IBM Machine Code Printer Control Characters
Note: This page is being created. July 23, 2015
IBM machine code printer control characters (MCC) are printing command characters used by mainframe printers to control the movement of paper through line printers. These commands are presented as special characters in the first column of each text line to be printed, and affect how the paper is advanced before or after the line is printed.
In contrast to ASA carriage control characters (ASA CC), IBM machine code printer control characters are mostly non-displayable characters.
Operation
Immediate action commands
These commands do not send any data to the printer. The commands only ask the printer to move the paper.
| MCC code | Action |
|---|---|
| x'03' | No operation. Kind of a comment line in the print data stream |
| x'0B' | Space 1 line immediate |
| x'13' | Space 2 line immediate |
| x'1B' | Space 3 line immediate |
| x'8B' | Skip to channel 1 immediate |
| x'93' | Skip to channel 2 immediate |
| x'9B' | Skip to channel 3 immediate |
| x'A3' | Skip to channel 4 immediate |
| x'AB' | Skip to channel 5 immediate |
| x'B3' | Skip to channel 6 immediate |
| x'BB' | Skip to channel 7 immediate |
| x'C3' | Skip to channel 8 immediate |
| x'CB' | Skip to channel 9 immediate |
| x'D3' | Skip to channel 10 immediate |
| x'DB' | Skip to channel 11 immediate |
| x'E3' | Skip to channel 12 immediate |
Write and Space Commands
Write and space commands ask the printer to write the data on the line and afterwards move the paper.
| MCC code | Action |
|---|---|
| x'01' | Write without spacing |
| x'09' | Write and space 1 line |
| x'11' | Write and space 2 line |
| x'19' | Write and space 3 line |
| x'89' | Write and skip to channel 1 |
| x'91' | Write and skip to channel 2 |
| x'99' | Write and skip to channel 3 |
| x'A1' | Write and skip to channel 4 |
| x'A9' | Write and skip to channel 5 |
| x'B1' | Write and skip to channel 6 |
| x'B9' | Write and skip to channel 7 |
| x'C1' | Write and skip to channel 8 |
| x'C9' | Write and skip to channel 9 |
| x'D1' | Write and skip to channel 10 |
| x'D9' | Write and skip to channel 11 |
| x'E1' | Write and skip to channel 12 |