1.Create a document specification with the parameters you want to use. If you want to select particular media, imposition (layup), or finishing characteristics, you will also need to create those specifications.

Use KITCP to create the specification. For example:

You could also use the ADD command, but copying the default specification preserves all the standard settings. In particular, your document specification should always include /DATA_TYPE.

2.Create a generic queue with your new document specification as a default:

Use your own queue names – in the example, PRINTKIT_LANDSCAPE is the new generic queue, and PRINTKIT is the existing execution queue.

If you want the document specification to always provide the default settings for the execution queue, you can set the default document for the execution queue directly, without creating a separate generic queue. (Use the KITCP MODIFY QUEUE command.) It is best to use this approach only when a printer is dedicated to a single application, since the execution queue will no longer have the “default” behavior.

3.Start the generic queue:

4.Make it permanent by adding the START /QUEUE command to your startup file (normally SYS$STARTUP: SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM).

Both the PCL and ANSI-PPL3 data types are based on ASCII character codes and escape sequences. Because they are so similar, PrintKit's automatic data type selection often can't tell them apart and uses ANSI-PPL3 by default.

You can specify the PCL data type on the PRINT command, but you can also use a generic queue, as in this example:

This generic queue still uses PrintKit's automatic data type selection (so when you print a PostScript document, you get what you expected, instead of reams of unintelligible PostScript code), but it defaults to PCL instead of ANSI-PPL3.

In addition to the document specification, this example requires an imposition specification (to reduce the image size slightly and shift it away from the holes) and a medium specification (to select the three-hole drilled paper).

The imposition specification sets a 36-point (1/2 inch) left margin, and sets the other margins to zero – adjust these to suit your preferences. Alternating margins allow this specification work with duplexed output.

You may need to make changes to the medium specification. It needs to match the way the three-hole drilled paper is defined on your printer, and this varies from one printer model to another.

You can also designate an input tray in the document specification, as an alternative to the medium specification.

In this example, a finishing specification selects stapling. (Finishing controls are available only with the Production PrintKit software.)

The document specification refers to the top-left staple finishing specification included with Production PrintKit. You may need to use an alternate finishing specification. It needs to match the stapling controls on your printer, and this varies from one model to another.

If you are familiar with creating generic queues to select parameters for the DECprint Supervisor (DCPS) software, the procedures used with PrintKit are different, but the result is the same.

DCPS uses logical names to specify the default parameters associated with a queue. PrintKit stores the same information in its configuration database, as a document specification, which you manage using the KITCP administration utility.

PrintKit does need to coordinate its database with the queue definitions, so it is necessary that you create generic queues for use with PrintKit using KITCP, rather than using the INITIALIZE /QUEUE command.

You create stored layup (imposition) definitions for DCPS using .LUP files, stored in the directory DCPS$LAYUP:. PrintKit stores the same information in its configuration database, as an imposition specification, which you manage using KITCP.

Medium and finishing specifications are PrintKit features that have no DCPS equivalents.

The PrintKit User Manual describes the parameters you can specify with your print jobs. Chapter 4: Configuring PrintKit describes more generally the tasks involved in configuring PrintKit. Appendix A: PRINT Command Reference, Table A-2 provides concise descriptions of the parameters. Appendix B: KITCP Command Reference, Table B-1, describes the KITCP commands used to create document specifications and related medium, imposition, and finishing specifications.

The OpenVMS Guide to System Management provides a general discussion of generic queues. It covers other uses of generic queues, such as resource pooling and failover protection.