GLM - Spool management - Slow printing standard - High Volume Printing??

Question

I've seen a couple OSS notes referencing performance on Spool management for GLM, but I need to ask about HVP.. I was told this was the only way to allow the printing of sequence or serial number processing to print quicker..
Here is my issue.  We have used serial numbers symbols on our labels with the following configuration to allow the label to print in sequential order based on the number of labels needed.
Meaning if we have 10 labels to print, we use this serial number symbol to print 1 of 10, 2 of 10, 3 of 10, etc...
Here is the symbol code we have on our template.
@TD_LBLSRN(ID=02EHS_SERNO1)  of @TD_SRNEND(ID=02EHS_SERNO1)
Now by doing this, it slows the printing of the label considerably. Without this, labels print 1 every 2 seconds or so, but with the serial number sequence, it prints 1 label every 20-30 second and we print thousand of labels at a time.  So it takes a really long time.. The issue is the labels and the serial number sequence is being spooled up and basically printing a label after WWI process the 1 of 10, then processes 2 of 10, then etc...
How can we speed this up?  I heard HVP, but this solution is extremely expensive.. Is there any other solution?

Answer 1

Hello Keith,
GLM replicates the static part of the label and adds after wards the sequence number to each generated page. This is needed; because GLM uses the MS Windows standard print technology which does not foresee optimized sequence numbering. The advantage is that it will work for all printer types with a MS Windows printer driver but the disadvantage is the increasing data volume and the longer processing times.
The HVP functionality is available for thermo transfer printers of Zebra, Pago, Tec or printers which can understand the ZPL printer language. The HVP is part of the GLM pre-defined service from SAP since January.
The HVP functionality will pass the sequence number parameters to a special printer driver which uses special functionality of the printer hardware to do the sequence numbering. The printer driver load the static part of the label to the printer first and send then only the sequence number as a dynamic part for each copy. So finally this will reduce the data volume nearly to one copy of your label.
I donu2019t think that there is really a good technical alternative to HVP at the moment but some MS Windows printer drivers have the possibility to send hardware commands in advance of a print job. This might be an option to initiate a sequence number counter on the printer hardware an doing the numbering in that way. I never tried it in this way but this is the only option without HVP I see at the moment.
Best regards
Michael Veit