Important: JetAdmin or HP Printer Installer does NOT work for non-HP printers. This software (called "Network-based Printer" rather than "Remote Printer") works only with the HP JetDirect interface card. Lexmark uses a general purpose card which emulates a BSD print server and now we have to discuss BSD versus SysV remote printing.
BSD printing is accomplished with the lpr command and uses a printcap file to perform printer setup tasks. All formatting performed by the spooler is done prior to send the file to a remote location. SysV printing uses the lp command and relies on printer scripts to perform special formatting. Both BSD and SysV use RFC 1170 as the standard for printing to a remote server.
However, SysV performs NO formatting when sending a file to the remote system. Instead, it expects the remote computer to perform this task, something that NT/Win2K or a non-HP-UX system will not do. Thus, your ASCII text files will print stairstep mode across the page because the required CR is not being inserted by the remote server.
The Lexmark (and virtually all other network printers) are remote servers and know nothing about -o options or printer scripts required by SysV standards. So to print ASCII files correctly, you will have to run them through a filter locally like this:
ux2dos file_to_print | lp -dremote_printer
If the Lexmark has the option (like many HP LaserJet printers) to add CR to every LF character, this may be an option, but you'll have to ensure that this option remains set in the printer. Options like -olandscape or -oduplex will be ignored by non-HP-UX systems. The solution is to replace the Lexmark network connection with an HP JetDirect print server (external box) and then setup the printer as a Network-based printer.
Bill Hassell, sysadmin
