JET 3270 Documentation > Printing > Locally Attached
Host Printing to Locally-Attached Printers (3287 Support)
Host applications can generate print output (such as
multi-page reports), and send that output to a printer
associated with your terminal session. The terminal to
printer association is administered on the host.
To print to a locally-attached printer - that is, a printer
directly accessible from an end-user's local system - you
need to select the "Enable Host Printing to Local
Printers" attribute on the Print page of your session
preferences. This activates JET 3270's 3287 support,
and requires that the host system support the TN3270E
(Extended TN3270) protocols - specifically in terms of
supporting printer sessions over those TN3270E
connections. JET 3270 provides support for both LU
Type 1 and LU Type 3 printer sessions with the host.
If you change the "Enable Host Printing to Local
Printers" attribute and you are already connected to
the host system, you should disconnect and reconnect for
the change to take effect.
The events that occur when enabling host printing to
locally-attached printers are:
- JET 3270 connects to the host for the terminal
session.
- After successfully negotiating options with the host,
JET 3270 connects again to the host for a
printer session. It specifically requests that the
printer session be associated with the terminal
session just started.
- The end-user is then free to use the terminal
connection as they would normally, with the print
connection remaining idle.
- When the end-user initiates a print operation, JET
3270 sends the keys supplied to the host (on
the terminal connection).
- The host application then starts the print operation,
which results in the print output being sent to JET
3270 on the printer connection described
above.
- JET 3270 displays a print dialogue to the
end-user, requesting the printer to which to send the
output.
- After the end-user selects a printer and clicks OK on
the print dialogue, JET 3270 sends the print
output to the printer they specified.
Each host application usually has its own method of
initiating a print operation - sometimes expecting the
end-user to press a specific function key, and sometimes
expecting a specific command. Normally the host application
clearly indicates how you should start a print operation,
but if you are in doubt, consult the documentation for that
particular host application.
In many cases, system administrators for the host will set
up what is known as an LU "pool" - a group of terminal
definitions which are identical apart from their name. They
may configure an LU pool which enables the dynamic mapping
of terminal connections to printer connections required for
this feature. It is therefore important that you check with
your host system administrator(s), and determine if you
need to connect to a particular LU pool. If you do, set the
"LU Resource Name" attribute on the Telnet Options
page of your session preferences to the name of the LU pool.
