dump or ASCII/text driver for printer - plz help asap

[Maaz]

OS: SUSE Ent Linux 10

I have to configure a "Globalis Safir Sp-40 Transactional Printer" on a SUSE Linux box.
Globalis Support team has told me that .... "On any flavor of UNIX you can use the dump or ASCII/text driver with any of our products, the SP40 inclusive"
To configure the printer, I connect the printer with my machine using a parallel cable, then I start the Printer Wizard, as
# yast printer
But i didnt found "dump or ASCII/text driver" option.

@ yast printer > Printer Type
1, Directly Connected Printers 2, Network Printers [here I select option 1] >
3, then select Parallel Printer > next > next > now here comes a screen to select the Manufacturer and Model page (globalis is not listed/available in the list) >
i,e I didnt found the "dump or ASCII/text driver" option.

what should I do ? where is the option to configure ASCII/text driver or dump driver ?

Regards
Maaz

[Rob Leadbeater]

Hi Maaz,

I'm not sure on Suse, but on RedHat you'd have an option for a Raw Print Queue. That is probably what you need...

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Rob

[Maaz]

did you mean Raw Print Queu is equivalent to ASCII/text driver ... isn't ?

since I also have to configure the same device on redhat 9... i will must check this Raw Print Queu option.

Regards
Maaz

[Maaz]

ok, on rhl9 box i tried to config this printer,
# redhat-config-printer > new > Forward > > here i select the printer Quee type as Localy Connected > then select Text Only Printer > Finish

yet every thing seem fine.

but when I send any thing to printer... the printer starts printing blah blah... not the Garbage, but I think it starts printing.. its configurations, it prints some thing like...

%!PS-Adobe-3.0
%RBINumCopies: 1
%%Pages: (atend)
%%Creator: Gnome Print version 2.2.1.1
.
.
.
.
.

printer only prints such type text.. but not the pages we send to print.

plz help
Regards
Maaz

[Matti_Kurkela]

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

This indicates it's PostScript v3 data.

%%Creator: Gnome Print version 2.2.1.1

This PostScript data is generated by Gnome Print, which is probably the GUI application/applet you're using to print.

Many GUI tools in unix-like systems just assume that any printer will understand PostScript, or the print queue is configured to convert any PostScript print jobs to the printer's native format (Ghostscript is often used for this purpose). With a text-only printer, you may find many operations of the GUI tools will produce only PostScript garbage.

If you need to print only text, try creating a text file and then using a "lp" or "lpr" command to print it.

According to
http://www.globalis.com/Catalogues/Catalogue_Safir.pdf

the Globalis Safir SP-40 can emulate (=work like) Epson LQ 1170 or LQ 2250, or various IBM Proprinter models. You may need to configure the printer to choose an emulation mode: the printer's documentation should have the instructions for that.

Go to
http://openprinting.org/printer_list.cgi
and search for each of the printer types the Safir can emulate.

Find the emulation that allows you to use the features you need, and is supported by your Linux versions.

Then configure the printer to that emulation mode. Now you can configure the Linux boxes as if the printer actually was the type it is set to emulate (i.e. if you select Epson LQ-1170 emulation, you tell Linux boxes "Epson LQ-1170" as the printer type).

With this approach, you should be able to use almost all of the features of the printer.

MK

[Maaz]

Thanks Dear Matti Kurkela for help.

>If you need to print only text, try creating a text file and then using a "lp" or "lpr" > command to print it.

using the Text driver... I did the following
# echo 1234 > data.txt
# lpr data.txt
Now printer prints again prints blah blah..
%!PS-Adobe-3.0
%RBINumCopies: 1
%%Pages: (atend)
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 612 792
%%Creator: texttops/CUPS v1.1.17
%%CreationDate: Mon 25 Jun 2007 09:20:24 AM PKST
%%Title: data.txt
%%For: root
.
.
.
%%BeginResource: font Courier-Bold
%%!PS-AdobeFont-1.0 Courier-Bold 1.05
%%CrearionDate: Wed Dec 22 1999
.
.
.
.
.
whats that now, why blah blah even now ? this time i didnt use any gui app(like previously i was using "gedit")

plz help
Regards
Maaz

[Steven Schweda]

> # lpr data.txt

So which print queue do you think that "lpr"
is using here? When you configured your new
"Text Only Printer", did you give it a name?
"lpr -P printer_name" would specify a
particular printer (print queue).

What does "lpstat -s" say?

[Maaz]

>The Globalis Safir SP-40 can emulate (=work like) Epson LQ 1170 or LQ 2250, > or various IBM Proprinter models

under redhat 9, When I set the emulation EPSON LQ 1170, LQ 2250, or LQ 570, or LQ570+ or set the IBM emulations... and then send printing to the printer .. printer LED starts blinking, .. printer even accept the paper... but doesnt print a single word.. i.e page comes out blank.

under redhat 9, when I set the Text driver, i have already posted that, printer only prints its configurations(blah blah)... but not the text.. i send to print.

under suse 10, I didnt find any Text driver.
under suse 10, when I set EPSOn emulation, the printer prints the page, but the printing is not satisfactory.. i mean that print quality is not good, i.e its hard to understand the the print.

