SUMMARY: Unity Printer

From: Paul Hostrup-Jessen (milne!phj06@bk.dk)
Date: Sat Apr 10 1993 - 07:33:12 CDT


Hello Sun-managers,

Some weeks ago I had a problem setting up a LaserMaster Plain Paper Typesetter
Unity 1200 XL on a TCP/IP network. It has a smart sense function which probes
the ports (serial, parallel, AppleTalk, EtherTalk and TCP/IP) and interprets thepage description language (PostScript or PCL).

The /etc/printcap was originally as follows where "of=unity" is a filter package
delivered together with the printer and compiled on the host:

ps|Unity 1200XL PostScript printer\
        :lp=:rm=unity:of=unity:rp=ps:sd=/usr/spool/ps:\
        :mx#0:

I got several useful replies (my comments in brackets):

"To support a UNIX system, it will (also) have to support the lpd protocol. You
need to check your documentation to see if the printer will support lpd
directly". (Unfortunately not documented very well).

"Are you sure the printer understands lpd protocol? The way you entered it into
the /etc/printcap file means that it has to." (No, I wasn't sure, because the
documentation provided was not good enough).

"I think you need to specify the full path name for the filter, e.g.
:of=/etc/unity: (Certainly, but I forgot to mention that the filter was also
located in /etc so there was no problem using the filter).

"I have a LM Unity 1000 dpi printer printing from the parallel port on a Sun,
if this is an option for you". (We don't have parallel ports on our Suns, but
a PC is using the parallel port without any problems).

"You could of course enter the full path name of the filter". (Certainly, but I forgot to mention that the filter was also located in /etc so there was no
problem using the filter).

"You set up a "dummy" device (lp=/dev/null), since you have to give some sort
of device specification for a local printer." (Correct, this was the missing
part of the printcap entry).

The latter was the most precise response and this is what my printcap now looks
like (with the printer happily printing!):

ps|unity| Unity 1200XL PostScript printer\
          :lp=/dev/null:of=/etc/unity:sd=/usr/spool/ps:\
          :mx#0:
 

Thank you all for your valid help!

Paul Hostrup-Jessen
Electronic Data Processing department (6)

Bruel & Kjaer A/S - Manufacturer of Sound & Vibration measuring equipment
Skodsborgvej 307
DK-2850 Naerum
Denmark

e-mail: phj06@bk.dk

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