action=Job Separation and Offset Action=no. Once the mode is congifured, all jobs
will print out in this mode, there is no way to select a mode on a job-based basis.
Offset Action=No means that the
pages will be stacked in the
middle of the stacker bin so there
is no way to distinguish between
jobs or copies
Offset Action=Yes means that
jobs or mopies are offset from
each other. The jobs of mopies
are separated by placing one on
the left-hand side and the next
one on the right-hand side and
so on. If the user is mopying,
each copy within a print job will be
offset. If the user is not mopying,
each job will be offset.
Offset Action=Job Separator
means that the first page of each
job or mopy is offset, or place on
the left or right-hand side of the
stacker bin. The rest of the job is
place in the middle of the stacker
bin. If the user is mopying, the
first page of each copy will be
offset. If the user is not mopying,
the first page of each job will be
offset.
9
Configuring and Printing to the 3000-Sheet Stacker
1. Configure the offset mode
There are two ways to configure the offset mode, either from the Control Panel of the printer or in JetAdmin. To
configure from the Control Panel
a. Go to the Configuration of Stkr Menu on the printer
b. Go with the Item key until “Offset Action=x” appears in the display
c. Select the offset mode required with the value key
c. Press Select to save the setting
2. Install the 3000-Sheet Stacker in the driver
This is an example using the PCL5e driver for NT4.0 for the LJ8100. Go to the properties of the driver and to the
Configure tab. For Optional Paper Destination select HP 3000-Sheet Stacker, Make sure that the 3000-Sheet Power
Stacker is NOT selected. This is a third party product which has different options and features than the HP 3000-Sheet
Stacker. If the HP Stacker is not in the list, it will first be necessary to install the latest driver.
10
3. Select the 3000-Sheet Stacker as destination for the print job
This is an example of printing from Word 97 under NT4.0 using the PCL5e driver for the LJ8100. Select
File>Print>Properties and go to the Destination tab. Select the Stacker under Output Bin.
3000-Sheet Stacker/Stapler
The 3000-Sheet Stacker/Stapler holds up to 3000 sheets of paper in the face-down stacker and up
to 125 sheets in the face-up bin. It can be configured to two different modes when not stapling No Offset or Job Offset. Like on the 3000-Sheet Stacker, No offset means that jobs are centred
in the stacker bin. Job Offset=Yes means that each job or mopy is offset to the left and right
of the stacker bin.
When stapling. ALL stapled jobs are offset. This is to accomodate the staple height in the stack.
The following stapling options are possible:
one staple
one angled staple (40 degrees)
two staples
three staples
six staples
custom stapling (up to seven staples)
The stapler can staple from 2 to up to 50 sheets of paper together depending on the thickness of the paper. The
maximum job thickness for stapling is 5.5mm. A job thicker than 5.5mm is ejected unstapled.
Configuring and Printing to the 3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker - No Stapling
1. Configure the Offset Mode
Configure the offset mode for when stapling is not being used. The mode can be configured either on the printer
Control Panel or from JetAdmin. To configure the mode on the printer control panel:
a. Go with the Menu key to the Configuration of Stkr Menu.
b. Go with the Item key until “Offset Action= x” appears in the display
c. Select the required offset with the Value key
d. Save the setting with the Select key.
11
2. Install the 3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker in the driver
This is an example using the PCL5e driver for NT4.0 for the LJ8100. Go to the properties of the driver and to the
Configure tab. For Optional Paper Destinations select HP 3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker. Make sure that the 3000-Sheet
Power Stacker is NOT selected. This is a third-party product which has different options and features than the HP
3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker. If the HP Stacker is not in the list, it will first be necessary to install the latest driver.
3. Select the 3000-Sheet Stapler/Stacker as destination for the print job.
This is an example of printing from Word97 under NT4.0 using the PCL5e driver for the LJ8100. Select
File>Print>Properties and go to the Destination tab. Select the Stacker/Stapler under Output Bin.
Configuring and Printing to the 3000-Sheet Stacker/Stapler - Stapling
1. Select the default stapling on the printer
Go with the Menu key to the Configuration of Stkr. Menu. This option allows the user to select 1 angled staple, 1,2,3,6
and custom stapling. This is the default setting so it will be overriden if the software sends a command for stapling
with the print job. This setting will be used when sending print jobs from DOS, for example, where no command for
12
stapling is sent with the job.
2. Configure the Custom Stapling
If the user wants to select a custom number of staples or have the staples located in a different position on the
page, this can be configured from JetAdmin. Only one custom stapling option can be configured which is used for
all paper sizes. Once the custom stapling has been configured from JetAdmin, this setting will be used when custom
stapling is selected in the printer driver.
To configure custom stapling in JetAdmin double-click on the printer and go to the Output tab. Click on Define under the
Custom Stapling Option. In the Custom Stapling Option Definition dialogue box select the number of staples required
and the location of the staples.
3. Select Stapling from the printer driver
This is an example of printing from Word97 under NT4.0 using the PCL5e driver for the LJ8100. Select
File>Print>Properties and go to the Finishing tab. Select the number of staples required (note: if custom stapling is
selected, the setting made from JetAdmin will apply). When stapling is selected from the Finishing tab, the paper
destination in the Destination tab is automatically set to Stacker Bin (stapled).
13
Related Websites
KRS:
http://search1.eccc.external.hp.com/search/
BPL05241
BPL06368
BPL04012
BPL05799
BPL05272
BPL02723
BPL06043
BPL05575
BPL05752
BPL07253
BPL02546
BPL07172
BPL07256
NPL01052
http://gmsweb.guad.hp.com/phs-support/index.html
Paper Handling support site. Provides information on current and legacy paper
handling options.
14