Increase print rate, print speed zebra printer (zpl)

Question

Hello,
first I start with release info:
SAP system N22 (only ABAP system), which calls Adobe Form processing
Windows 2008 SP1
Oracle 11
SAP ECC 6.0
SAPKB70103
SAPKH60403
SAP ADS system AD0 (only Java system):
Windows 2003 SP2
Oracle 10
SAP Netweaver 7.0 Java with Enhancement Package 1
Versioninformation given by report FP_PDF_TEST_00: 802.20090618120017.572641
We use a ordinary Zebra printer with internal print server (ZM400-200E-0100T).
In N22 there is an output device defined with device type "AZPL203 : ZPL203 for pdf documents only".
Printing works but print speed/rate is always lowest (2 Inch/s) and I find no SAP-way changing it. (Why SAP does not give maxmimum speed in zpl?)
Lowest speed in ZPL-code is represented by ^PRA . I find this string:
- in spool files on N22 (example: SPOOL0000014926_00001.zpl)
- in xdc file on AD0: E:\usr\sap\AD0\SYS\global\AdobeDocumentServices\lib\zpl203.xdc, line:  "<seq id="startDoc">XA&#xa;PRALH0,3&#xa;XZ&#xa;</seq>"
Changing the string in that file does not work. Creating a complete new output device in N22 with new xdc file zzpl203.xdc does not work too.
Another way of changing print speed is described in the documentation "SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe, customizing Printing Workflows, (SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SPS13 or higher), Document Version 2.0 - August 2007".  In chapter 4.3 "Changing the print speed setting" is described a job profile named ZPLSettings.xml, which should be used. In that file I do not find printRate.
Who can help?
Kind Regards
Walter Habich

Answer 1

Hi Ale,
You dont need a Zebra bar one tool for printing graphics from smartforms. You need to have propers drivers and proper settings in place. Take a look at the OSS notes 750772 - Information on the ZPL-II printer driver for SmartForms
Check the point 5 in the above oss notes:
5) Support of bitmap graphics
Colored bitmap graphics from SmartForms are changed to black and white when you print from the LZPL printer driver. If the picture quality is affected by this conversion, change the graphic to B/W with a graphics program (such as PaintShop Pro), and import it to SmartForms as as a black and white graphic. Monochrome graphics are not converted by the driver. However, all graphics may be justified to adjust the size of the graphic to the printer resolution (203, 300 or 600 dpi).
During the import to SmartForms, you have the option to flag a bitmap as "resident". In this case, the LZPL printer driver saves the graphic in the RAM of the printer when it first occurs (Device "R:" of the zebra printer). At the end of the spool request, the driver deletes the graphic again from the printer's RAM, so that no more memory remains occupied.
Resident graphics during label printing from SmartForms are therefore only faster if more than one label is printed within a spool request, and the resident graphic is repeated on each label.
I hope this info helps.
VJ