Duplex Printing SapScript: Invoice - Printer tries but fails backside?

[Former Member]

Hi experts!

I have the following problem:

I want to print invoices with duplex mode (using both sides of the paper to save money). I read the forum here and found out several things.

1. Printer Admin (SPAD) -> Set the printer to Duplex mode

Q: Is this general setting needed at all? I just want to print the backsides for invoices

2. SapScript Form Development (SE71) -> Set Duplex Mode for Page First and Next

Q: Do I have to set both to duplex? I have the standard setup so First -> Next -> Next ...

The Problem:

I tried to print out a 4 page long invoice and I observed the Printer doing it. The Printer tries to duplex by holding the page back at the half and pulling it in again. But then it prints "Nothing" on the backside; also it does this for all 4 pages. Result is: I have 4 pages instead of 2 but the printer needs double the time compared with default printing.

Printer ok?

Facing this I tried the text with transaction SO10: SAPSCRIPT-PRINTMODETEST to ensure, the printer can duplex at all.. and it worked perfect. So I can duplex within the text by using the command NEW-PAGE DUPLEX... but that does not help me with my invoice problem at all!. I could use the command in SapScript but the mechanism determing when a page is full would not work anymore. I would not know when a page is full and I dont want to mess with that arround at all.

So where is my mistake?

Do I have to adjust the print-report?

Is it needed to set First as well as Next to duplex?

Do I have to set in SPAD to duplex in addition?

Thanks a ton!

Manfred

[aidan_black · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Firstly, the setting in SPAD never works for sapscript forms. It only works for ABAP lists and smartforms and then ony with certain device types.

So you should set this in the sapscript form. For eg: a SAPSCRIPT form with pages FIRST and NEXT, you need to set this as follows:

se71 -> Form Name> -> Pages -> FIRST/NEXT -> Print Attributes -> Print Mode

It should be set up as follows for pages FIRST and NEXT:

FIRST: D Begin new page in DUPLEX mode (double-sided)

NEXT: Default: No change of print mode

Then the duplex print should work.

Regards,

Aidan

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Aidan,

You are right. I faced now several further problems.

Problem 1: Page 1 from Tray1, Next from Tray2

The first page of the invoice is different paper with the logo in one corner. Using duplex in combination with different trays resulted in funny numbers of pages.

Pages bevore - Pages after

2 - 2 (like not having duplex at all

3 - 2 (page 1 on first page, backside of page 1 is empty, page 2 and three on the second page in duplex)

4 - 3 (page 1 on first page, backside of page 1 is empty, page 2 is on sheet 2 with another empty backside. Page 3 and 4 are duplexed on the third sheet.

...

Solution:

Not using FIRST(tray1, Duplex) -> NEXT(tray2, Default) anymore.

Now I use FIRST(tray1, Duplex) -> PAGE2(tray1, Default) -> Next(tray2, Default)

Page2 is a copy of NEXT with only difference in the tray using tray1 like FIRST so that the second page can be printed on the backside of the first.

FIRST -> PAGE2 -> NEXT -> NEXT ....

Now I have another problem that is surely not sap - solvable: The orientation of the "good" paper in tray1 is wrong when I use duplex. I would have to rotate it on the long edge to be right now. That means, that I have to use duplex for all sap forms still facing the problem if someone prints stuff from word or excel on the good paper.

But for SAP you solved it!

I will close this thread tomorrow to give you a chance of answering again but you solved the sap - part of my problem!

Kind Regards

Manfred

[mgbernardo]

Hi Manfred,

We need to print in duplex mode too. But I have not been able to do it.

Settings that I have changed:

- Sapscript: first page as DUPLEX, next as default -> OK

- Since read from official SAP documentation, for sapscript duplex you don't need to change display type or device type from SPAD. So I left the one was been used. Anyway, to be sure, I change its print mode to DUPLEX. I have also check if the print control SPMDU appears on the device -> OK

- The printer we use is an OCE MP 1020 which can print on duplex mode and has PCL

Following those instructions, I could not manage to do it.

Did you have to change mode to duplex on your printer locally (out of SAP) or something else?

Could you please explain the steps you made?

Thanks in advance

[aidan_black]

Hi Manfred,

Your solution looks good from SAP side.

I am not sure if I understand correctly the new problem. Is it that the printer for tray 1 is still in duplex mode so that the next time it is used by a different application, it prints on the back of the paper?

Perhaps you can put some reset commmand into the 'Reset after exit' section of the page format used.

SPAD -> Full Admin -> Device Types -> <Device Type> -> Formats -> eg. DINA4 -> Reset after exit

Perhaps then after it is finished printing from SAP, the print mode could be reset. In PCL device types like HPLJ4, there is already a Reset command but in windows deviec types like SAPWIN there are no commands.

This is just a possiblity and some researh might be needed in your printer manual to get the command needed to reset the print mode.

Regards,

Aidan

[Former Member]

Hi Aidan,

The tray problem seems to be like the following:

Page First shall be printed from tray 1 because we have special paper for that with the company logo in color on it. All other pages shall be printed on regular white paper from tray 2 (its cheaper of course).

---

I checked it out: it is cheaper to print all pages of the invoice on the expensive paper with duplex then using simplex with the two different types of paper... but thats just for the interest

---

As the page FIRST shall be from tray1 and NEXT should have been from tray2 the printer did not try to print the first NEXT (so the second page) page on the backside of the FIRST page because the paper came from the wrong tray.

The trick with PAGE2 that comes as well from tray1 enabled the printer to print the second page on the backside of page FIRST.

---

My current problem is the following (and most likely not SAP-solvable):

Its best to explain like the following. Take a normal DINA4 empty sheet of paper and mark it with a cross on the upper right corner. Thats where our log is.

It is in Tray 1 of our printer are the sides with the logo facing down and towards you. If we print in simplex, then the invoice is printed properly on the side with the logo.

If we print Duplex then we would have to insert the paper with the logo facing upwards and away from you to have the first page printed on the side with the logo correctly.

the Problem with that is that I would have to change any form to duplex otherwise all other printmessages are printed wrong. And if someone prints on the "good" paper in simplex mode (for example from MSOffice) then they will print on the wrong side of the doc.

Summary:

I can print Duplex now with the hints you gave me but I have strategic problems. Another problem is that some customers dont want duplex invoices as they scan the invoices automatically and would miss out every second page.

Thanks Mr. Black