Using PJL for Custom Finishing
Printer Job Language (PJL) is a language supported by most PCL printers that lets you add processing commands at the job level. People who use PJL in eFORMz projects typically send finishing commands, such as stapling output.
You can enter PJL commands in the Generated Content’s File or Printer tab of an eDirect Content step:
The PJL includes the following parts. The first and last lines are mandatory.
| PJL Content | Description |
| \x1b%-12345X@PJL | Start of PJL commands. The string begins with the escape character, \x1b. Each line ends with carriage return and line feed characters, \r\n. |
| @PJL SET STAPLE = ON | Staple the print job. |
| @PJL SET STAPLE = LEFTTOP | Where to staple the print job. |
| @PJL ENTER LANGUAGE = PCL | Interpret the remaining content as PCL. |
| \x1b%-12345X | End PJL job. This must be the last item in the Trailer field. |
Different printers have different PJL syntax. It is important to use the syntax that your printer understands. Complete the following steps to see PJL that your printer recognizes:
- Start a document in Microsoft Word or a similar editor and create a new document.
- Select a PCL printer to print the document to, click Printer Properties, and set your printing preferences. You can see Printer Properties in the image below.
- Click the small arrow on the right (circled in red below), go to the bottom of the list and click Print to File, and then click the Print button.
- Specify a location and file name for the file.
- Open the file in an editor like Notepad++.
- You can see the PJL commands at the top of the file, like this:
%-12345X@PJL JOB
@PJL SET JOBNAME = “eFORMz Job”
@PJL SET AUTOTRAYCHANGE = ON
@PJL SET DUPLEX=OFF
@PJL SET QTY = 1
@PJL SET JOBOFFSET = OFF
@PJL SET STAPLE=OFF
@PJL SET PUNCH=OFF
@PJL SET SLIPSHEETPRINT=OFF
@PJL SET BITSPERDOT=2
@PJL SET DATAMODE=COLOR
@PJL SET RENDERMODE=COLOR
@PJL SET RESOLUTION=600
@PJL ENTER LANGUAGE=PCL
Collating multiple copies
You can collate multiple copies of a document by setting @PJL SET QTY to the number of times you want the document printed. With @PJL SET QTY = 2, a three-page document is printed twice: 1, 2, 3 & 1, 2, 3. If you set @PJL SET COPIES = 2, the document is printed without collating: 1, 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3. The following PJL was tested on a Lexmark C6160 printer:
\x1b%-12345X@PJL\r\n@PJL SET JOBNAME = "eFORMz"\r\n@PJL SET QTY = 2\r\n@PJL ENTER LANGUAGE=PCL\r\n
If you want to set custom finishes dynamically you would need to create a custom variable that dynamically changes the settings. For a sample, download the following eFORMz project: ProjectPJL
See the following publication for detailed information: