Problem when printing to an AGFA Drystar AXYS printer

[dcalvo]

Hello,

I'm trying to print a DICOM image to an AGFA Drystar AXYS printer using the dcmpsprt and dcmprscu tools, with no success. The process fails when creating the basic film box with an 'Invalid attribute value (0x106)' status. Unfortunately, the printer does not give any hint on which attribute in invalid.

I've captured some DICOM messages with Wireshark and the request that failed, along with the corresponding response, is as follows:

Code: Select all

DICOM, N-CREATE-RQ ID=3
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 78
    PDV, N-CREATE-RQ ID=3
        PDV Length: 74
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x03 (Command, Last Fragment)
        (0000,0000)          4 Command Group Length                          60
        (0000,0002)         22 Affected SOP Class UID                        1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.2 (Basic Film Box SOP Class)
        (0000,0100)          2 Command Field                                 N-CREATE-RQ
        (0000,0110)          2 Message ID                                    3
        (0000,0800)          2 Command Data Set Type                         1
DICOM, N-CREATE-RQ-DATA
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 248
    PDV, N-CREATE-RQ-DATA
        PDV Length: 244
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x02 (Data, Last Fragment)
        (2010,0000)          4 Group Length                                  230
        (2010,0010)         12 Image Display Format                          STANDARD\1,1
        (2010,0040)          8 Film Orientation                              PORTRAIT
        (2010,0050)         10 Film Size ID                                  10INX12IN 
        (2010,0100)          6 Border Density                                BLACK 
        (2010,0110)          6 Empty Image Density                           BLACK 
        (2010,0120)          2 Min Density                                   0
        (2010,0130)          2 Max Density                                   0
        (2010,0140)          2 Trim                                          NO
        (2010,0500)     <udef> Referenced Film Session Sequence              
            (fffe,e000)     <udef> Item                                          
                (0008,0000)          4 Group Length                                  74
                (0008,1150)         22 Referenced SOP Class UID                      1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.1 (Basic Film Session SOP Class)
                (0008,1155)         36 Referenced SOP Instance UID                   1.3.51.0.1.7568953.20230105145947.47
                (fffe,e00d)          0 Item Delimitation Item                        
            (fffe,e0dd)          0 Sequence Delimitation Item                    

Code: Select all

DICOM, N-CREATE-RSP (Invalid attribute value)
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 132
    PDV, N-CREATE-RSP (Invalid attribute value)
        PDV Length: 128
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x03 (Command, Last Fragment)
        (0000,0000)          4 Command Group Length                          114
        (0000,0002)         22 Affected SOP Class UID                        1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.2 (Basic Film Box SOP Class)
        (0000,0100)          2 Command Field                                 N-CREATE-RSP
        (0000,0120)          2 Message ID Being Responded To                 3
        (0000,0800)          2 Command Data Set Type                         257
        (0000,0900)          2 Status                                        Invalid attribute value (0x106)
        (0000,1000)         36 Affected SOP Instance UID                     1.3.51.0.1.2965381.20230105145947.48

I was able to print using a 3rd party application but I cannot see significant differences between the requests that worked and the one that failed. The request that worked is as follows:

Code: Select all

DICOM, N-CREATE-RQ ID=2
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 78
    PDV, N-CREATE-RQ ID=2
        PDV Length: 74
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x03 (Command, Last Fragment)
        (0000,0000)          4 Command Group Length                          60
        (0000,0002)         22 Affected SOP Class UID                        1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.2 (Basic Film Box SOP Class)
        (0000,0100)          2 Command Field                                 N-CREATE-RQ
        (0000,0110)          2 Message ID                                    2
        (0000,0800)          2 Command Data Set Type                         0
DICOM, N-CREATE-RQ-DATA
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 262
    PDV, N-CREATE-RQ-DATA
        PDV Length: 258
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x02 (Data, Last Fragment)
        (2010,0000)          4 Group Length                                  244
        (2010,0010)         12 Image Display Format                          STANDARD\1,1
        (2010,0030)          6 Annotation Display Format ID                  SomeID
        (2010,0040)          8 Film Orientation                              PORTRAIT
        (2010,0050)         10 Film Size ID                                  10INX12IN 
        (2010,0100)          6 Border Density                                BLACK 
        (2010,0110)          6 Empty Image Density                           BLACK 
        (2010,0120)          2 Min Density                                   0
        (2010,0130)          2 Max Density                                   0
        (2010,0140)          2 Trim                                          NO
        (2010,0500)     <udef> Referenced Film Session Sequence              
            (fffe,e000)     <udef> Item                                          
                (0008,0000)          4 Group Length                                  74
                (0008,1150)         22 Referenced SOP Class UID                      1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.1 (Basic Film Session SOP Class)
                (0008,1155)         36 Referenced SOP Instance UID                   1.3.51.0.1.1992528.20230105133809.21
                (fffe,e00d)          0 Item Delimitation Item                        
            (fffe,e0dd)          0 Sequence Delimitation Item                    

