Printer model scripts for non HP printers

[Stephen Wales_1]

I'm having troubles getting an old Compaq printer to print from our N Class server.

It's a Compaq Pagemarq 20, connect to a JetDirect Ex Plus. The host is an N-Class running HP-UX 11.0.

I can get stuff to print from it in the default font etc but the users want to print compressed.

It doesn't seem to be recognizing the '-oc' to the lp command.

I'm sure I'm missing something, but my SA experience isn't as great as I'd like it to be (the joys of being a DBA who they want to do more Unix work :) )

Any pointers here would be appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

[RAC_1]

you can try different interface scripts. (Hope the one you want works with your printer)

Or hunt it on internet.

[Rajeev Shukla · Accepted solution]

Try changing the "pitch" in the model script file for the printer. The codes sent for compressed printing are not sometimes recognised by the printers coz they are connected via serial or parellel cable through Jetdirect.
So edit the /etc/lp/interface/model.org/
file and change the pitch size and see if the font size changes.

Cheers
Rajeev

[Stanimir]

It is good idea to transfer ruling ESC-sequenses to your non-hp network printer by ftp.
For this aim:

1.You need to know ESC-sequences
of your printer. Then you could make a small
rulling files with them,with different arguments each.
For example one of them can be
/somedir/pL8C10F12CYR:

^[[<14h^[[10m^[[4w^[[4z^[[1t^[-L

2.After that you must prepare files with ftp-arguments, for each rulling file from /etc/lp/interface/ftparg:

user
bi
send /drivers/unix/pL6C10F11CYRf P1
by

3.And at last you can use script in
/etc/lp/interface/lpNON-HP. You can prepare it
using as model scripts for common network
hp-printers, but you can add in it a lines:

ftp -n -v -g $NON-HPPR-IP-ADDRESS < /etc/lp/interface/ftparg >> /var/adm/lp/log

I have attached you example for lpNON-HP here.
Regards,Stan

[Stanimir]

Sorry, I forgot attachment. :)

[Frank Slootweg]

You do use a JetDirect *box*, but do you also use the JetDirect (or equivalent) *software* (look at the response about model.org and see if you use that. If so, *which* model script is it, i.e. what model script name did you use when you installed the printer?

Also, does the printer understand (HP) PCL (Printer Command Language)? If so, which level.

[Stephen Wales_1]

Well, after all that, they've decided that they are not going to worry about printing from the application that needed to compress the output to this printer now anyway.

Thanks to everyone for your replies, I've files those answers away for future usage.

Steve

[Bill Hassell]

All the model scripts supplied by HP (other than HPGL and Postscript) are designed for PCL (HP's Printer Control Language) which is why the Compaq printer doesn't respond to the -oc option. Writing a model script is fairly easy except it requires a complete technical reference for the printer. For instance, accessing the compressed font on this printer likely requires an escape sequence.

There is a workaround if you can locate a list of control codes for the printer. Create a wrapper script that can insert the appropriate font controls in front of the print job. Of course, the effort may not be worth the cost of a new or used PCL printer.