Dear Steven Schweda thanks for help
Since I have only a single printer i.e SP40, and SP40 is also the default printer.. lpr its not necessary to specify the "printer"..
# lpr filename.... is enough
i even did the following... same results
# lpr -P saf40 data.txt

# lpstat -s
system default destination: saf40
device for saf40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer

Thanks
Maaz

[Maaz]

under redhat, when i set the EPSON, or IBM emulation, as I already post that, printer LED starts blinking(i.e something to print... good/ok sign) .. printer takes the page, but doesnt do(print) anything..
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: saf40
device for saf40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
saf40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 7 data.txt 1024 bytes

[Maaz]

remove the printer... then again configure the printer... select the Text driver.
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 1 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

now this time printer accept the page to print... but doesnt do(print) anything... but simply a blank page.

Globalis Safir SP40, can work as Epson 1170/2250.. so instead of Text driver, I select Epson as Manufacturer, LQ 1170 as a driver... then send the printing
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 2 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

Now either I configure the printer as Text or as Epson ... the printer doesn't prints..i.e it just prints the blank page.

Regards

[Maaz]

please ignore the post just above this post

remove the printer... then again configure the printer... select the Text driver.
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 1 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

Again printer prints the blah blah i.e its configurations but not the text i send

Globalis Safir SP40, can work as Epson LQ 1170/2250/570.. so instead of Text driver, I select Epson as Manufacturer, LQ 1170/570 as a driver... then send the printing
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 2 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

Printer LED starts blinking... printer accept the paper... but doesn't print anything

under suse 10, situation is different... i.e when under suse 10, i select the EPSON LQ 1170/570... then send the print to the printer.. printer properly prints the text..i.e prints the text that I send.. but printing is not satisfactory.. or its hard to understand the text on the paper.

Regards

[Maaz]

Globalis Technical team, told me that "if you configure the printer as Text Only Printer then also DISABLE ANY LOCAL FILTERING/CONVERSION ON THE SYSTEM".
Now assume that I have configure the printer as Text Only Printer.. then plz let me know how can I DISABLE ANY LOCAL FILTERING/CONVERSION.. on rhl9 system

Regards
Maaz

[Maaz]

as I have wrote, that using SUSE Linux, this printer works as EPSON LQ-1170/570... but the only issue I faced was that print was not good/satifactory.. or hard to read... this was due to 60 * 60 dpi, I simply increase the resolution... and issue resolved.

rhl 9 is still an issue... when I configure the printer as Text Only Printer.. printer starts printing blah-blah(Garbage).. but not the text i send.
when i configure the printer as EPSON ... printer accept the paper(as its going to print).. but doesn't print a single word.

(To stop garbage)Globalis Team suggest me to DISABLE Local Filter/Conversion on rhl.. if printer is configured as Text Only Printer

Regards

[Steven Schweda]

You may need to figure out what you really
want to do.

If you want to send plain text to the
printer, then you need to remove any fancy
filters which are playing with your plain
text (such as, for example, converting it to
PostScript).

If you want to be able to specify font sizes
and similar formatting data, then you need to
use filters which will take your format
specifications and talk to the printer in
ways which it understands (PCL, PostScript,
whatever).

[Maaz]

Dear Steven Schweda
SUSE is no problem.. its working quite fine.. after increasing its resolution.

rhl9.. is still problem... and I am requesting you EXPERTS to please help(as you people use to )

a, when I configure the SP40, as Text Only Printer... printer doesnt prints the text. but prints blah blah(weird data)

b, when I configure the SP40, as EPSON... printer doesnt prints even a single word.. when I send the text to print .. LED starts blinking.. printer accept the paper.. but doesnt print a word.

there is the response from Globalis for problem "a".

DISABLE ANY LOCAL FILTERING/CONVERSION ON SYSTEM(rhl9)
According to the data printed it looks like it's a postscript job that's why
the printer is printing wierd characters.
The print command is still using a postscript driver not the text driver.

for Text Only Printer... I didnt find filtering option.. plz let me know.. how to disable filtering.. for a Text Only Printer.

Again for the convenience, I m posting technical data:

when configure the printer as the Text Only Printer.
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 1 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

Printer prints the blah blah i.e weird data, but not the text i send

When configure the printer as EPSON
# lpr data.txt && lpstat -s && lpq
system default destination: sp40
device for sp40: parallel:/dev/lp0
device for printer: ipp://rhl9:631/printers/printer
sp40 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job File(s) Total Size
active root 2 data.txt 1024 bytes

then
# lpq
sp40 is ready
no entries

Printer LED starts blinking... printer accept the paper... but doesn't print anything

[Maaz]

By configuring the Globalis Safir SP40 Transactional Printer as EPSON LQ-570+ instead of LQ-570(or any other emulation).. now I can print from redhat 9 ;)

Although ... Text Only Printer(that prints weird data/postscript data).. remains a issue.. this thread is still open

Anyway thanks Everyone for help.

Regards
Maaz