Printing UTF8-encoded files from HP-UX

[Joe Geiger]

Recently, we updated our ERP application (Banner from SunGuardHE), hosted on an rx6600 running 11.23, to a version that supports Internationalization. Consequently, the application now permits the entry of UTF-8-encoded UNICODE characters in the user interface and our Oracle 10g backend database can now store said characters. The problem we are having is that reports from banner that contain these characters do not print properly to networked HP laserjet printers.

I have been working with the HP RC for quite some time to rectify this and so far have been unable to develop a solution. The HP RC has suggested the following as my only solutions:

1. Use the PCL5.nloo model script
2. Have the fonts embedded in the document itself
3. Install DIMMs in the printer that offer UTF-8
4. Purchase/install the HP Output Server International Printing tool

Options 2-4 are not viable -- thus, I have focused my efforts on option 1 but with no success. The HP RC has also suggested using the iconv utility to convert the encoding of files to be printed from UTF8 to iso8859_15. I have tried this in conjunction with option 1 with no luck.

If anyone has run up against this before and/or knows of a solution (along the lines of the first one the RC proposed), we would love to hear about it.

Please note that it is quite possible (and probable) that I am missing something very fundamental here. With that having been said, please feel free to help me understand the crux of my problem.

(I am attaching a UTF-8-encoded demo text file that I culled from the web. This is a file that I have been trying to print to one of our networked HP printers from HP-UX thinking that if I can do so successfully, then I am golden. Is that even reasonable or pure folly??)

Thanks!

[Andrew C Fieldsend]

A few questions:

- What specific printer models are you using?
- Do they support Unicode natively?
- What Unicode characters are you trying to print?

If your printer doesn't support Unicode natively, you will have to use a software filter to convert Unicode to its native character sets. This will be difficult if your Unicode glyphs come from multiple character sets (for example, if you have multiple languages in a document), as your filter will have to switch character sets as needed (assuming your printer has the necessary character sets, or can download them).

[Dennis Handly]

You could use a browser to print them. I assume it converts them to postscript.

[Taifur]

Hi

Check below link, hope it will help to resolve ur problem,

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/Unicode-HOWTO


Rgds//
taifur

[Joe Geiger]

Cindy,

Unfortunately, we made no headway. I opened up a case with HP that provided no help. HP gave me lots of options -- none that would work or us. Among the options were to buy "HP-UX Output Sever or Printing Management", buy new HP printers that have sim cards containing the UTF-8 fonts, convert the files using iconv before printing, and using the PCL5.nloo model script. None of these proved viable for our environment for a variety of reasons. The only one that was even attempted was the last option and we never got that figured out. So, as it stands, we cannot print UTF-8 characters that may be entered into our ERP application.

Sorry to not be able to offer any help. If you by chance figure out a straight-forward, non-costly solution, we would love to know.

[DougStrasburg]

The pcl5.nloo or newer pcl5.asian
See 11.31 document

http://www.docs.hp.com/en/5991-7956/5991-7956.pdf

model scripts are primarily for asian printing (embed asian fonts CJK) and not the full Unicode set of characters.

iso8859_15 is Latin1 with euro so all you would be getting with the conversion is the accented western european characters and anything else would not map.

No printer that I'm aware of can include all glyphs for all fonts.

If you only have a subset of Unicode - like a cyrillic locale then iconv may help if the printer supports that particular locale.

HP Output Server w/IP does provide the full set of Unicode glyphs to embed in a document, but is probably too expensive.

You might check with Oracle for their "Pasta"
printing option - have no idea what it costs.

[Jim Jerome]

Joe: We are in the same environment as you running Banner andn UTF-8. We also have no solution as of yet. Do you have any resolution to this issue yet?

[Joe Geiger]

Unfortunately no. The issue has been moved to the "way-back" back burner. As noted in the original post, I opened a case with the HP RC and got nowhere. The only option we could realistically afford was option 1 - using the the PCL5.nloo model script -- but I got nowhere with that fast. So, as it stands, while our application (Banner) permits the entry of UTF8 characters and our RDBMS (oracle) can store UTF8 characters, we have no way of printing UTF8 characters out on our standard reports to a multitude of HP network printers. If you happen to come across a solution, please, by all means, let me know. Sorry that we could not be of any help :(

[Dennis Handly]

This mentions euro support:
http://docs.hp.com/en/5991-1194/ch02s01.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
HP 4500 Color LaserJet Printer, that contains the euro symbol at position A4 (hexadecimal).