Creating a PostScript Start-up File for QMS Crown Printers

When a QMS Crown printer is powered on, the controller checks to see whether a file
called Sys/Start exists on the printer's hard disk. If it does exist, the contents are
executed in the PostScript emulation before any jobs are accepted by the printer. This
provides an opportunity to create macros or forms that all users need at a given
installation.

There are four steps recommended for the creation of a Sys/Start file:

1.    Create and test the macros, forms, or fonts to be included in the Sys/Start file. It is
important to test the code in advance. Although most errors in the Sys/Start file are
harmless, some may be unrecoverable and require reformatting the hard disk.

2.    Send a job to the printer that creates a temporary file on the hard disk containing the
code to be included in the Sys/Start file. This file should include the following PostScript
code:

      %!
      %%IncludeFeature: emulation (postscript)
      %%EndComments
      /buildtemp (StartTemp) (w) file def
      /buffer 1024 string def
      /storethisstuff
      {
       {currentfile buffer readstring
        exch buildtemp exch writestring
        not {buildtemp closefile exit} if
       } loop
      } def
      storethisstuff
      [insert the text of the start-up job here]

3.    Send a job to the printer which saves the existing Sys/Start file (if one exists) and
renames the temporary file to Sys/Start. The code for this file is as follows:

      %!
      %%IncludeFeature: emulation (postscript)
      %%EndComments
      serverdict begin 0 exitserver
      statusdict begin
      (Sys/Start) status {clear (Sys/Start) (OldStart) renamefile} if
      (StartTemp) (Sys/Start) renamefile
      end stop

4.    Turn off the printer, count to 10, and then turn on the printer again. The Sys/Start
file does not take effect until the printer is restarted.



Notes on the Sys/Start File

1.    The Sys/Start file is executed outside the server loop when the printer is turned on.
Therefore, it is never necessary to include the exitserver operator in the Sys/Start file.

2.    It is recommended that you download the PostScript error handler to the printer
before sending the job to create the temporary file or the Sys/Start file. This saves time
and trouble if there are typographical errors in the jobs.

3.    Steps 2 and 3 can be combined into a single job, creating Sys/Start directly.
However, Sys/Start is a protected file and can be accessed only from outside the server
loop. As a consequence, the PostScript job to create the file can use PostScript VM,
which cannot be recovered until the printer is turned off and then back on again. It is
safer to create the temporary file and then simply rename the file in a separate job, as
documented here.

4.    The Sys/Start file should never be used to set nonvolatile parameters, such as
defaultemulation or sccbatch. These parameters are stored in EEPROM on the printer,
which can be updated only a limited number of times before the component fails. In fact,
since these items are stored in nonvolatile memory, there is no need to alter them every
time the printer is turned on.

QMSþ, QMS-PSþ, and ColorScriptþ are registered trademarks of QMS; PostScriptþ is
a registered trademark of Adobe Systems.