Code: Select all

DICOM, N-CREATE-RSP ID=2 (Success)
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 132
    PDV, N-CREATE-RSP ID=2 (Success)
        PDV Length: 128
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x03 (Command, Last Fragment)
        (0000,0000)          4 Command Group Length                          114
        (0000,0002)         22 Affected SOP Class UID                        1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.2 (Basic Film Box SOP Class)
        (0000,0100)          2 Command Field                                 N-CREATE-RSP
        (0000,0120)          2 Message ID Being Responded To                 2
        (0000,0800)          2 Command Data Set Type                         1
        (0000,0900)          2 Status                                        Success (0x00)
        (0000,1000)         36 Affected SOP Instance UID                     1.3.51.0.1.1960335.20230105133809.22
DICOM, N-CREATE-RSP-DATA
    PDU Type: Data (0x04)
    PDU Length: 112
    PDV, N-CREATE-RSP-DATA
        PDV Length: 108
        Context: 0x01 (Implicit VR Little Endian: Default Transfer Syntax for DICOM, Basic Grayscale Print Management Meta SOP Class)
        Flags: 0x02 (Data, Last Fragment)
        (2010,0510)     <udef> Referenced Image Box Sequence                 
            (fffe,e000)     <udef> Item                                          
                (0008,1150)         22 Referenced SOP Class UID                      1.2.840.10008.5.1.1.4 (Basic Grayscale Image Box SOP Class)
                (0008,1155)         36 Referenced SOP Instance UID                   1.3.51.0.1.7502367.20230105133809.23
                (fffe,e00d)          0 Item Delimitation Item                        
            (fffe,e0dd)          0 Sequence Delimitation Item                    

The request that worked is setting attribute (2010,0030), Annotation Display Format ID (SomeID). Additionally, it uses different messages for the N-CREATE-REQ and N-CREATE-REQ-DATA, whereas DCMTK send both requests in a single message. Another difference is the Group Length, which is not sent by default by dcmprscu but I've added the following lines to both dcmprscu and dcmpsprt in order to force the GL:

Code: Select all

    // set the handling of group length elements when reading/writing a dataset (EGL_withoutGL, EGL_withGL, EGL_recalcGL)
    g_dimse_send_groupLength_encoding = EGL_withGL; // DCMTK default is EGL_recalcGL
    // set the sequence encoding type, either EET_UndefinedLength or EET_ExplicitLength
    g_dimse_send_sequenceType_encoding = EET_UndefinedLength; // DCMTK default is EET_ExplicitLength

Has anyone experienced similar issues when printing to an AGFA printer? Any hints or suggestions?

For my test I'm running the following command:

Code: Select all

dcmpsprt -d -c printers.cfg -p AGFA -s --copies 1 --medium-type "BLUE FILM" --priority MED --portrait --filmsize 10INX12IN  --annotation "SomeID" --no-trim --border BLACK --empty-image BLACK --max-density 0 --min-density 0 BREAST_LMLO_4997.dcm

Note that in spite of setting the annotation to SomeID, the corresponding attribute is not set in the N-CREATE request. In addition, DCMTK was always sending a Presentation LUT SOP Class set with IDENTITY, even when providing the parameter --default-plut in the command line, so I set the SupportsPresentationLUT option to false (the corresponding context is not sent during the association request anymore but this should not be an issue).

The configuration file I'm using is available at https://itfitec-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g ... Q?e=giKRxU

The program output is available at https://itfitec-my.sharepoint.com/:t:/g ... g?e=rAdRd0.

Additionally, the Wireshark capture files for both scenarios are here:

• successful print (with 3rd party application): https://itfitec-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g ... g?e=9eDi9r
  
  failed print (with dcmpsprt and dcmprsc): https://itfitec-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g ... Q?e=RdwKTp

Thanks in advance for your help!

[dcalvo]

I forgot to mention that I'm running DCMTK 3.6.6 on Windows.

[dcalvo]

For the record, it seems the issue is related to printer configuration. When using the same AE Title that was used by the 3rd party SW everything worked as expected.

[Marco Eichelberg]

Well, a configuration of the printer that has different settings for different AETitles explains the problem...

[dcalvo]

Yes. It makes sense. Thanks!

[optixone]

For the record, it seems the issue is related to printer configuration. When using the same AE Title that was used by the 3rd party SW everything worked as expected.

Hello! I have the same issue here. Can you detail how did you fix it? What printer configuration did you change?

Thank you!

[dcalvo]

Hi,

I did not change any configuration. I just used an AE Title that was already configured. I could not even check the existing configuration since I did not have the proper credentials to access the printer configuration.